Here is a review of the recent The Electric Sunkings and Greenthief gig at The Eastern on the 1st of March, 2014. Shit, I was really looking forward to going, its going to be a good show, I liked Greenthief when I saw them with you that time back in what, December? They were fantastic, better than the other bands that day. I mean, Jerrico were good, a little bit bland though. But I have to go to this twenty first, Can I just turn up then get a taxi to The Eastern? This was the conversation that took place in the hours leading up to last week’s show with a friend whose only commitment was getting blasted with psychedelic rock courtesy of local act The Electric Sunkings and Melbourne three piece Greenthief. Needless to say, because I have written this review, it is more than fair to assume that I mae a hasty retreat from the other social engagement. It had been quite a long time since I had seen The Electric Sunkings and a lot had been in happening in their universe. A change of drummer, Dylan Jones and Sean Bellingham on Keyboard were the most obvious things that stood out. The other change to the band that had been taking place was that the band, with relentless touring and recording responsibilities, had gotten a lot tighter and fuller. These changes have made them a lot more versatile to complement their more atmospherical, eastern infused influences together with their overall sound. This is completely understandable because the band are in the process of recording their debut album while also trying to expand their fan base. It is no doubt that their musical ambitions have been more than helpful in the way they conduct themselves on stage, with their audience treated to what lead singer Chris Barbetti calls ‘Post Classic Rock’. This focus on Classic rock sound takes the best elements from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles while retaining a strong element of pop sensibility. The band treated its audience to a set that was mesmerising and hypnotic, with subtle hints of funk from bassist and one of the original members, John Finch. The other facet to the live performance that was worth mentioning was the work of Peter Field, who provided the light show through the use of psychedelic imagery that was completely in synch with the sounds that resonated from the stage. He has a keen understanding of what each band requires with their lighting and adjusts his slides with the appropriate genre. Greenthief, and in particular, it’s lead singer, Julian Schweitzer, are a tour de force and provided the crowd with a set that satisfied had punters yearning for more. One can only assume, this being the first time that they had played at this venue, that they were keen to carve their own niche and leave a strong musical impression. As mentioned earlier, I had seen them previously at the Espy in St Kilda a few month before. They were one of the few bands that stood out with their energy and verve. On a further positive note, nothing had changed a lot from that show in St Kilda, with the three piece melding a range of influences from funk to grunge in a kaleidoscope of aural textures while giving the crowd a good reason to groove. Their debut album has just been released and the boys are touring relentlessly in support of it. One of the challenges that I could foresee with a band like Greenthief is that the intensity and energy displayed on stage is somewhat ‘lost in translation’ during the recording process. When it is all said and done, both these bands did not disappoint with performances that were fitting of their abilities. Electric Sunkings play at Karova Lounge, Ballarat- 8th of March Greenthief play at Jetty Bar Glenelg- 8th of March
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 04:48:02 +0000
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