Parcels Unleashed an Invigorating End to The LOVED U.S. Tour in Atlanta
Few things are more rejuvenating than a room filled with strangers who have no purpose other than to enjoy themselves and let go for a while. And luckily for everyone at The Eastern in Atlanta last Wednesday, Parcels are made for dancing.
Australian electrofunk band Parcels visited Atlanta on October 14th, for the final headline show of the U.S. tour in support of their third studio album LOVED. The band last played in Atlanta four and a half years ago in this same room, so it was lovely to see how their fans have continued to show up for them over the years–especially in Georgia, the first show of the LOVED tour to sell out.
Parcels’ members–Jules Crommelin, Patrick Hetherington, Louie Swain, Noah Hill, and Toto Serret–have a seamless musical communication that’s just as timeless as their fanbase. Their presence on stage is distinctive, magnetic and fully connected. Hetherington hunches over his synth like a mad scientist, foot meticulously keeping pace with a windshield wiper motion. Crommelin and Hill enunciate every note of their guitar and bass with their entire bodies. Swain presides coolly over his extensive arrangement of keyboards. Serret lays a flawless foundation for it all on the drums, and he does it with a smile. Energy circuits through the room on an unstoppable loop, the band and the audience feeding off of one another’s excitement.
The show was full of invigorated deliveries of songs primarily from LOVED, but also quintessential cuts from their S/T record and Day/Night, plus their Daft Punk-produced breakout single “Overnight.” As usual, the lead singer swapping between Crommelin, Hetherington and Hill kept things engaging, as did the sublime vocal harmonies from the whole band. A standout from the set was the Parcels’ cover of Kavinsky’s “Nightcall.” Intense synths made the room feel like a scene from an 80s thriller, and the vocoder vocals of the original were cleverly swapped with live harmonies.
The main part of the set was bookended with performances of “Tobeloved,” but the latter version felt distinctly rockish by the end, a fitting peak. At the end Serret announced, “Don’t stop, Atlanta! If you don’t stop, we won’t stop either,” before the band rolled straight into an encore. They re-entered mellowly with “Somethinggreater” and finished the night fittingly with “Finallyover,” for which opening band the booyah kids! joined. Vocals from Emma Lee elevated the song into something even more sweetly melancholy.
Aside from their perfectly executed sound and energy, another admirable facet of Parcels’ live shows is the incredible visual production. Dynamic strobing lights play perfectly into the club mix-eque style of the setlist, for which the band regularly blends and transitions between songs, always making time to get lost in the groove. Longtime creative collaborator and touring photo/videographer Jean Raclet circled the stage throughout the entire set alongside more recent collaborator Luca Young to capture the magic. We can only hope that all of the filming might mean we’re getting a Live Vol. 3 someday.
This show marked the end of an era for Parcels. Crommelin announced during the encore that this was the band’s final headlining show for two years, adding “I don’t think we’ve processed it.” Parcels may be taking a (well-earned) break before heading into album four, but luckily for us its individual members will likely be pursuing separate projects in the meantime, including Crommelin and Hetherington’s duo collaboration on Dream Boat and Hill’s and Serret’s solo work.
Parcels’ career has been one marked by change and expansion. We’ve been down side roads of cinematic grandeur on Day/Night, leaned into the straightforward freedom of EDM on Live Vol. 3, and stripped things back again for LOVED. Every exploration finds a way to be evident in and elevate the band’s live show, so we can’t wait to see what Parcels’ next iteration will bring.
