Behind Crimson Eyes, SleepParade, The Mission In Motion,Ellington @ The Red Room,23/05/09

Wed 27th May, 2009 in Gig Reviews

The Red Room, as it is still fondly known as, is a complete pain to get to unless you are driving, being driven or don’t mind taking a ferry, bus and possibly a train. It could be a decent venue, but with the transport issue and the acoustics being a bit off, it doesn’t rate high on this reviewers list of favourite venues. The first band, ELLINGTON are a bit off at first as it takes the sound guys a few goes to get the right levels so the vocals aren’t drowned out by the music. But otherwise, the Brisbane lads open up the nights performances, albeit a little slow to start, but as lead vocalist Jake Bosci finds his feet, they put on a solid set gaining confidence with every song. The soft vocals and lilting riffs get the crowds attention and new fans are won. Ellington are through to the second round of the Tooheys UncharTED competition, and it is very easy to see why they could make it where other indie-pop bands have fallen short with their dreamy, easy to listen too music.

THE MISSION IN MOTION are a vibrant 5 piece from Sydney, and they burst onto the stage with boundless energy. Relentless touring has paid off as lead singer Brett Islaub leads the pop punk band around the stage and throws in some fun microphone twirls for that extra panache. Confident and ready to party, the crowd respond and start to come alive. Their debut EP – œA Curse, A Calling’ has earned them a well-deserved fan base as the words and melodies are well paired, making for some catchy tunes. Islaub and the rest of the band have a fantastic stage presence and have earned some more fans tonight.

A seemingly out-of-place addition to tonight’s emo/pop-punk line-up is the very moody, very dark styles of prog-rock Melbourne trio SLEEP PARADE.
They have received rave reviews for their debut album – œThings Can Always Change’, and the extremely talented lads croon and strum away, capturing everybody’s imagination. – œOne Track Mind’ is the standout song of the set, a brooding tune that lead vocalist Leigh Davies delivers passionately, and as a band, they perform seemingly with abandon and their sounds resonate through your head long after they have left the stage.

BEHIND CRIMSON EYES have had a lot to deal with so far this year, losing a member just after the release of their second album, and then a few weeks later their drummer also gave his notice, that he would be leaving after the tour was wrapped up. But this doesn’t seem to have deterred them, and led by feisty front-man Josh Stuart, they bounce onto the stage and the fans go wild. Performing their first single – œAddicted’ off their latest, self titled, album and older un-released but very popular songs such as – œFear and Loathing’ the hard-working Victorians power around the stage and look like they are having a great time in the final show of their tour.
Stuart’s vocals are flawless, and Garth Buchanan and Aaron Shultz back him up perfectly. Touring together for three years shows, and they work so well together onstage. Cameron Gilmour, in his last stint in the drummer’s chair, also delivers a blistering performance. Behind Crimson Eyes are a fun band to see live, they love to perform, they joke and converse well with the crowd, and their catchy tunes are well rehearsed and well delivered.