For all my years of gig going in the wonderful city of Sydney, I will admit that never before have I been to the Enmore Theatre. Other than the slightly terrifying bouncy floor, it’s a crazy good venue. Old school theatrical glamour with kick-arse acoustics. The perfect venue for the perfect show.
This is going to be a night of airing all my dirty laundry, because I will admit that I have never heard of Delta Spirit before, let alone heard their music. But after seeing them in the hazy hue of Newtown, I can now say without a shadow of a doubt, that I love this band. Heart and soul. As the husky, lived-in voice of singer Matt Vasquez transports you to a balmy southern night, you could be forgiven for thinking that their blend of southern blues and soulful rock has come straight out of Memphis. But these boys are direct from San Diego and have been making fans since they stepped on our shores.
This is the kind of music that becomes a beacon in your memory. Momentous American rock songs that wash over you and fill the holes left by life’s disappointments. This band fills you with their spirit. Their Delta Spirit. On August 8 please get your hands on their album Ode To Sunshine. I’m already sure this band will change my life.
Cold War Kids’ Robbers & Cowards was a must listen-record of 2006. One of the most original rock bands to come out of America in recent times, Cold War Kids’ jolty, sometimes improvisational, sometimes meticulous sounds were met with literally deafening applause from the Sydneysiders. With Shroud in Darkness for the first song, only lit by the illuminated backdrop covered in lyrics from track Red Wine (“Sweet, sweet, sigh of relief…American seas”), Cold War Kids blew the indie minds of the crowd over the next hour.
Fighting for stage supremacy amongst themselves, they belted out tunes from Robbers & Cowards as well as giving us a tasty preview of their new album Loyalty To Loyalty, due for release this September.
We Used To Vacation, Red Wine, Robbers (played only lit by two handheld torches) and Hospital Bed had booties shaking all around the theatre. The new tracks saw CWK moving in a new, less jolty, more cohesive direction. New single Something Is Not Right With Me is a thumping, rocking track, and one of the most danceable recordings from the Californian four-piece. But it was Hang Me Out To Dry and encore number Saint John that were as sweet as Betty Crocker icing. An all-in brawl saw not only members of Cold War Kids, but also Delta Spirit, joining in on Saint John – makeshift instruments of empty wine bottles and mixing bowls in hand. It raised the proverbial roof…as they say.
Brilliant bands. Brilliant venue. Brilliant night. And that’s all there is to say about that.
