Delta Riggs with Annoying Neighbours & Le Shiv at Crowbar Sydney 8th April
PHOTO AND REVIEW BY: JADE GUIDA
The night started with Annoying Neighbours. It’s a fun name for a fun band. These guys had onlookers edging closer to the shiny purple and green lit stage every song. This band was just cool. Not only did one of the guitarist look like my favourite Criminal Minds characters, they all just looked happy to be playing music. I love that feeling you get when you watch a band for the first time and they just emit a welcoming energy. The moment the first song ended, I messaged our team leader at Rawing in the Pit and told her how much I loved this band. This band is energetic and bright in every way. They exude confidence in both musicianship and performance. I could not do justice to this band in words, they had what I thought was going to be a reluctant crowd up and dancing in no time. This band is a must see. You will have to go interstate to see this band of not Sydney locals but the trip would be well worth it.
Le Shiv. What can I say about this band. They really drew in the crowd. By the time I had made my way back to the front of the pit to take photos, the room was ¾ full of eager fans ready to groove and shake. There was definitely some seasoned fans in the crowd because I noticed a few faces eagerly signing along to every word. The best way to describe this band is like if Byron Bay and Newtown had a love child, it would have produced this band. They had that cool sultry and effortless grace you associate with Byron but with a bit of Spicy innerwest charm. They were fun, loud and made you want to dance. Again for me, the stage presence was phenomenal. As a photographer, that is something I have really started to notice. These folks just ooze charm and confidence on stage, you don’t want to tear away from the set for a minute.
I have loved the Delta Riggs Since I was in High School. They were who we considered cool. I covered my books in their photos before wrapping them in clear contact. They were that indie pop dream with their smooth sound and cool clothes. Never did I think that many years later I would have the opportunity to photograph them. It was incredible to see this band from this perspective. Everything my teenage self-had imagined about them and more was true on Friday night at Crowbar Sydney. They had that untouchable quality. They were just as cool as I remembered and frankly, even though almost a decade has passed since we would sit and idolize them during school lunch, they were even better than I could have imagined. The Delta Riggs are electric and enigmatic, the way all the best Rock bands are. They are so smooth. From vocals to the technicality of their musicianship they are flawless. Watching the Delta Riggs is like staring at the sun, they shine so bright and captivate you. I had a lot of fun shooting this set. I was struck by Elliott Hammond and how dazzling he is to watch sachet around a stage. It was like I was watching a music videos from an underground band in the 70s. It was so light and effortless and yet full of charisma, it felt quite unreal. I was a little dazzled by the band, I wont lie. This set was everything I could have hoped for and more.
