Stonefield, Live in Perth – 31 August 2013

Amplifier Bar, Perth, Saturday 31 August 2013 
Review & photography by Shane Pinnegar

First published in X-Press Magazine’s 4th September 2013 issue – read it HERE

Mr & Mrs Findlay back in rural Victoria’s Darraweit Guim must be pretty proud right now, with four daughters rocking stages around the country in advance of the October 11th release of their debut full length album, and the girls are giving it a red hot shot with their brash Sixties psyche and classic rock fusion.

After a psyched out Jim Morrison musical poetry intro, lead singer Amy lays down the drums in the studio, but is front and centre on stage, leaving their tour drummer Manny Bourakis to sit behind the kit – most of the night. Amy possesses an powerhouse voice, and as Stonefield blast through C’mon and Love You Deserve from the forthcoming self-titled record, the rest of the band – guitarist Hananah, keyboardist Sarah and Holly on bass guitar – deliver a mature, tight and resonating backing, obviously influenced by the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Doors and the psych rock spirit of the rest of their parent’s record collection.

The focus is firmly on the new material – there’s nothing from 2010’s Through The Clover EP, and four tracks from last year’s Bad Reality EP – and if the goal is to stir up interest and get some pre-orders happening, then the night is a roaring success as the heaving inside room at Amplifier is abuzz.

Amy takes the drum stool for a few songs mid-set, bashing out Move Out Of My Shadow and new tracks To The Mountains and Digging My Way Out.

As Bourakis resumes his postion, a tape plays the gospel intro to new single Put Your Curse On Me – the album was recorded with backing vocals by a gospel choir, no less. Curse is possibly their best track yet, boasting a sound that could be Lenny Kravitz jamming with The Bangles at a 1973 Led Zep aftershow party – and old favourites Ruby Skies and Bad Reality irrefutably kick butt as the set edges towards the finish line.

An enormous House Of The Lonely – another teaser from the album – ends the set and though these songs are new to us now, I reckon we’ll all know them pretty well by the end of the year.

The Findlay sisters are still young and their stage presence is a little wanting, but there’s no denying they have the musical chops to take their psychedelic view of the world far. With Stonefield’s momentum just starting to build, we can safely brace ourselves to hear a lot more of this band in the months to come.

Setlist:
C’Mon
Love You Deserve
Black Water Rising
Over And Over
To Whom It May Concern
Move Out Of My Shadow
To The Mountains
Digging My Way Out
Put Your Curse On Me
Ruby Skies
Bad Reality
House Of The Lonely

 

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries