In 2011 Swedish post-punk revival Indie rockers, The Sounds rocked Popscene hard. Five years later they returned for the 10 year Anniversary Tour of Dying To Say This To You with a show at the iconic Fillmore!
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| The Sounds at The Fillmore 12/18/2016 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
Fronted by former New Yorker, model, musician and fashion muse, Lissy Trullie, Mason James of Cerebral Ballzy and drummer Damar Davis, the synth-bred Zipper Club were the supporting act following openers, My Jerusalem.
Pysch-friendly visuals continuously swirled over the stage and the band in a kaleidoscope style, adding slivers of color to an otherwise dark setting, adding a trippy affect to their synth-bred sound. James and Trullie shared vocals pretty evenly, taking turns on lead, being each other's back-ups and harmonizing over buzzing guitars. Banter by her more seasoned counter part encouraged the pixie-cut Trullie out of her timid shell, leaving her a bit more confident and comfortable as they played on. The LA based threesome lay down a heavy 90's nostalgia with a lo-tempoed delivery of lo-fi rock which fit right in with the nostalgic night. Their set that night was one of three remaining shows Zipper Club had on the road with The Sounds but with their debut LP due out in January it sure won't be the last time we'll hear from them.
2006, in the height of a pop wave that brought us The Pussycat Dolls, Panic! At The Disco and "Gold Digger", this edgy gem from Sweden shook things up with a sassy indie-punk sound and a spunky leading lady with Blondie soul. The Sounds defied the common disappointment that comes with the follow up to successful debuts with their "underground hit" riddled sophomore album, Dying To Say This To You. Coincidentally and somewhat ironically, it turned out to be their most popular record to date. Fans at The Fillmore were probably just as excited to see the album revived and brought (back) to life by wild woman Maja as they would have been at a show on the tour in support of it 10 years ago! Maybe even more so!
Aside from her platinum blonde hair, in a formal black, sequenced dress and respectable heels Maja's look was a far cry from the last time I saw her live when she rocked booty shorts, a tank top and a cigarette hanging from her mouth. Her look may have been a bit different but Maja still brought her shameless grittiness and brash charm: flashing her panties with high kicks, speaker stance and squats, she got touchy feely with security and showered us with plenty of f-bombs.
Playing Dying To Say This To You from start to finish as expected, she kept it real, pointing out that they hadn't played some of the songs live in a long time, if ever. Reflecting back on the pressures The Sounds faced to follow up their 1st album with a successful 2nd album, the front woman wasn't afraid to get a little sentimental with her fans before getting back to rockin'.
Flickering lighter flames and glowing cell phone screens illuminated the room like a night sky full of twinkling stars for an acoustic "Night After Night" which was an unexpected break from the fast-paced indie punk rock yet a welcomed serendipitous experience. It's only natural that The Sounds have matured over the course of a decade.There's still a rawness and fire but they play tighter now, they're more focused; The Sounds honed their sound.
Like a fine wine, they took something classic and delivered something better on the Dying To Say This To You 10 year Anniversary tour!
Pysch-friendly visuals continuously swirled over the stage and the band in a kaleidoscope style, adding slivers of color to an otherwise dark setting, adding a trippy affect to their synth-bred sound. James and Trullie shared vocals pretty evenly, taking turns on lead, being each other's back-ups and harmonizing over buzzing guitars. Banter by her more seasoned counter part encouraged the pixie-cut Trullie out of her timid shell, leaving her a bit more confident and comfortable as they played on. The LA based threesome lay down a heavy 90's nostalgia with a lo-tempoed delivery of lo-fi rock which fit right in with the nostalgic night. Their set that night was one of three remaining shows Zipper Club had on the road with The Sounds but with their debut LP due out in January it sure won't be the last time we'll hear from them.
 |
| The Sounds at The Fillmore 12/18/2016 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
2006, in the height of a pop wave that brought us The Pussycat Dolls, Panic! At The Disco and "Gold Digger", this edgy gem from Sweden shook things up with a sassy indie-punk sound and a spunky leading lady with Blondie soul. The Sounds defied the common disappointment that comes with the follow up to successful debuts with their "underground hit" riddled sophomore album, Dying To Say This To You. Coincidentally and somewhat ironically, it turned out to be their most popular record to date. Fans at The Fillmore were probably just as excited to see the album revived and brought (back) to life by wild woman Maja as they would have been at a show on the tour in support of it 10 years ago! Maybe even more so!
 |
| The Sounds at The Fillmore 12/18/2016 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
Aside from her platinum blonde hair, in a formal black, sequenced dress and respectable heels Maja's look was a far cry from the last time I saw her live when she rocked booty shorts, a tank top and a cigarette hanging from her mouth. Her look may have been a bit different but Maja still brought her shameless grittiness and brash charm: flashing her panties with high kicks, speaker stance and squats, she got touchy feely with security and showered us with plenty of f-bombs.
Playing Dying To Say This To You from start to finish as expected, she kept it real, pointing out that they hadn't played some of the songs live in a long time, if ever. Reflecting back on the pressures The Sounds faced to follow up their 1st album with a successful 2nd album, the front woman wasn't afraid to get a little sentimental with her fans before getting back to rockin'.
 |
| The Sounds at The Fillmore 12/18/2016 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
 |
| The Sounds at The Fillmore 12/18/2016 photo by Nikki DeMartini |
Flickering lighter flames and glowing cell phone screens illuminated the room like a night sky full of twinkling stars for an acoustic "Night After Night" which was an unexpected break from the fast-paced indie punk rock yet a welcomed serendipitous experience. It's only natural that The Sounds have matured over the course of a decade.There's still a rawness and fire but they play tighter now, they're more focused; The Sounds honed their sound.
Like a fine wine, they took something classic and delivered something better on the Dying To Say This To You 10 year Anniversary tour!
