Collies and Co. is a café in Samford Village (with resident Border Collie and puppies) who recently hosted a morning of original live music, as part of the Moreton Bay Live and Local project. We were lucky enough to catch Lucid Safari, a new reggae-rock project fronted by Brisbane musician Daniel J. Lewis.

Let’s start with the fourth song – Lady – which lands November 18 (pre-save now!) and is a good showcase of the genre-mix the guys have got going on. Here is my internal dialogue – “it is definitely reggae, unmistakably, but am I hearing hints of Pink Floyd (Live at Pompeii era)?? Hold that thought – is it Ocean Alley? Sticky Fingers?” It’s a great combination of all these things – as advertised, Lucid Safari deliver a costal-reggae-vibe that is all their own.

Till the End takes the second spot on the set list delivering a smooth, driving reggae feel and I am there with them – cruising in a top-down convertible! Flickering Lights and Liquid Dreams roll into each other with Dan and guitarist Braeden Hall (who joined the band two days prior – you wouldn’t know it!) stacking the Stratocaster tones, as they wrap rhythm and counter-melody around the classic off-beat grooves. Drummer DJ brings home Liquid Dreams with an all-out punk beat and, before I know it, we’re into a slick cover of Arctic Monkeys’ Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? (with a reggae twist).

Later in the set, Always On My Mind, takes a slower approach before Sunshine and Fever Dream pick it up again. By now, I’m settled in – no more analysis and comparison – just enjoying the Lucid Safari show (but maybe some solid riff passages à la Osaka Punch through this section??).

I caught up with frontman Dan after the set and realised what I’d just heard was his heart and soul – the sound he wants to be known for. Following an epiphany in the spring of 2019, Dan honed in on this idea.  He wrote set-opener – Walking Free – the very next day (and the rest is history!).

Today at Collies and Co. Dan and Braeden are joined by DJ and bass man Shane Kumar (also a new arrival). DJ keeps it impeccably “in the pocket” and Shane reinforces the low-end with confident, inventive bass lines, beautifully locked into the rhythm.

Their penultimate song is a confident cover of Ocean Alley’s Confidence, before original tune Delirium – the title track of their forthcoming EP (coming early ’22).

In between each song Dan keeps you engaged; Shane and DJ always in the pocket (oh I already mentioned that, well damn it needs to be said again) and Braeden only two days old in the Lucid Safari world; this is obviously a well-oiled machine and well worth a place on your list of local bands to see. Their website proclaims “bringing good vibes, immersive grooves and catchy hooks, Lucid Safari has the crowd in-step to their offbeat flow” and we can heartily endorse this message.