The Red Paintings, Rough Fonce, Solkyri @ The Espy, Melbourne (15/06/2013)
Initially, I was somewhat disappointed walking into the fairly empty Gershwin Room at The Espy as I had been a fan of The Red Paintings during the days of their Walls EP and had heard about their spectacular shows. However, throughout the night the room gathered more people and gave this space a great feel that complimented the acts that were performing that night.
First up were Solkyri; a three-piece band from Sydney who venture into the less-travelled world of instrumental rock. Although they were not the type of band to jump all over the stage it was a pleasure to watch the guys perform just because of the way they carried themselves and treated their instruments.
They managed to make even the glockenspiel shine. In fact, I think this was the most enjoyable performance on the glockenspiel I have witnessed. I was also impressed by the seamless way the drummer would move from drums to keys between songs. It was definitely an unexpected but delightful change.
Some of the songs in their setlist were repetitive at times but each brought a new flavour. Altogether Solkyri delivered an admirable performance to the small crowd that was forming.
Following Solkyri were the dark cabaret stylings of Rouge Fonce. Beginning with a track that featured much screaming Rouge Fonce quickly set the scene for what would be an energetic performance. Despite bringing a great energy to the stage for some reason it did not translate well to the audience.
Half way through the set a few people from the audience did start dancing but they were the exception, with most being not too enthusiastic about the performance. The vocals were strong however they faltered a bit when the songs required a softer tone. That being said, their newest single Devious Eyes was a catchy number and definitely the highlight of their set.
Once Rouge Fonce left the stage the curtains were closed and the now sizeable audience waited patiently. Shortly after, the curtains began to part while the speakers began to play quotes from Donnie Darko’s Frank, “I’ve been watching you.” Out of the darkness peered two masked creatures with glowing eyes that are eventually revealed to be the human canvases that The Red Paintings’ shows are known for.
As light filled the stage the band arrived belting out the single You’re Not One Of Them. The air is immediately filled with a great excitement and electricity that stayed constant through the night. A few songs in three glowing creatures graced the stage two of which eventually took their place in front of the human canvases and began to cover the black paint on their bodies with smatterings of amazing colour. The third glowing creature settled in front of a canvas on stage and also began to paint.
Around the same time a bandit appeared in front of a canvas placed in front of the stage amongst the crowd to join in the live artistry. Later this bandit ambushed the audience, throwing stuff amongst us. Although some may say that all this visual was distracting I found it to be quite complimentary to the music and quite fascinating to watch.
There was one point where singer Trash McSweeney had to stop the band midway through a song in order to prevent his stepmother becoming hurt by an overenthusiastic fan. I think he handled this well and although it was a bit awkward for a moment the band soon picked up and returned to giving an amazing performance. Trash soon apologised to the crowd while lightening the mood with a few lighthearted comments and stabs at the band. The crowd seemed very understanding and this incident definitely did not affect what was a great night.
The encore included a cover of Silverchair’s Spawn Again which really showed off Trash’s rough and emotion-riddled vocals. Finishing with The Revolution Is Never Coming gave every member of the band the opportunity to show off while the artists added the finishing touches to their pieces.
Overall, the show had this great eerie yet awe-inspiring feel. There was a lot going on but it was mesmerising rather than overwhelming. The artists complimented the music while every member of the band complimented each other. The Red Painting’s did not fail to live up to my expectations and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future.
Natalia Baranowski
First up were Solkyri; a three-piece band from Sydney who venture into the less-travelled world of instrumental rock. Although they were not the type of band to jump all over the stage it was a pleasure to watch the guys perform just because of the way they carried themselves and treated their instruments.
They managed to make even the glockenspiel shine. In fact, I think this was the most enjoyable performance on the glockenspiel I have witnessed. I was also impressed by the seamless way the drummer would move from drums to keys between songs. It was definitely an unexpected but delightful change.
Some of the songs in their setlist were repetitive at times but each brought a new flavour. Altogether Solkyri delivered an admirable performance to the small crowd that was forming.
Following Solkyri were the dark cabaret stylings of Rouge Fonce. Beginning with a track that featured much screaming Rouge Fonce quickly set the scene for what would be an energetic performance. Despite bringing a great energy to the stage for some reason it did not translate well to the audience.
Half way through the set a few people from the audience did start dancing but they were the exception, with most being not too enthusiastic about the performance. The vocals were strong however they faltered a bit when the songs required a softer tone. That being said, their newest single Devious Eyes was a catchy number and definitely the highlight of their set.
Once Rouge Fonce left the stage the curtains were closed and the now sizeable audience waited patiently. Shortly after, the curtains began to part while the speakers began to play quotes from Donnie Darko’s Frank, “I’ve been watching you.” Out of the darkness peered two masked creatures with glowing eyes that are eventually revealed to be the human canvases that The Red Paintings’ shows are known for.
As light filled the stage the band arrived belting out the single You’re Not One Of Them. The air is immediately filled with a great excitement and electricity that stayed constant through the night. A few songs in three glowing creatures graced the stage two of which eventually took their place in front of the human canvases and began to cover the black paint on their bodies with smatterings of amazing colour. The third glowing creature settled in front of a canvas on stage and also began to paint.
Around the same time a bandit appeared in front of a canvas placed in front of the stage amongst the crowd to join in the live artistry. Later this bandit ambushed the audience, throwing stuff amongst us. Although some may say that all this visual was distracting I found it to be quite complimentary to the music and quite fascinating to watch.
There was one point where singer Trash McSweeney had to stop the band midway through a song in order to prevent his stepmother becoming hurt by an overenthusiastic fan. I think he handled this well and although it was a bit awkward for a moment the band soon picked up and returned to giving an amazing performance. Trash soon apologised to the crowd while lightening the mood with a few lighthearted comments and stabs at the band. The crowd seemed very understanding and this incident definitely did not affect what was a great night.
The encore included a cover of Silverchair’s Spawn Again which really showed off Trash’s rough and emotion-riddled vocals. Finishing with The Revolution Is Never Coming gave every member of the band the opportunity to show off while the artists added the finishing touches to their pieces.
Overall, the show had this great eerie yet awe-inspiring feel. There was a lot going on but it was mesmerising rather than overwhelming. The artists complimented the music while every member of the band complimented each other. The Red Painting’s did not fail to live up to my expectations and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future.
Natalia Baranowski