Red Riders @ Spectrum, Sydney(25/02/09)

Mon 2nd Mar, 2009 in Gig Reviews

It doesn’t get any fresher than this. 24 hours ago, Red Riders were applying the final touches to their forthcoming album Drown in Colour – but that didn’t stop them from test running some long-awaited new material tonight.

Set at the cherished Spectrum, the spontaneous one-off Sydney show sparked excitement with opener Over and Over; a new tune that captured the audience’s attention with ease. C’mon, from debut album Replica Replica, took us down memory lane; reminiscing on how long it’s been since the lads conquered a stage. Heck, even MTV’s Yumi Stynes and James Matheson came out to see the guys.

The mood was pumping as lead singer/guitarist Alex told the tales behind album making. Pure and simple: “We like to take our time,” he said to eager ears. Devoid of any disappointment, the succeeding track had to be a new one. Tomorrow/Today echoed the innocence and purity of older material, except this time it sounded progressive with maturity. Favourite single A.S.P.I.R.I.N formed a mini mosh-pit up front full of lovers, groupies, free-spirits and interestingly enough, an enthusiastic male duo fist punching every beat into the air with close-eyed hypnotic worship. Although the room was congested with ardently bopping dwellers, it left no room for complaints.

Wisely alternating between old and new tracks, the audience were quick to embrace the never-before-heard You’ve Got a Lot of Nerve. Sultry, rusty vocals were amid the raunchy sound of thick guitar riffs, a sturdy bass line and solid drumming. It was impressive to see and hear Tom throughout the night mixing sporadic wee turn-a-rounds into his drumming during verses and still manage to hold his place in the chaos.

Elated by everybody’s taking to the new songs, Alex declares, “Sorry it’s been too long before shows. I’ve been a bad friend. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to be a bad friend.” With hands in the air, the frontman introduced the unforgotten and very intergalactic screeching track Scream, as he urged to ‘indulge’ into the music. The quality of the two next new tracks entitled So Long and Grace couldn’t quench the sting of high-heels that were becoming a drag, but the tunes prompted curiosity to stay and hear more. Fast and sexy guitar strumming, dirty distortion, lovely chord progressions and controlled drumming melted nicely among the vocal fall-back.

“You can’t quite understand how much it means to us to have you all here,” yells Alex. Our reward for loyalty called upon the old-school favourite Slide in Next to Me, which left the audience chanting every word. Alex went psycho during the solo, tongue-wagging on guitar as he rocked out. The Beginning of the End of the Night exhibited hauntingly slow, slithered lyrics. Most notably, all of Red Rider’s new tracks emit their signature sound, yet exude a creatively different feel.
While Epic – a crowd-favourite off Replica Replica which closed most shows over the last few years – wasn’t played, it certainly didn’t dampen the mood. My Love is Stronger than Your Love closed the set with perfection.

Some may argue the Riders played their set-list safe with a new song/old song/new song combination, but really it made you ask yourself, ‘What other gems are these boys hiding?’ Red Riders are on their way to getting bigger and better, but my pennies bet they will still be the humble lads from Sydney. For now, the guys are heading off to play in the Big Apple – most significantly at the prestigious South by Southwest. Stay tuned for the album drop and national shows, kids.