You know those bands who make music that just makes you feel good? Earth, Wind & Fire, ABBA, and Hall & Oates are notable examples of bands who seemingly captured happiness in a bottle and poured it into creating some of the greatest pop songs ever made.
Well, I've always thought indie-rock darlings The Preatures are deserving of similar praise. Hailing from Gadigal, The Preatures carved themselves a unique sound that has been irreplaceable in Australian music. Creating songs infused with bluesy grooves and catchy 80s pop melodies rounded out with sensual, or sometimes bright and cheeky vocals that are reminiscent of Shania Twain, Katrina & The Waves and The Divinyls with a touch of that early 2010s soundscapes brought to you by Phoenix and Breakbot.
I first heard of The Preatures when I was shopping at a high-end clothing boutique fused with a record store on the east coast. I remember a group of extremely well-dressed people talking to the owner and thinking, oh, these guys are really cool. Soon after, I'd found out I'd stumbled upon an in-store live performance that absolutely blew me away.
The Preatures have aways been a 'cool' band, blending high fashion with their refined musical sensibility, they are so quintessentially Sydney in a very charming and familiar way. The chances are, if you've ever set your eyes on them, you'd be hard not to miss them.
It wasn't until years later in 2014 when I saw The Rolling Stones perform at a beautiful vineyard in The Hunter Valley, a show which I famously snuck into the front row of by simply hopping the sore excuse of a barrier separating the $500+ VIPs ticket holders from the $70 general admission plebs like myself. The Preatures were one of the opening acts, and my jaw absolutely dropped seeing them rock out on a stage. I was immediately a fan.
During that year, they released Blue Planet Eyes, and to this day, it is one of the best albums ever made. The Preatures have always stood apart from their peers, with a sound so undeniably coastal, reflective of those hot, muggy summer nights, yet so refreshing too: Blue Planet Eyes doesn't remotely sound like any of the psych-rock/indie/white guy reggae bands Australia seems to manufacture in bulk. Far from it, actually.
In 2014, you could not walk anywhere in Australia without hearing that iconic "pcka chcka pcka chcka pcka chcka pcka chcka pcka chcka" from absolute ear worm of a single, 'Is This How You Feel?'. I cannot stress enough how this song was Australia's sound of the summer the way Daft Punk stormed the world with 'Get Lucky' the year prior.
This song was on heavy rotation everywhere, from our major national youth radio, Triple J, to your local five-star third-generation family-owned fish 'n' chip shop, high school classrooms, pre-gig playlists, every retail store you can imagine, Coles supermarkets and my iPod classic that was miraculously functioning after taking an ill-advised dive in a peat moss swamp.
When the band unexpectedly announced they were breaking up in 2021, I was devastated! I'd been hoping for another album announcement, especially after the direction they took on Girlhood, which a mature and introspective record. It was a chaotic time, to say the least. I crashed out big time, especially since I'd missed the chance to see their Girlhood tour because I'd foolishly thought "ah, I'll just catch them on the next one." This is a band who were always touring, so I'd grown accustomed to seeing them everywhere. You truly never know when might be the last time!
Later on, front woman Isabella Manfredi divulged a little more about their abrupt split, citing the combination of seemingly irreparable personal conflict between members, paired with quite an exploitative record contract. Of course, it's a bittersweet feeling, but for the most part, us fans just wished them the best with their future endeavors, be it music or a new career entirely.
The Preatures break-up was definitely one of the most heavy hitting losses during the post-COVID period. The absence of their sound and presence on festival bills felt like a giant crater sized hole, so to speak. Australia's music scene kept receiving blow after blow, from band break ups to iconic venue closures, it was a shaky time. Given how isolated we are from the world already, it's our homegrown acts that help us stay afloat during touring droughts, and without them we're a miserable sort.
Manfredi went on to release a wonderful solo record that's absolutely worth checking out though. The white leather go-go boots? Truly a fashion icon of all time - she's hall of fame along with the likes of our music divas Chrissy Amphlett, Kylie Minogue and Amy Taylor!
Content warning for those who dislike footage of chewing, whilst this music video isn't as haunting as that spaghetti scene in Killing Of A Sacred Deer, if you're particular about close up shots of food being chewed in an uncomfortable manner, this music video dips into that ballpark a little bit.
Before I knew it, ten years of Blue Planet Eyes was right around the corner, and I would've been happy with seeing Manfredi simply acknowledging it however brief. As luck would have it though, The Preatures instagram account came back to life, and they announced they would reform in 2025, embarking on an extensive national tour hitting regional and rural towns across the country, including a beautiful vinyl release of Blue Planet Eyes. Every self-proclaimed Aussie musichead was raving about this triumphant return! Better yet, they were playing shows during my birthday week, so it was a dream come true.
To quote the ancient Simpsons proverb: "everything's coming up Milhouse!"
I managed to catch four shows on this reunion tour, three of which were in my home state. The band went back to their old club roots - small clubs, pubs, hotels and and theatres with carpet that hasn't been removed since who knows when. The set list changed at every show, and the band took song requests from fans, promising to play deep cuts from their entire catalogue. I got to catch some of my all time favourite b-sides with a brand new spin on them, such as Nite Machine and Rock And Roll Rave for my birthday!
It was well worth the beautiful road trips down the Western Australia coastline hitting these shows too, I'd even managed to fall in love with the area I spent some of my childhood in, all those jagged cliffs, shrouded greenery and the brilliant turquoise of the Indian Ocean.
I really hope this means they're back for good, and by the looks of it, they are! A live version of Blue Planet Eyes was so sorely needed. I'm devastated I missed out on their recent pop-up store in Sydney, but there was simply no time in my schedule as I was already travelling around the country to see Justice. Regardless, it is so wonderful to see The Preatures back in business, better than ever before, celebrating their legacy and their love of all things fashion, music and of course, Sydney.
I'm so happy that despite whatever happened in the past, they're proving themselves just how much of class act they are, who have inspired so many other Australian artists. It's a valuable lesson to us all, to learn to forgive and grow. Some bridges are meant to be broken, and not all can be repaired, but you never know how far a little forgiveness might go.
Seriously, go check them out!