LIVE REVIEW: LIVING OUT LOUD: 20 YEARS OF YOUNGCARE w/ THE VERONICAS @ THE TRIFFID 03/10/25

with Client Liaison, Hanni and Later Daze

Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi

It was a very relaxed gig at The Triffid as the Brisbane community turned up to give their support and money to the non-profit organisation Youngcare. They put on the gig with the help of the venue, the musicians, and volunteers to help fundraise for the important work they do in the Brisbane and South East Queensland community. Youngcare gives financial and practical support to young people with high-care needs to live independently and avoid aged care facilities. Having worked in this fraught policy space, this is such a worthy cause to support and keep young people out of aged care facilities where outcomes are never good.

The evening, celebrating 20 years of Youngcare, was hosted by Myf Warhurst. The night was headlined by Australia’s iconic pop duo, The Veronicas. The supporting musicians were Client Liaison with the 1970s themed DJ set, Gold Coast musician HANNI, the South Brisbane band Later Daze and Rexy.  The evening started with a festival vibe.

Local musician Rexy kicked off the evening with a very short set of songs featuring the original ‘Cherry Red’. Rexy’s songs ‘I Could Fly Away’ were sweet slices of indie-pop. The upbeat songs got the crowd into the mood for fun and dancing.

Sunnybank band Later Daze commenced the evening with their first ever appearance at The Triffid. They brought the big pop-rock sound and the party vibe good times enery with their sonic palette that covered sounds from 1990s grunge, funk, shoegaze guitars, to smooth reggae. The five-piece band comprising of Lennon Madgwick (rhythm guitar), Luka Manitta (drums), Corey Truss (bass), Rocco Manitta (lead guitar) and TJ Scanlan (lead vocal) performed a mix of originals and a cover song.

Later Daze played original songs ‘Rebel Drive’, ‘Castaway’, ‘New Friends’ and ‘Going Out’. You could hear the band actively searching for their style through their influences and tastes. Their music referenced indie-rock that took inspiration from bands like Arctic Monkeys, Ocean Alley, and Lime Cordiale. Most telling though was their poptastic reggae rock interpretation of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ that the crowd loved.

Later Daze closed out their set with ‘I Think You Have Had Enough’ and left the crowd wanting to hear more.

There was a short break as instruments were removed, stacked under the stage and the stage was rearranged for HANNI.

Brisbane based singer-songwriter HANNI, with her band Dom (drums) and Ben (guitar) delivered a set of songs with a glorious rush of pop, with a touch of indie thrown in. HANNI had the crowd bopping along in an unabashed daze: “when the songs aren’t too sad”. The set was kicked off with the upbeat break-up song ‘Undermine’.

HANNI was awarded a Queensland Music Award in 2020 for her songwriting with her debut single ‘Wired’, but it was her song ‘Golden Eyes’ which captured a global audience with over four million plays on Spotify, and it catapulted her onto the world’s pop music stage. HANNI shone boldly through the performance. The band upped and downed the tempo of the evening.

HANNI’s short set was a great overview of her music from her early days, to her latest EP ‘Sentimental Me’ that included pure pop songs to ballads such as: ‘Sad Girl Hours’ and ‘Fix Myself’. She also debuted a brand-new song ‘At Least I’m Telling The Truth’. She also performed the affecting and emotional song ‘I Would’ that was written in tribute to her late grandmother and delivered a performance that tugged at the heartstrings with tears. HANNI’s crowd engagement was strong, and she won over many new fans with her authentic performance.

After another short break, the stage was totally stripped back, and a DJ table and kit was placed into position. It was only 15 minutes before one member of Client Liaison, vocalist Monte Morgan, took to the stage to deliver a DJ set.

The Client Liaison DJ set was a mix of throwback 1970’s R&B disco-funk dance-pop tracks, with some ABBA, and 1980s and 1990s electronic music thrown in. The best part of the performance was Monte Morgan’s live singing performances. His outfit was interesting, as was the eating of oysters with the crowd and the giving out of Fosters beer cans. The crowd enjoyed the mix and were dancing along. However, if DJs aren’t your thing, it seemed like a long time until a band was coming back on.

And, what a band, The Veronica’s were going to perform a short festival like set. And, the place was buzzing in anticipation. Myf Warhurst returned to the stage to complete the evenings announcements, the business of raffles and thanks to organisers and musicians. Then, she announced the band, The Veronicas, and the set was on.

The Veronicas were home in Brisbane after supporting Cyndi Lauper and then headlining their own shows in Europe, the US, and South America delivering their ‘Gothic Summer’. It was great to see them back in their home range again. Their entrance onto The Triffid stage was triumphant and just laid it down – global rockstars return!

The Veronica’s opened their short set immediately with ‘Take Me On The Floor’ and it was a huge sing along from the start before the yell of “Here we go, Brisbane” brought in the chorus and the drama and the crowd went off. It was singing, dancing and bouncing. The set was fun, fast, energetic and highlighted their impressive songwriting and musical talent.

The Veronica’s knew and understood the night and its vibe. They played with the 1990’s and early 2000’s music for the crowd with guitar riffs from The White Stripes, Nirvana, and Icona Pop and Charli XCX’s ‘I Love It’. There were quips from them about the merch the crowd were wearing, and those gigs, the shout outs to friends and high school friends in the crowd. They performed as a classic three-person band with themselves on vocals and guitars and their fabulous multi-tasking guitarist, synth and drum musician.

As a fan of The Veronicas new album ‘Gothic Summer’ it was great to hear ‘Jungle’ but the set highlight was ‘You Ruin Me’. It was awesome! But The Veronicas stuck to the script of the evening and delivered the hits and didn’t disappoint their fans with: ‘Untouched’, ‘4ever’, ‘Everything I'm Not’ and ‘When It All Falls Apart’. The Veronicas set was joyful and fun. Watching Lisa and Jessica Origliasso completely own the stage and The Triffid with every moment and perform all those catchy songs was truly spectacular. So good!

It was a great evening of being able to contribute to Youngcare’s mission and enjoy music while doing it. Thank you to all the volunteers, organisers, venue and artists for their time and effort. Here’s to another 20 years of helping the community.