Silversun Pickups, The Dandy Warhols, Los Campesinos! @ HQ, Adelaide (15/11/2012)
Arriving shortly after the doors opened at HQ, I was pleasantly surprised to see a decent-sized crowd already gathering around the stage for The Dandy Warhols/Silversun Pickups double-bill. Although not a sell-out, the turn-out was impressive given that Sigur Ros were playing a sold-out show on the same night.
First up were Wales seven-piece Los Campesinos! Although their sound didn't entirely win me over, they definitely had the right kind of energy needed to kick off the night. Unfortunately, lead singer Gareth Campesinos' vocals seemed lost in the mix for most of the set.
I wasn't sure who was actually headlining tonight, so the identity of the next band was a mystery to me until I recognised the banana logo on the drum-kit that was being set up. I emphasised with the photographers gathered in the pit when The Dandy Warhols emerged to play their first three songs in almost complete darkness. Even as an audience member, it's not that interesting to be at a gig where you can barely see the band. I'm not all that familiar with The Dandy Warhols catalogue, save for a few songs - most notably their theme song contribution to the greatest show to ever appear on television. I mourned the loss of Veronica Mars as the band launched into 'We Used To Be Friends', their second song for the evening.
The sound issues only worsened, with Courtney Taylor-Taylor's vocals almost inaudible and a distracting layer of feedback throughout the entire set. It wasn't until the tenth song, 'Bohemian Like You' that both band audience started to really get into the performance. The stage lit up and the band finally seemed like they might be enjoying themselves.
The floored cleared between bands, so I took the opportunity to watch the start of Silversun Pickups set from the front row ― where I found I noticeable difference in the quality of sound. Silversun Pickups are another band I'm not familiar with, but they won me over from the moment they started playing, opening with 'Skin Graph' from their latest record, 'Neck of the Woods.'
The band, who had previously only played as a support band in large arenas in Adelaide, seemed thrilled to be playing in a more intimate venue to an enthusiastic crowd. Lead singer and guitarist Brian Aubert has a very unique voice, alternating easily between soft and hypnotising to a powerful scream. Aubert chatted occasionally with the audience between songs, explaining the absence of their bass guitarist Nikki, who was pregnant with twins, and introducing fill-in bassist Sarah from LA band, The Happy Hollows.
Encores have become something of an obligation at most gigs, but from the impressive roar of the audience when Silversun Pickups left the stage it was clear that the encore was more than justified.
For a concert that was promoted as a double-headliner, it was clear that the night belonged to Silversun Pickups. Despite the sound issues, it was fantastic to see another festival bringing sideshows to Adelaide. Hopefully the decent size of the audience will mean more of the same for next year.
Chelsea McIntyre
First up were Wales seven-piece Los Campesinos! Although their sound didn't entirely win me over, they definitely had the right kind of energy needed to kick off the night. Unfortunately, lead singer Gareth Campesinos' vocals seemed lost in the mix for most of the set.
I wasn't sure who was actually headlining tonight, so the identity of the next band was a mystery to me until I recognised the banana logo on the drum-kit that was being set up. I emphasised with the photographers gathered in the pit when The Dandy Warhols emerged to play their first three songs in almost complete darkness. Even as an audience member, it's not that interesting to be at a gig where you can barely see the band. I'm not all that familiar with The Dandy Warhols catalogue, save for a few songs - most notably their theme song contribution to the greatest show to ever appear on television. I mourned the loss of Veronica Mars as the band launched into 'We Used To Be Friends', their second song for the evening.
The sound issues only worsened, with Courtney Taylor-Taylor's vocals almost inaudible and a distracting layer of feedback throughout the entire set. It wasn't until the tenth song, 'Bohemian Like You' that both band audience started to really get into the performance. The stage lit up and the band finally seemed like they might be enjoying themselves.
The floored cleared between bands, so I took the opportunity to watch the start of Silversun Pickups set from the front row ― where I found I noticeable difference in the quality of sound. Silversun Pickups are another band I'm not familiar with, but they won me over from the moment they started playing, opening with 'Skin Graph' from their latest record, 'Neck of the Woods.'
The band, who had previously only played as a support band in large arenas in Adelaide, seemed thrilled to be playing in a more intimate venue to an enthusiastic crowd. Lead singer and guitarist Brian Aubert has a very unique voice, alternating easily between soft and hypnotising to a powerful scream. Aubert chatted occasionally with the audience between songs, explaining the absence of their bass guitarist Nikki, who was pregnant with twins, and introducing fill-in bassist Sarah from LA band, The Happy Hollows.
Encores have become something of an obligation at most gigs, but from the impressive roar of the audience when Silversun Pickups left the stage it was clear that the encore was more than justified.
For a concert that was promoted as a double-headliner, it was clear that the night belonged to Silversun Pickups. Despite the sound issues, it was fantastic to see another festival bringing sideshows to Adelaide. Hopefully the decent size of the audience will mean more of the same for next year.
Chelsea McIntyre