Sunset Rubdown – The Luminaire, London 22/05/08

30 June 2008, 17:45 | Written by Adam Elmahdi

(Live)

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Photographs: Ama Chana

WOW. I’ve waited two years to see Sunset Rubdown, the most brilliant member of that incestuous circle of Canadian indie bands centered round possible genius Spencer Krug, and my God they didn’t let me down. Their swirling, synthy technicolour bombast is manic enough on record, but the unassuming Krug and his gawky, shy band pull out all the stops for their live show, sweeping away all and sundry in a wave of clashing keyboards and breathless, impassioned vocals.

It’s difficult to pick a highlight from a show of such consistent brilliance, but the unhinged vaudeville of ‘Trumpet Trumpet Toot Toot’ and the stately, reverb-heavy ‘Stadiums and Shrines II’ are up there, as is the quasi-mystical spendour of ‘The Mending Of The Gown’. One could bemoan the relative lack of Shut Up I Am Dreaming material, but one gets the impression Krug’s not a guy to dwell on past glories- the three new songs previewed were all the equal of his previous work and much more impressive than his disappointing contributions to the new Wolf Parade album. The intimacy of the Luminaire and the unusual reverence of the crowd only contributed to the vibrancy of the band’s performance, and drummer Jordan Robson-Cramer deserves particular credit for his stunning contributions to his band’s viscous, layered sound.

Spot-on in every respect, it’s hard to think how they can better this- it’s one of the most goddamn perfect shows I’ve ever been to.