REVIEW - Snowman @ The Annandale
July 18th 2008 05:13
REVIEW - Snowman @ The Annandale
Thursday 17th and Friday 18th July 2008
SNOWMAN Baseball Naked On The Vague(Thu) / Charge Group(Fri)
by Cassady Maddox
Ah Snowman. I'd been looking forward to these two consecutive nights at the Annandale for months, as it's the last time my favourite Australian band hit Sydney stages before they relocate to the UK. And to top it off, this is the first time Snowman have graced our stages armed with new material from the stunning new record "The Horse, The Rat and The Swan".
Upon arriving, the first thing that grabbed my attention was the merch desk. I wanted show my support and what better way than to purchase some kind of keepsake that one can only acquire at their live shows? I was surprised to see most of Snowman - Olga, Ross and Aditya (formerly known as Andy) - staffing their own merch table. We got to have a bit of a chat while I was purchasing a vinyl 45 (featuring 2 tracks from the first album), then I headed inside to check out the support bands.
"Naked On The Vague" had secured Thursday's opening spot, the only Sydney band on the bill. I've heard some good things about these guys. As I tapped my feet and nodded to the music, I heard quite a few punters remark "I'm getting more of the vague than the naked". The boy/girl two-piece were a strange choice for this bill, with their unique brand of eccentric, experimental wailing. They reminded me of Throbbing Gristle, with female vocals and less discipline, and their myspace page would suggest that's roughly what they're going for. They've got something cool going on, but their audience is not the Snowman crowd, who seemed confused by their performance. I missed out on Friday night's opening act "Charge Group", and am left wondering if they were better received.
It seems Snowman have enlisted Melbourne act "Baseball" as the main support for this tour. And they seemed to win the crowd over. I found them a bit confronting, with their relentless rhythms and pulsing wall-of-sound, but I overheard loads of people raving about them during their set and afterwards. The singer is an amazing frontman with loads of energy who also wields a violin like a madman. After Naked on the Vague's somewhat static performance I found it all a bit too frantic. There's just so much going on but there's not much time to catch your breath and really take it in. On the Friday night I walked in halfway through their set, and somehow the music, sans visual, reminded me of local indie heroes Peabody. I don't think it'll be long before we hear their name again.
By the time Snowman were ready to start, the room was close to full. The Annandale's famous screen finally lifted, and from the opening snare hits of "Our Mother (She Remembers)", the first song on the new album, the audience stared and swayed, mesmerised. Their second song "We Are The Plague", the first single from "The Horse, The Rat and The Swan", snapped us to attention, and with every song we were plunged ever deeper into an intense, enlightening musical journey. The room seemed to resonate with emotion, the band surrounded by some kind of mystical aura in which they were enveloping us, from the stage. They didn't venture from the new material and they didn't need to - this is a band that can really play together, feeding off each others' sounds - and it sucks you in completely. The dynamic was different this time around, Aditya has surrendered his guitar and surrounded himself with a variety of new toys while Joe, centre-stage, holds the puppet-strings of the crowd in his role as frontman/lead guitarist. Joe's guitar technique is impeccable, less riffy than in previous shows and this time he brought an E-Bow into play (which he apparently found rather than bought, half his luck).
We marvelled at our own luck, seeing such a mind-blowing show at such an intimate venue, as Snowman continued to up-the-ante with a percussion jam between Aditya and Ross, a violin-toting Aditya vaulting dramatically into the crowd, embellished by Joe's maniacal off-mic shrieking. All the while Olga and Ross worked their magic, holding the whole grand masterpiece together. The remarkable showmanship escalated to its climax, with Joe suddenly sweeping off the stage and into the crowd of ecstatic fans, for an extended jam-cum-love-in. The audience was putty in his hands, and like Moses parting the Red Sea he led the circle around him to sit on the floor, which spread like a wave throughout the room. The entire crowd sank down to the floor of the venue and sat, staring up at these marvellous creatures who never missed a beat or a note. When the band hung up their instruments and called it a night, we were still calling for more. And back they came, blasting us with an epic rendition of "Wormwood" from the first album that sent more than a shiver through the room.
Hats off to you Snowman, and if you don't make it big in the UK I'll eat mine.
A Link to some great photos:
Really Long Link
Thursday 17th and Friday 18th July 2008
SNOWMAN Baseball Naked On The Vague(Thu) / Charge Group(Fri)
by Cassady Maddox
Ah Snowman. I'd been looking forward to these two consecutive nights at the Annandale for months, as it's the last time my favourite Australian band hit Sydney stages before they relocate to the UK. And to top it off, this is the first time Snowman have graced our stages armed with new material from the stunning new record "The Horse, The Rat and The Swan".
Upon arriving, the first thing that grabbed my attention was the merch desk. I wanted show my support and what better way than to purchase some kind of keepsake that one can only acquire at their live shows? I was surprised to see most of Snowman - Olga, Ross and Aditya (formerly known as Andy) - staffing their own merch table. We got to have a bit of a chat while I was purchasing a vinyl 45 (featuring 2 tracks from the first album), then I headed inside to check out the support bands.
"Naked On The Vague" had secured Thursday's opening spot, the only Sydney band on the bill. I've heard some good things about these guys. As I tapped my feet and nodded to the music, I heard quite a few punters remark "I'm getting more of the vague than the naked". The boy/girl two-piece were a strange choice for this bill, with their unique brand of eccentric, experimental wailing. They reminded me of Throbbing Gristle, with female vocals and less discipline, and their myspace page would suggest that's roughly what they're going for. They've got something cool going on, but their audience is not the Snowman crowd, who seemed confused by their performance. I missed out on Friday night's opening act "Charge Group", and am left wondering if they were better received.
It seems Snowman have enlisted Melbourne act "Baseball" as the main support for this tour. And they seemed to win the crowd over. I found them a bit confronting, with their relentless rhythms and pulsing wall-of-sound, but I overheard loads of people raving about them during their set and afterwards. The singer is an amazing frontman with loads of energy who also wields a violin like a madman. After Naked on the Vague's somewhat static performance I found it all a bit too frantic. There's just so much going on but there's not much time to catch your breath and really take it in. On the Friday night I walked in halfway through their set, and somehow the music, sans visual, reminded me of local indie heroes Peabody. I don't think it'll be long before we hear their name again.
By the time Snowman were ready to start, the room was close to full. The Annandale's famous screen finally lifted, and from the opening snare hits of "Our Mother (She Remembers)", the first song on the new album, the audience stared and swayed, mesmerised. Their second song "We Are The Plague", the first single from "The Horse, The Rat and The Swan", snapped us to attention, and with every song we were plunged ever deeper into an intense, enlightening musical journey. The room seemed to resonate with emotion, the band surrounded by some kind of mystical aura in which they were enveloping us, from the stage. They didn't venture from the new material and they didn't need to - this is a band that can really play together, feeding off each others' sounds - and it sucks you in completely. The dynamic was different this time around, Aditya has surrendered his guitar and surrounded himself with a variety of new toys while Joe, centre-stage, holds the puppet-strings of the crowd in his role as frontman/lead guitarist. Joe's guitar technique is impeccable, less riffy than in previous shows and this time he brought an E-Bow into play (which he apparently found rather than bought, half his luck).
We marvelled at our own luck, seeing such a mind-blowing show at such an intimate venue, as Snowman continued to up-the-ante with a percussion jam between Aditya and Ross, a violin-toting Aditya vaulting dramatically into the crowd, embellished by Joe's maniacal off-mic shrieking. All the while Olga and Ross worked their magic, holding the whole grand masterpiece together. The remarkable showmanship escalated to its climax, with Joe suddenly sweeping off the stage and into the crowd of ecstatic fans, for an extended jam-cum-love-in. The audience was putty in his hands, and like Moses parting the Red Sea he led the circle around him to sit on the floor, which spread like a wave throughout the room. The entire crowd sank down to the floor of the venue and sat, staring up at these marvellous creatures who never missed a beat or a note. When the band hung up their instruments and called it a night, we were still calling for more. And back they came, blasting us with an epic rendition of "Wormwood" from the first album that sent more than a shiver through the room.
Hats off to you Snowman, and if you don't make it big in the UK I'll eat mine.
A Link to some great photos:
Really Long Link
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