Paradiso at the Sydney Town Hall is a space that all punters should make sure they get to at some point, if not every year when the Sydney Festival comes around. The place is like a smaller, longer version of the Enmore Theatre – regal, warm, and inviting.
As Adam Lewis (of FBi Radio fame) spun some truly delectable tunes, the space emanated a 1950s prom vibrancy. On one wall there were vertical neon ‘Paradiso’ signs, while wire-framed lanterns were suspended from around the ceiling. It was like being transported into the Chuck Berry scene from the first Back To The Future film.
After about an hour of spinning intoxicating tunes, the first live band of the night, locals Shining Bird, took the stage. To say they were amazing would be an understatement.
The music that Shining Bird play is, in a word, perfect. It’s too psychedelic to be Gold Fields, but not pop enough to be Cloud Control. For the most part, they mould themselves into a gorgeous middle ground that could easily soundtrack the sad part of an indie movie like Garden State or Clerks.
The tracks swirled at a stunning pace with an equally impressive light show. Radiant reds and strobes propelled the music to loftier heights – higher than Macaulay Culkins’ ambitions to start a pizza-themed Velvet Underground cover band.
But really, the most impressive aspect of Shining Bird, as should be the case with every band, was the music itself. Every song they played echoed with warm, friendly, and unique vibrations. From the chanting chill-mantra of ‘Keep Warm’, to the ultimate summer track that is ‘Distant Dreaming’, Shining Bird couldn’t be stopped or slowed.
Kurt Vile and his band The Violaters bestowed upon the audience a performance worthy of the history books. The mix of classic hits and new gems were spot on, and the interspersing of Vile in solo mode and with his rock band was a perfect balance.
The gig started with a duo of tracks from Vile’s most recent release, Wakin On A Pretty Daze. The sort-of album track ‘Wakin’ On A Pretty Day’ took up the first glorious nine minutes of the performance, followed by the infectious 70s throwback rock of ‘KV Crimes’.
The band worked through hits like ‘Jesus Fever’ with enough gusto to reflect confidence in the music. These musicians did not need to show off.
It was a rock show without the rock show theatrics, and Vile proved himself to be the next J Mascis – not only from his astoundingly long hair, but through his unique stoner-meets-angel vocals and guitar skills.
As enthralling as the show was, things only got more interesting when the band left Vile in acoustic mode. On stage by himself and accompanied only by an old wooden guitar, the Philadelphian musician was a cross between Justin Vernon and Will Oldham. As a weird green light – not at all dissimilar to the one on the cover of Alien – smothered the stage, Vile slowly worked his way through a few songs, including ‘Feel My Pain’. Needless to say, the effect was transfixing.
After what seemed like too short of a time on stage, Vile finished the set with an explosive, saxophone laden ‘Freak Train’ – easily the most intense performance of the set – before closing with ‘Too Hard’. After just over 10 songs and nearly an hour and a half of performing, Vile humbly left the stage with a few grateful thankyous thrown to the crowd.
As the audience slowly filed out of the stunning Paradiso at Town Hall, the general praise that shimmered from the audience’s lips was, “…best concert ever”.
