CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE

After the long anticipated album release, the New White Sneakers have come out of hiding and put on their shiny bright whites to deliver a night filled with variety and sensational tunes from their brand new LP Reasons and Excuses.

Arriving at the Gov (one of my favourite Adelaide venues and also a favourite of the band) I was excited at the talent which was to bestow us later in the evening. A feel of exhilaration lay present in the air, with fans arriving steadily as soon as the doors opened. People stood milling about the bars, refuelling on drinks and unwinding after a long week at the office.

Jayne-Anne Power, the support act, a lady well known around Adelaide for her exquisite vocal range and superb talent, emanating a confidence built up from years of experience started her set. Her band consisted of drums, guitar, bass, keyboards and a backup singer, delivering a soulful, jazzy, funk filled smorgasbord of various treats, warming the ever growing crowd. Belting out tunes such as Pocket and a cover of the Living Colour classic Love Rears its Ugly Head. Jayne-Anne’s powerful voice took over the large room.

After a short interval, the New White Sneakers were ready to show case their new album. There were no more excuses now! The stage was appropriately decorated with random types of sneakers stuck on the back wall. The Gov was now packed full, as fans enveloped the stage, all eagerly waiting. Straight into it, the musical diversity of this popular Adelaide band filled the room. With Matt Centrone on sax and vocals, David van der Zwaag on bass, Luca Pileggi on guitar, Andrew Baldino on drums, Jon Knoblauch on keyboards, Andre Petrillo on trumpet and percussion, Poon-yu Khut on tenor sax and last but not least the two new sensational front singers Carla Lippis and Brian Ruiz.

Carla, with her deep soulful voice belted out their first single Not Good Enough which is a track that has already had numerous radio plays around the country. Brian Ruiz contributed his tenor vocals along with Matt Centrone delivering a sassy and rap filled Staring at the Sun showing the fans the hip hop/funk element of the album along with smooth rhythm and blues. The dynamic Not So Young another classic tune played many times over at previous shows and a favourite of mine was this time delivered by Brian’s powerful vocals and Matt’s rhythmic rhymes. Other tunes such as Dance Mofo and The City/The Oven featured on the album were delivered in unison by the trio of singers all contributing a different edge, with the lively band adding their soulful, jazzy funky goodness. By this stage the crowd was well and truly amped; with over 500 people in attendance. The dance floor was crowded and a festive and happy vibe was all around. The encore consisted of a mash up of various tunes including the classic by Grandmaster Flash The Message and Ram Jams Black Betty together with a fantastic keyboard solo from the talented Jon Knoblauch.

With the set over and the crowd fully satisfied, its easy to see why this band is so popular and appealing to a range of different age groups. Displaying a truly diverse and different collection of songs in an album that took over a year to produce, Adelaide has once again shown that she may be small, but she sure does have some massive and substantial talent within. Congratulations to the New White Sneakers for successfully displaying an album full of hard work and triumph.

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE