Sofar Sounds Sydney 20th November 2014
Photos by Megan Carew Photography & Design
At November’s Sydney Sofar Sounds show the performers graced a small enclosure filled to the brim with relaxed admirers, burritos and beers. As the sun began to fade on the summer evening and the breeze began to shift, Chloe Harrison took to the cosy corner ready to drift into the opening set for the night. With her acoustic guitar and steady beat Chloe began with a Led Zeppelin classic using a catchy collection of guitar runs, vocal slides and mushed diction proposing ‘rocker chick’ vibes. The audiences’ reactions developed into a jovial applause as her shy temperament transformed to become as punchy as the beat of her acoustic tunes.
As Chloe continued through her set, bringing out her reflective original songs, her vibe became haunting and quirky and her voice low and resonating. Her vocals became ghostly, delayed and eerie and as her set came to an end. To neatly wrap up the set an Indian Sitar was slotted into her ghostly original songs, surprisingly blending well with her tunes and creating a memorable moment through a cultural splash to finish.
Newly formed band East of Here after a short break kicked off the second set of the night with an electric guitar, acoustic guitar, crooning male vocals and euphoric beats and break downs, a stark contrast from the previous set. The male falsetto vocals were calming as he conveyed the most perfect pitch through his humble story telling lyrics. As the light of the sun had completely dimmed and the sky became dark, his emotional melodies mesmerised the audience into a soft sway, intoxicating them as the electronic drones mixed with the night sky creating a feeling of transcendence. The well-crafted compositions blended folk and electronic with ease channelling the likes of Daughter and Vancouver Sleep Clinic suiting the new wave of multifaceted and multi-genre music. As the vocalist spoke he pleased the audience with his boyish wisdom and charm, complimenting his raw energy. As they continued their set the music encouraged flutters of chatter with the lift of volume and energy creating wild applause as they displayed sepia tone memories through synthetic guitar sounds to end.
When Tom Stephens entered the cosy corner with just an acoustic guitar and a cello he commanded a sense of power physically with his relaxed stage presence as it was maintained throughout the set as he performed his maturely composed music. As he began to sing he brought a nonchalant brilliance with his low brooding vocals complimenting the deep vibrations of the cello. As Tom’s set progressed so did the feel of his music, with each song his set transformed from slow, lamenting vocal into a chanting vocal and a tempo in which gave the audience a beat they could not help but tap their foot to. Later in the set his voice also became velvety smooth and delicate in his top notes, taking the audience on a musical journey. His slow-burning blues swagger blended very well and was relaxing and intriguing all at once, it even seemed that his between song banter meshed in with the overall tone of the set giving the audience a great consistency, creating a delayed applause as we became entranced by the sound.
The last band to grace the audience with their music, Little Fox brought a sonic burst of vocal and musical energy to the night with their constant percussive drums, powerhouse female vocals, pop driven synth sounds, blending male harmonies and multi- instrumental power as one of the three sang, played the trumpet and the trombone. Their was magic being made before the audiences eyes as the up beat multi- layered music created an energetic set, shock full of infectious melodies that make you want to get up and dance, or engage in a nice warm hearted sway. This group had amazing chemistry as they blended together like siblings creating a strong magnetic pull with the fusion of sound and polished melodies. Each song differed to the other creating such interest; it was as if the audience was being pulled into the frantic nature of performance. As they pulled out a few ballads the sound still stayed as full as the more up-beat tunes as the female vocalists booming, sustained and resonating voice and her vocal control created an bursting texture making the set both consistent and hypnotic. Their clever lyrics won the audience over as the vocalist sang, “you edit yourself, don’t you?” this rhetorical and metaphorical lyric a clear stand out as the effect on the microphone and the repetition made it resonate in my mind, as it was something to think about. Overall, their well-crafted compositions and words of thought left the audience wanting more as the night came to a hushed end.
Check out more photos here!
