Project Description
HIDEOUS SUN DEMON
Basement Canberra
(9 August 2018)
Live Review
Reviewer – Benjamin Smith
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Perth 3 piece Hideous Sun Demon are an interesting mix of melodic Californian punk, Joshua Tree fuzz and post-rock performance art. Touring off the back of their latest release Fame Erotic Dream, they played the Basement in Canberra on Thursday night to a crowd, which considering it was typically fucking freezing, turned out to be pretty decent.
Opening for Hideous Sun Demon was a local act going by the moniker Babe Fiasco. They are a band in their infancy and are still establishing their stagecraft and aesthetic, but appear to be heavily powered by their diminutive vocalist Gabby Coates. Coates might need some time to develop her stage presence but vocally she brings something special to the act which gives the sound a depth it might otherwise struggle to find. They cite influences as diverse as the Cure, Tool and Courtney Barnett and those influences tend to show themselves in varying degrees. They’re probably less conscious of it but, there is a serving of Blondie and ‘Cities in Dust’ era Siouxsie and the Banshees in there as well.
They were followed by HYG, a three piece with a more traditionally rock n roll sound and a more developed sense of musical direction. They’re good though, really good and they play tight and sharp. Their guitarist Mark Wilson, who doubles on vocals, has a talent that shows itself in the course of conveying the songs without being obnoxious enough to overshadow the overall sound the band are creating. It’s kind of a garage sound with a little psychedelica mixed through, which tends towards longer jam style pieces when given a live airing. They’re touring a bit over the next month or so and are worth getting in front of where possible.
When Hideous Sun Demon do what they do it turns out to be something fucking manic. Their guitarist and vocalist is a frantic and unpredictable and it brings a real energy to the performance. Not that energy is lacking from what they do. Tracks like ‘Earn It’ and ‘No More Kids’ evince a kind of surfer sensibility with a touch of the spacerock whereas Idiotic Dream is something more traditionally garage punk. It’s a pretty enjoyable spectacle to be a part of and their energy infects the audience, making for a good room to be in on a mid week night in the Capital. Fuckyeah.
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