By nine forty-five the UniBar is quiet, and the energy is waning with each passing minute. This wouldn’t be an issue on a Friday or Saturday night, but it’s a Tuesday and the patrons are struggling to find an excuse to justify staying out just a little bit later. The room needs an injection of energy, and luckily local band Sundown are able to provide exactly that. The lead guitarist jumps on the mic and asks for a bit more reverb, resulting in an ethereal echo ringing out around the bar. This is a good sign. The group of four high school students take a moment to get tuned up and a couple more to deal with a stuck kick-drum pedal. Then, it’s go time.
The group kick their set off with three original tracks. Sundown have that Alternative/Indie sound that almost seems to be timeless. The slightly fuzzy guitar. The vocals, balanced between careful restraint and full throttle. The drums are piercingly loud, but they’re also so tight that it’s hard to care. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the skill of the bass player, who manages to balance flair and style with the responsibility to keep the band centred and the groove pumping.
It’s around the third number that it becomes clear just how talented the performers are. ‘Crash’ is an original track that kicks off with an extended guitar solo that bathes the audience in a lo-fi warmth. The solo comes to an end and a single note is left hanging in the air. Then, aquamarine lights flood the stage and the band launch into the track proper. Conversations die down; phones are put away. In the centre of the room a couple of young men are sitting on top of a long table surrounded by empty schooners and pitchers. Everyone in the audience is transfixed at the display of raw talent in front of them. Towards the end of their set the group make a move away from original tracks with a cover of ‘Linger’. Covering one of The Cranberries’ tracks isn’t an easy feat, but Sundown manage to make it their own, keeping the essence of the original song without ripping it off entirely or trying to emulate Dolores’ vocal idiosyncrasies – a trap that’s all too easy to fall into for most. Not for a band like this though: for Sundown, being innovative seems to come entirely naturally, and those of us in the bar are glad to have stuck around in the bar to see them play.
Check Sundown out on insta!
Image provided by: Illawarra Music Foundry