CHECK OUT ALL THE DAPPER SNAPS FROM LITTLE RED’S SYDNEY SHOW HERE.
Yes, we could all crap on endlessly about Little Red’s use of retro – the suits, the Happy Days references, but I’m sure that Little Red more than anyone else are sick of those. There is something so fresh and modern about the way they present the music on stage. I was not expecting them to replicate the brilliance of the album, with its harmonies and tight sounds, but they exploded onto the stage, and didn’t everybody just love it.
The night at the Annandale was opened by the extremely androgynous Andy Bull. Whilst sounding an awful lot like Maroon 5 and Mark Bolan thrown in a blender, he warmed the crowd up with some sweet use of horns. There is something about a horns section in live music that, regardless of the band, you can at least tap your toe to it. With the near falsetto of Bull’s voice, that was all the frequencies my ears could pick up. For Andy Bull, his Rhythm Section stole the stage from the frontman, but it’s clear that they are a very talented group.
The Holidays opened up with a whole heap of smoke from the same machine I think they used at my Year 6 disco some 10 years ago. It seemed obvious from the start they are clearly a band with a defined sound. It seemed a tale of the Two Alexs for The Holidays sound – not knowing whether to be Kapranos or Turner. It just seemed like if the Arctic Monkeys met Franz Ferdinand for a quick one round the back of the toilet block, then this is the sound that they would make. It’s all quick, somewhat catching you by surprise, but in earnest a little anti-climatic. Maybe I was just scorned because they didn’t give a proper goodbye. However, if the only issue they have is sounding like two of the better bands of the last 10 years, then they could do a lot worse.
On a terrible night in Sydney, things seemed that little bit warmer and brighter once inside the confines of the Annandale. Nobody was leaving early. With the rain pouring and most patrons feet stuck to the floor from a mix of beer and sweat, it was time for Little Red.
The beauty of Little Red isn’t just in the music, but that they just enjoy the music, and the crowd enjoys them really getting into it. Tom Hartney has got to be one of the sleekest cats on the scene at the moment. With all the gravitas he can muster, he swaggers around the stage, sounding like some long forgotten Blues singer from Mississippi. With three different singers in the first three songs, there is never a chance of getting bored. Highlights of the show included Jackie Cooper, It’s Alright, Coca Cola, Witchdoctor, Misty I...in fact it was just one big highlight.
There was so much unbridled joy in this band and its music – from the interchangeable singers, through to the drummer, whose head bopped from start to finish. It just makes you smile. They got everyone (including the 30-something business suit wearers) up and dancing – and if that’s not a great reference, then what is?
