The members of an American rock band are probably the last people you would imagine supporting an Australian Football League team. But Los Angeles band Silversun Pickups appear to be the latest converts to the Fremantle Dockers bandwagon, proclaiming their newfound adoration of the club during their first Australian show since 2012 on Tuesday night.
The group touched down in Perth for the first stop of their tour in support of their latest record, Tenterhooks, released in February. Arguably fuelled by the band’s prolonged absence from Perth, it was a mostly warm and inviting audience that filled the Astor Theatre on Tuesday, especially for a weeknight. The crowd was predominantly made up of millennials who likely became smitten with the Californians when they had their first taste of chart success in the mid-2000s. And they soaked up every minute.
It was an all-international affair on the night’s lineup as altrockers Coast Arcade of New Zealand kicked off proceedings as the undercard. A moment of awkward silence as the band set up their in-ear monitors finally ended when the Auckland-based group introduced their grunge-influenced brand of moody rock to a Perth crowd for the first time.
The four-piece brought the energy right from the first chord, but it took a surprise cover of The Veronicas’ cultural lynchpin Untouched to win the amassing crowd over. Frontwoman Bella Bavin had the audience in the palm of her hand from then on, her soaring vocals contrasting with the gritty sonic backdrop.
Chunky, distorted bass interplayed with chiming lead guitar on City Limits, before the band launched into a filthy halftime breakdown to round out their most streamed song.
The band concluded their striking first supporting set of the tour with debut album closer Baited, its reverberated dual wash of guitars drowning out all but drummer Tom Boynton’s snare.It was a solid choice to complement the headliners and looks set to be the first of many the Kiwi band will play out West.
Fresh off playing a DJ set at The Bird the night before, Silversun Pickups were straight into business when they hit the Astor Theatre stage. Guitarist and vocalist Brian Aubert did not waste any time in showcasing his vocal range, tackling Tenterhooks opener New Wave’s ascending highs head-on. Aubert’s melodic ability is admirable, and his one-of-a-kind voice provides the band with a unique calling card.
It was then bassist Nikki Monninger’s turn to take the spotlight on The Wreckage, a new track built around a gyrating and overdriven looping bassline that got the lively crowd grooving. Working alongside legendary producer Butch Vig for the third successive time, the band’s seventh album leans on dreamier textures, but still sticks to their strengths, as was evident in the night’s opening two pieces.
The band has always held an impressive intensity for a group with only one guitarist. Laconic keyboardist Joe Lester is arguably the band’s secret weapon, laying down textures that fill out the band’s wide sound and providing them a point of difference to other four-piece rock acts. There is no need for a noise war in Silversun Pickups, yet it is still clear this is a rock band that rides the edge. At the same time, there is still a high level of groove and danceability, something many bands struggle to balance. It really seems like a democratic band, with each member getting their moment to be heard equally.
Five songs into the set and the group still hadn’t taken a breather to address the Perth crowd, many of whom had waited over a decade to see them return to their city. But it was clear they were on a roll, and what they lacked in words they uttered with their instruments. Aubert engaged the crowd by eyeballing them silently as he swaggered across the stage playing bluesy licks on It Doesn’t Matter Why. Monninger’s bass work was infectious and is truly fundamental to the band’s sound. Never was this more apparent than on Panic Switch’s revolving and urgent bassline, providing a solid foundation for Aubert’s guitar freakouts and Chris Guanlao’s wild drumming, as each member’s hair flew around the stage.
An extended middle eight of Monninger’s solo bass work then led into an epic outro of ripping guitar and crashing drums in one of the night’s high moments. Monninger and Aubert’s interplay is fantastic to watch. The two complement each other, switching lead vocal duties and supplying angelic harmonies which elevate the tracks further. Monninger took charge of vocal duties on Au Revoir Reservoir, another new album track which bears a similarity to Michael Jackson’s Beat It. On Empty Nest, the duo then completed an accapella outro to fervent applause. Aubert addressed his unique singing voice in a self-deprecating and amusing monologue to the crowd before launching into 2005 track Killing Families.
“It’s 2005. You get a burnt CD from a friend of yours, and you like one of the bands on there. You hear they are playing in your city soon, and you go along to see the lady with the beautiful voice…surprise!” he said.
The frontman also referenced the band’s newfound appreciation of the Fremantle Football Club, after drummer Guanlao purchased some of the band’s merchandise upon their arrival to Perth, triggering a mixture of cheers and boos as the anticipation for Friday’s Western Derby grows by the day.
“I guess they’re the best team, I don’t know.” the singer shrugged.
The band closed out their main set with Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance) and the swaggering bass-fuelled Dots And Dashes, climaxing with Aubert madly strumming his Epiphone Casino guitar on his knees as the sole remaining member on stage. A rumble of stomping feet threatened to break the Astor’s floor, but it was enough to bring the four-piece Californian band back on stage to play a three-song encore.
Signature track Lazy Eye triggered a sea of phones emerging from pockets as Aubert played the opening notes. The set closer is built on a droning guitar riff and an emphatic rhythm section, overlaid by Aubert’s yearning and desperate vocals, before crescendoing into a shoegazed wall of sound which concluded the night.
Sometimes it takes a while for bands to warm up on tour, but Silversun Pickups definitely came off the bench raring to go for this one.
Let’s just hope it’s not another 14 years before they return.
Setlist: New Wave, The Wreckage, Well Thought Out Twinkles, It Doesn’t Matter Why, Panic Switch, Au Revoir Reservoir, The Royal We, Three Seed, Killing Families, Empty Nest, Mean Spirits, Long Gone, Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance), Dots and Dashes
Encore: Little Lovers So Polite, Growing Old Is Getting Old, Lazy Eye