Red Riders, Loon Lake @ OAF,Sydney (18/6/11)

Mon 27th Jun, 2011 in Gig Reviews

It’s not particularly common for the OAF to have visible lines prior to the doors opening, at 8pm sharp (more like 8:15). It says a lot about the Red Riders to have achieved this feat in itself, let alone the 40+ number. This being the first time I’d ever heard this band, I was not so secretly filled with excitement at the prospect of seeing something truly remarkable. Fortunately, my expectations were easily exceeded.

The evening began as any other this winter – cold, miserable, with over-sized jumpers and tights everywhere in sight. While the warmth of the OAF (and the alcohol it offered) also warmed many spirits, the thoughtlessness of some punters ruined the mood just a little.

Loon Lake took to the stage at 9pm with an extremely upbeat performance. With four lead and bass guitars between five band members, heavy rhythm and bass are guaranteed; a very popular combination amongst the already 3/4 full venue. I found their live renditions to be as dance-y as indie rock can possibly be – certainly enough for more than a few of the crowd to groove out to; in particular Into The Office and Easy Chairs. After the telling of a few Melbourne tales and the unfortunate occurrence of Sam’s (vocals) guitar suffering a string break, the quintet dived straight back into their set, at times giving off a Vampire Weekend vibe with the arrangement of the guitars. Towards the end of the performance, the place started to buzz, with constant chatter and clapping audible amongst the guitars and drums. It was clear the fans here were just as up for a great night as the band were. Of course, this band’s night wouldn’t have been complete without a crowd-participating play of hit single In The Summer.

By this point (approximately 9:45pm), the venue was jam-packed. Full beyond full with more people trickling in all the time. The seating on the dance-floor was all but abandoned in attempts to find more viable views of the upcoming Red Riders. Without trying to sound impatient, I found the 45 minute wait a bit of an ask, particularly with the room so full to bursting that any movement would have permanently lost one ‘their’ spot. The only upside was the ear-shatteringly loud dance music playing throughout the entire break, of which I’m a proud lover.

As 10:30pm rolled around, the crowd had become visibly agitated. All were fidgeting in their anticipation, a mixed feeling of excitement and melancholy hanging in the air. When asked, a few fans present explained that their excitement for the Red Riders to come onstage was only slightly marred by the knowledge that it would be their last time doing so.

Nevertheless, as soon as the quintet (former guitar player/vocalist Adrian returned specially for the final tour) hit the stage, the crowd roared. First thought was that the band probably should have chosen a larger-capacity venue. They began their set with C’mon, the first track off their 2006 album Replica Replica, and were welcomed by fans dancing and jumping around the dance-floor and endless screamed praise at its finish. Next on the set list were two from their earlier demos, followed by a joke or two exchange with the crowd. Slide In Next To Me was the next crowd favourite, with the band’s request to “dance along!” being taken to heart by most. The main vocals were energetic and extravagant, with supporting vocals just as lovely.

Steadily on the set moved, complete with miniature strobe-light during Scream and I Think You’re Blind. The short lyric phrases of the latter, being punctuated with guitar twangs, was instantly a personal favourite. After a personalised performance of Radio, Radio (following a sweet dedication to Dad), they played probably the most popular song of the evening, A.S.P.I.R.I.N. After the crowd-went-bezerk fallout of that one, Adrian took over the vocal responsibilities, performing Call On Me. More crowd favourites of the evening include You’ve Got A Lot of Nerve, Feels Like Grace, and In My Sleep.

Finishing the ‘official’ performance was song Ordinary, to which many of the crowd sang along. This was followed by a solo performance by Alex (lead vocalist), and an all-out encore playing until well after midnight. This was most definitely a show that nobody ever wanted to end. Despite this being my first (and last live) time listening to this band, rather than feeling sad at missing out on their formative years, I felt grateful at being a part of such a high-morale finale to this chapter of their lives. It’s a blow to the Australian music industry to lose this act, and they will be sorely missed.