In 2012, Art Of Sleeping cited their major influences as Mumford & Sons and Fleet Foxes.
As the Brisbane rockers tour the country this June in support of their debut album, 'Voodoo', their music still possesses the anthemic choruses and tight vocal harmonies that were a feature of the recent banjo-driven folk revival. Their sound has evolved, however, in the intervening three years, with the addition of wailing guitars and galloping rhythms, which ensures they now rock much harder than Mumford or Foxes ever have.
While newer singles, such as 'Voodoo' and 'Crazy', amplify the rock elements, they remain dance inducing, ensuring the Jive audience (13 June) was whipped into a frenzy for the duration of the band’s hour-long set. The band opened festivities with the triumphant and musically uplifting 'Empty Hands', from the 'Like A Thief' EP. Sublime harmonies and cascading guitar riffs populated the front portions of the dancefloor, luring all but the most aloof audience members to the front of the stage.
While the band had a swag of hits featured on national radio at their disposal, they did face a few challenges; with the new album not yet being on the shelves or Spotify playlists, many tracks on the night’s setlist were being heard by the devoted fans for the very first time. Fortunately, though, the Adelaide crowd was mightily impressed with the new offerings, despite their inability to sing along.
New song, 'Jefferson', was a whiskey-soaked country rocker that descended into an interplanetary haze of duelling guitars. 'Voodoo', the title track of the debut album with its funky groove, was a clear hit within the abundant cohort of young women in the crowd. The song is an interesting juxtaposition of danceable rhythms and lyrics of devastating honesty; heartbreak that makes the ass shake.
While the band is a cohesive unit, frontman Caleb Hodges’s soulful delivery and impeccable vocal technique is a highlight; he lingers upon the final notes of phrases, letting the sound resonate within his skull. Hodges was visibly moved by the warm reception that he received from the Adelaide crowd, lamenting that he wished he could add more songs to the setlist.
When the band played 'Head Above Water', the crowd surged once again but the crescendo occurred with the final track of the evening, 'Crazy'. The song unleashed the inner beast within the audience, as men hoisted their bearded brethren upon their shoulders in bromantic rituals that required intervention from security staff.
The audience briefly howled for an encore until the house music signalled this was a false hope; for a band with only a few EPs and a debut album, the decision to not grant an encore was understandable. The audience was fully satiated, as they were also allowed to feast upon the immense talent of support act and home town hero Jesse Davidson.
Davidson, sporting thick spectacles and loosely clad in a baggy floral shirt, denim jeans and socks looked like Sean Lennon. As a local artist, it was evident he had attracted a healthy-sized cheer squad of friends and fans to the Hindley Street venue.
Davidson specialises in songs that commence soulfully but instrumentally threadbare and then build into a cacophony of intricately layered soundscapes. Labelled a wunderkind, he displays a wisdom and capacity beyond his years; his rollicking performance was not impaired by breaking his guitar during the sound check; opening act Sunbeam Sound Machine generously leant their guitar to him.
With a name like Sunbeam Sound Machine, communal sharing of goods isn’t all that surprising, nor is the inclusion of a tambourine into their live performance. The young outfit, however, delivered a spirited opening set to commence proceedings.
Don’t let the name fool you, Art Of Sleeping will wake up the Australian music scene with their new album.
