The Preatures say playing in the cold at Thredbo ‘does funny things to a band’

THE Preatures launch Thredbo’s outdoor concert series by playing to a sea of beanies, with more Australian rock bands due to follow them to the snow.

SYDNEY band The Preatures are cool, but they’ve never been cooler than playing outdoor at Thredbo when the temperature is just less than zero.

The Preatures kicked off Thredbo’s concert series on Saturday night, attracting a large crowd of the converted and curious.

“Cold does funny things to a band,” singer Isabella Manfredi tells the assembled throng, decked out in an anti-festival attire of beanies, gloves (making audible applause difficult) and jackets over jackets. “Your hands start to clam up.”

The band powered through an hour set, with some members (OK, maybe bassist Thomas Champion) powered by a cheeky bottle of whiskey tucked away for some internal heating.

With only a few years on the clock the Preatures have assembled a nifty headline set, naturally dipping heavily into last year’s hit debut album Blue Planet Eyes.

Is this how you feel? Yes, cold, as the Preatures play to beanies at Thredbo

A great rock band require a great singer and the Preatures have that in Manfredi, with her swagger and charisma clearly functional in all weather.

They’ve added two Australian rock classics to sit alongside their own favourites including Somebody’s Talking, Cruel, Rock and Roll Rave and Is This How You Feel?

There’s the Angels’ Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, with Manfredi introducing the infamous “call and response” into a new generation of listeners, who seem au fait with it.

Even more fitting is their cover of Divinyls’ Boys in Town, which you can visibly see they adore playing.

Preature features: Isabella Manfredi checks out the snow coverage at Thredo

Manfredi grew up listening to the Divinyls through her mother, and the whole band have taken tips from Chrissy Amphlett and Mark McEntee on how to write and deliver quality music as directly as possible. And if you’re going to be inspired by a rock frontwoman, it’s hard to look past the blueprint Chrissy Amphlett tattooed on the world.

Thredbo’s Village Square will showcase some of Australia’s finest new talents this year in free concerts on Saturday nights.

Sydney’s Gang of Youths, whose debut album just made the ARIA top 10, play July 18, while the Rubens will hit Thredbo on August 15, just a week after the release of their second album Hoops.

The concert series closes on September 12 with Alpine showcasing new album Yuck.

Client Liaison will play the Sounds in the Snow party on August 22, where punters can warm up by busting moves surrounded by fire pits and warm spiced apple cider after a day of skiing or snowboarding.

Snow worries: Thredbo offers more than just snow and skiing.

Cameron Adams was a guest of Thredbo