Lime Cordiale | Portland, OR
Lime Cordiale made a visit for the first time as a headliner in Portland, Oregon at the Wonder Ballroom. Their visit was the last of 4 shows for their US/Canadian tour. The Australian band’s last visit was opening for Tones and I in early 2020. With them, they brought along Teenage Dads, another band from Australia that complemented the night’s indie lineup.
Teenage Dads had a youthful, but mature presence. Their set had a funky vibe, perfect for a road trip; with the lead singer intertwining the keyboard and guitar as he sang. This was their first visit to Portland and they were very engaging with the crowd. Included in their set was their latest single “Speed Racer”, a cover of the Bugles’ “Video Killed the Radio” star and crowd favorites “Hey Diego” and “Teddy.”
After a short intermission, circus music played as Lime Cordiale took the stage, perhaps introducing them as clowns, respectfully. Brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach had a playful demeanor throughout the night that the crowd could feel - they were genuinely having on stage. The band opened their set with “Money”. Lime Cordiale has a unique set of skills playing nontraditional instruments like trombone, trumpet, clarinet and a crowd favorite, kazoo. The band introduced “Imposter Syndrome”, a track that was just released a month ago, then “Country Club”, a song with hints of reggae allowing their goofy side come out. Throughout the night their sound tech could be seen exchanging guitars where he eventually stayed on the stage and played along for a song. “Not That Easy” transitioned into some salsa dancing, with Oli jumping into the crowd to dance with a fan. After a cover of Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself”, they slowed things down for the first time with “Colin”. Their set ended with an acoustic version of “Waking Up is Easy”, with only the brothers on stage. As the crowd sang along, the rest of the band took the stage to close out the night with “Temper Temper” and “Robbery”. The evening was full of dancing, laughs and fun that made for a successful headlining visit.
