See all Klaradesigns’ pictures from the gig Here
It’s been three years since The Thrills graced a stage in this state, and then with only a single performance; at Southbound. This time, three shows across metro and regional WA to promote their new album, Teenager, proved that this alternative Irish band are quite fond of our land; we’re quite fond of them too. After shows in Perth and Fremantle, The Thrills headed south to Margaret River for a gig at Settlers, a few days of R&R and… surfing. It seems the quirky lads thought they’d try and conquer some of the worlds best waves, and got flattened like pancakes…
The five quirky alt-indie dressed lads all appeared shy and reclusive when approached, except for Ben Carrigan (drums) the most interactive oft the lads, who provided a voice for the band. He said they were very excited to be in Margaret River and were looking forward to playing. Sparkadia opened the night, bringing us songs from their debut album Postcards, and one or two from their E.P. As lead singer Alex Burnett made apparent, not many of the punters knew who they were, although many were getting into it and dancing.
The Thrills or ‘Trills’ as Conor Deasy introduced them onto the stage, started with track one off their new third album, Midnight Choir. Taking us back to 2003 and So much for the City they got the crowd to their feet with Big Sur. They continued their long and fulfilling set with tracks from previous album_Lets Bottle Bohemia_ like Rosebud and Old Friends with Limousines, with Conor providing a little comedy and meaning to their lyrics in-between songs. A few of their quieter tracks, such as Not for all the Love in the World, let the audience take in what a great live act they were experiencing -with Conor’s mesmerising sultry vocals and the mandolin, harmonica and electric slide guitar which give The Thrills their signature sound.
The crowd got moving again, as they played their new single Nothing Changes Round Here which was the last track they played from their new album. There were a couple more tracks from their older albums before they ended the show with the appropriate, One horse Town.
People enjoyed it so much The Thrills returned to the stage and encored with What Happened to Corey Haim, thank god, or a couple of people would’ve waited for them offstage and rip them to shreds, which actually happened anyway, when a few ‘new’ female fans caught their eye. At one stage, Conor was being wrenched between a group of drunken women, the way a 3yr old would drag a puppy. This continued until they all disappeared. After a very big boozy night, they were spotted at a local cafe, one of the guys not even able to eat because of his shenanigans. Some of us managed to have something signed, but it seems clear that those drunk women who spent the wee hours with those boys might have a few more stories to tell.
