theredsunband

I’ll admit straight off the bat that this show was actually the second album launch for Sydney band ‘Sounds like Sunset’, who I couldn’t stick around for, but have been highly recommended to me and at the very least deserve a mention here.

Shortly before the show I run into the theredsunband in front of the Mandarin Club, and briefly speak to John [drums], “My favourite” he grins, accepting a cigarette. I ask about how they feel about playing, now that they’ve reached their presumed final show for the year; “We were getting tired of playing the old songs, especially after the ‘Night is Young’ tour with Evermore”, [almost 30 shows over June-July 05] he confesses, “but we’ve been listening to the album again and trying to play them like we used to”. I ask about the stage of the new material; After the last tour, he explains, the band recorded a five-track demo, and some time later on will record a new song over a week, to see how it goes, before preparing to record the rest of the album. Exciting news for fans that have seen the band play recently, new tracks continually being introduced to the sets proving to both preserve and intensity the serene melancholy of debut album ‘Peapod’.

I head below ground halfway into first support, Skull Squadron’s set. The dark room is fair but not large, comfortable black lounges, a moderate young and polite crowd and an uninhabited dance-floor that I suspect lights up. From what I recall it was a stock shoegazing affair, drawing comparisons to My Bloody Valentine, nothing captivating, nor at all bad; reverb and echo-laden guitars masking demure vocals, creating a befitting sedate, though not pessimistic or disinterested, ambience for the evening.

A short while later, under soft red light the Sydney trio emerges to open with debut single; Pavement, which is consistently one of their best played live, each verse introduced with a crash and surge of crackling distortion, Sarah Kelly’s gentle, breathy voice harmonizes with Johns lower tones to create a mesmerizing purr adding a somber energy to the thunder of the music. Album tracks ‘got no money’, ‘peapod’ and second single ‘sleep forever’ follow. At this point, despite the hazy placidity of the songs, there remains a sense of restraint, tension being amassed like a curling spring to be unleashed in finale. The drums are coming through loud, the sound is imperfect, but by now I’ve stopped noticing.

‘The Eagle’ is the first of only two new songs played this night, not a disappointment as it is one of the most catchy, forceful and fast, similar to the popular Devil Song. It’s also one of the few that bring Lizzie’s keyboard to the forefront, this being released as a single would come as no surprise. It’s followed by album favorites ‘Dark Days’ and ‘Ol’ Mexico’ before Sarah announces “This is a really new one” and warns with a smile that they may screw up before launching into lightning paced ‘Escape The Feeling’. Already the performance is almost over and time for all that energy to be released, ‘Astrovisionary’ begins slowly, building up through the verses to an impassioned frenzy of heavily distorted guitar feedback “take me away from this galaxy, take me away from this... Astrovisionary” she belts, all former reservation thrown aside for the songs intense climax. They conclude with crowd-pleaser and third single ‘Devil Song’, the comparative levity and fun of it bringing about satisfying conclusion, though also the sorrow that it may be what feels like some time before my next opportunity to see theredsunband.

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