If you happen to be vertically challenged, surely at gigs you are very good friends with the sight of the back of some guys head as opposed to the band that you paid good money to see – tip toeing to steal glimpses, some where along the line, listening became secondary to looking at shows.
But not at a Little Red one.
People filter out of last weeks Vampire Weekend support slot at the Metro, raving about the harmonies, the guitar tones, the whip crack drums. Sure the suits were cute and the smiles were mile-wide, but here was a band who had so expertly cultivated their sound that you just wanted to shut your eyes and let it wash all over you.
“The crowd at the Metro were awesome. People are starting to get to know the words to our songs, which is great. It is going to be brilliant hitting the road, we start touring in the middle of August through to the middle of September. We had a little bit of a break before this run of shows, just kicking around and writing some songs – which is always good, but I have kind of missed playing live. With the album out we will be playing a lot of the new material – which I love, because it means we can do longer sets as the headline act – and we’ve got enough material to have an encore.” Quang Dinh, bass player for Melbourne’s Little Red chortles.
“When we were making ‘Listen To’ we were listening to stuff like Beach Boys and Sam Cook and Otis Reading and 60’S Pop bands like the Kinks and we just really dug that kind of 2 minute energetic real, raw and live music thing. Since then, we listen to a lot of Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson and the Strokes as well. Maybe on the next record that will come through.”
Little Red’s album ‘Listen to Little Red” was released on the bands own label Hooch Hound records – allowing them the freedom to record purely on their terms – “We needed to go indie because we change pretty quickly. We are genre jumpers. Who knows, we might go electro for the new album. We have a few disco numbers. I mean there is this whole indie electro thing that is happening at the moment – it is influencing I suppose. We have played a couple of the new songs at the last two shows and they turned out really good. It is not like disco like The Presets – but um… it is something different…”
“We are already planning the next record – recording is the most important thing for us because we have 3 song writers, we have plenty of songs lying around. It kind of sucks when we tour, that we have to play the old stuff, because we defiantly have an album or two of new material ready to go”
You should go and Listen to Little Red tour “Listen To Little Red” while you have the chance. They are playing their lovely sounds at the Annandale on the 22nd and 23rd of August, with “The Holidays” playing second fiddle. Having had the pleasure of seeing them tour over the festival season last year at Meredith, (which Quang concurs with my feelings towards her “I reckon it is the best festival we have played, it is for the people and all those people having a great time at one stage. There is a real community type atmosphere. It is amazing.”) I can vouch that listening to them play, truly is a momentous event – So shame on you if you miss Listening to Little Red live..
Check out Little Red on these dates:
Wed 20 Oxford Tavern (Wollongong)
Thu 21 Cambridge Htl (Newcastle)
Fri 22 Annandale Htl (Syd)
Sat 23 Annandale Htl (Syd)
Their album “Listen To Little Red” is out now on Hooch Hound Records/Shock.
Check them out here http://www.myspace.com/littleredmusic
