Sleepmakeswaves Album Launch @ East Brunswick Club, Melbourne – 22 July 2011 | Live Review

Review – Billy Geary

SleepMakesWaves are one of Australia’s best up and coming bands, of any genre. Thus, when the band’s debut LP …and so we destroyed everything was announced for release, along with an accompanying tour, there was a suitable amount of excitement around Melbourne town for what would be the band’s first headline show in the city. Punters at the East Brunswick Club were treated to a great showcase of post rock from some of Australia’s most promising talent.

Early comers were treated to a very impressive set of shoegaze infused post rock from three-piece Lunaire. Coming across as a post rock version of Smashing Pumpkins, Lunair won the then modest crowd over quite quickly. Notably, Lunaire were the only band of the night to utilise vocals throughout their set – something which indeed made them all the more memorable.

Next up was the dreamy atmosphere of These Hands Could Separate The Sky. Bringing to mind fellow instrumental rockers Explosions in the Sky and Pelican, THCSTS brought a decidedly epic sound to the fore. With a set full of huge climaxes and beautiful atmospheres, the quartet quickly showed the ever-growing crowd that they are indeed a band worth noting for the future. Creating epic soundscapes and atmosphere is hard enough to do on its own, but to make it interesting and memorable is even harder again. Despite this, with a set completely made up of songs from their yet to be released album, THCSTS pull it off with aplomb.

Continuing the night’s penchant for overtly long band names was This Is Your Captain Speaking. Taking on a different tack when compared to the line up’s sound, the three piece focusing on a more minimalistic approach as opposed to the epic climaxes of their counterparts. Not only does this work equally as well, but at times even better particularly on the epic ‘Gathering Pieces’ where the band’s outstanding instrumentation and knack for beautiful melody keep the whole room in a trance over its eighteen minutes. Despite a more low key approach to their music, TIYCS most certainly won the majority of the crowd over who were, by that time, champing at the bit for the headliners to come out.

When, from behind a curtain, the four Sydneysiders that is SleepMakesWaves entered the stage, the room was packed. Over their hour long set, the four piece played an array of songs from their new album, as well as a couple of older tracks for the more seasoned fans in the room. Newer tracks such as ‘In Limbs and Joints’ and ‘To You They Are Birds, But To Me They Are Voices’ went down a treat, particularly the latter which boasted what was probably the most epic and stunning crescendo of the night. The sporadic, metallic riffs of ‘We Sing The Body Electric’ went down well with the older fans, while current single ‘(Hello) Cloud Mountain’ got one of the bigger responses of the night – its jangling guitars and glittered electronics sounding even more impressive live than on record.

When violinist Tim Charles (of extreme metal band Ne Obliviscaris) was welcomed to the stage to help play the band’s final song, the whole room knew what was coming and responded accordingly. SleepMakesWaves’ set closer ‘One Day You Will Teach Me to Let Go of My Fears’ may sound like a mouthful on paper but it is, without a doubt, one of the best rock songs of recent times and seeing it performed live takes on a whole new level. It was a simply perfect ending to an excellent night of some of Australia’s most innovative rock bands.

Review – Billy Geary