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The Paradise Motel
Mar. 10th, 2010 12:02 amJust back from seeing The Paradise Motel play at the Toff In Town.
The Paradise Motel were one of my favourite Australian bands, just behind Nick Cave. I loved them deeply, and I was heartbroken when they moved to London and broke up. Ten years later, they have a new album called Australian Ghost Story, and they played it live at the Toff.
The new material sounds very like the old material: dark, lush, brooding, snaking from fragile whispers to cinematic walls of noise.
The band seemed nervous playing the new songs. Singer Merida Sussex has always had a deer-in-the-headlights quality about her on stage, but even the rest of the band seemed timid, especially in the quiet sections. But they gathered confidence as they played, and finished the main set with an exultant crescendo.
They took a short break. And then they came back to play "Calling You", "German Girl" and "Men Who Loved Her (Grew Sadder)/Raining Pleasure".
And chills ran up my spine.
The last time I heard these songs was at the Punter's Club, cigarette smoke so thick above the crowd my girlfriend couldn't breathe. These songs-- ragged and wailing and transcendent. It was like the melodies were uncoiling up my spine after lying dormant for a decade. They were alive again, and I was caught up in them, grinning like an idiot.
Nostalgia can be trap, I know. But these songs are a part of my soul.
The crowd cheered, and Merida mumbled something into the microphone, blushing wildly. And then it was over.
The new album hasn't been released yet. I picked up a limited edition pre-release version: the songs on a USB thumb drive, in an envelope with photos of the album cover artwork. I haven't listened to yet. I'm looking forward to it.
But the Paradise Motel were always best live, the music loud and wild like waves crashing against rocks. It took a while for them to find that tonight. But when they did, it was just magnificent.
The Paradise Motel were one of my favourite Australian bands, just behind Nick Cave. I loved them deeply, and I was heartbroken when they moved to London and broke up. Ten years later, they have a new album called Australian Ghost Story, and they played it live at the Toff.
The new material sounds very like the old material: dark, lush, brooding, snaking from fragile whispers to cinematic walls of noise.
The band seemed nervous playing the new songs. Singer Merida Sussex has always had a deer-in-the-headlights quality about her on stage, but even the rest of the band seemed timid, especially in the quiet sections. But they gathered confidence as they played, and finished the main set with an exultant crescendo.
They took a short break. And then they came back to play "Calling You", "German Girl" and "Men Who Loved Her (Grew Sadder)/Raining Pleasure".
And chills ran up my spine.
The last time I heard these songs was at the Punter's Club, cigarette smoke so thick above the crowd my girlfriend couldn't breathe. These songs-- ragged and wailing and transcendent. It was like the melodies were uncoiling up my spine after lying dormant for a decade. They were alive again, and I was caught up in them, grinning like an idiot.
Nostalgia can be trap, I know. But these songs are a part of my soul.
The crowd cheered, and Merida mumbled something into the microphone, blushing wildly. And then it was over.
The new album hasn't been released yet. I picked up a limited edition pre-release version: the songs on a USB thumb drive, in an envelope with photos of the album cover artwork. I haven't listened to yet. I'm looking forward to it.
But the Paradise Motel were always best live, the music loud and wild like waves crashing against rocks. It took a while for them to find that tonight. But when they did, it was just magnificent.
