Reviewed on Saturday June 13 (photo by Ashley Mar)
Sydney’s Serious Beak are the type that would be playing this kind of music regardless of who was watching. There was simply too much fun to be had between the four instrumentalists, who were in a constant state of squiggling, zigging, zagging, smash-cutting, tumbling and/or avalanching. The best part? While many who play this fundamentally progressive style are the brooding and serious type, Serious Beak’s stage presence made the whole affair even more enjoyable for all involved.
Gay Paris are odd ones out on any given night, but here they were even the only band that incorporated vocals. True to form, the quartet walked onto stage with half-a-dozen fucks and got offstage some 30 minutes later with six remaining. Either you were enamoured with their scorching take on electric blues and the devil-may-care energy with which it’s delivered, or… well, you’re one of many in the room with your arms folded. Shame! Shame! Shame!
If Gay Paris were the party, This Will Destroy You were the gloriously hazy comedown. After more than two years away, the softly spoken Texans were a major drawcard for a lot of people. You could hardly blame them – this is a band at the forefront of what great post-rock can be. The music goes from whispers to shouts; a calm blue ocean to raging storm; shimmering light to endless pools of darkness. It was the kind of set that, even showcasing the band in a relatively condensed form, struck a powerful emotional reaction, and reminded you just what a formidable act this is.
55 dates in 22 countries. Let that sink in for just a moment. This is what Sleepmakeswaves set out to do, ending up here, on the 55th show, playing in their hometown and doing their biggest headlining show to date. Emotional speeches given by guitarist Otto Wicks-Green and bassist/keyboardist Alex Wilson were indicative enough exactly what this show meant to them, but – just as in the band’s music – their actions spoke far louder than their words.
With a stunning light show backing them, Sleepmakeswaves powered through cuts from their 2014 breakthrough Love Of Cartography, as well as a few earlier tracks as a nod to those who had been around to see the band in rooms like the Annandale or the Excelsior. As the night closed on ‘A Gaze Blank And Pitiless As The Sun’, Sleepmakeswaves sent out their world tour with a wave of joyful noise.
