Last night saw San Cisco play the first show of their first UK headline tour at the Birmingham Temple. You sense that it was a rather frenzied day for the guys, having driven up from London after their appearance on Radio 2, leaving no time for a sound check (although they did find time for a quick drink down the pub before the show).
Playing to an unfortunately subdued crowd, with Jordi at one point quipping ‘thank god they put these barriers in because you guys are crazy’, they kicked off the night with ‘Golden Revolver.’ This was followed by ‘Fred Astaire’ which prompted two women obviously intoxicated on more than the venues overpriced alcohol to ballroom dance in the middle of the room.
Before launching in to ‘Hunter’ Jordi told the crowd of how he worked on a cattle station, which is where the inspiration for this song came from. ‘It’s about how the mind can become numbed to things you’re scared of, or pain. I had to tag the ears of cattle, but by the end of the day, I was not even thinking about it. I’d become desensitised. In a way, I think this can compare to things like warfare. Anyway, that’s my bullshit done.’ Next, the band played ‘Beach’ which was undoubtedly a highlight of the evening, with its 80’s tinged wistful nostalgia feel transferring effortlessly from record to a live setting.
‘Reckless’ was made vastly more grandiose than its studio counterpart, with the previously acoustic track receiving the full band treatment and an increase in tempo. Next, guitarist Nick Gardner took over lead vocal duties for ‘Girls Do Cry’ from the band’s debut EP Golden Revolver.
‘John’s Song’ provided one of the more striking moments of the show as the band left Jordi to his own devices for this solo effort about a man he once met. ‘You can actually learn a lot by just listening to people’ remarked Jordi.
Before performing ‘Wild Things’ Jordi took the time to talk about the track’s accompanying video, which was banned from their native Australian TV. Luckily for you guys though, you can view it at the bottom of this page. ‘In the video, myself and Scarlett get burned at the stake. People have said that the video has nothing to do with the song, but if you listen to the lyrics it definitely does.
By the time the band played ‘No Friends’ the crowd had awoken slightly and started to really show their appreciation for what was a top notch show from the Fremantle band. Unfortunately, the band only had 2 more songs for the crowd to feast their ears on at this point. Closer ‘Awkward’ definitely received the loudest cheer of the night. The band may try to play down the song as ‘a bit silly and simple’ but what they have produced instead is a near perfect pop song that people can just enjoy and dance to, and that is most definitely what the crowd did tonight.
Despite the difficulties caused by having no time for a sound check, and what appeared to be a constantly problematic drum kit, San Cisco played a splendid show, showing they are definitely a band that deserved the accolades laid upon them by various people. The future definitely looks exciting for these four young Aussies.
San Cisco played:
Golden Revolver
Fred Astaire
Lyall
Hunter
Beach
Reckless
Girls Do Cry
Toast
John’s Song
Stella
Nepal
Wild Things
No Friends
Rocket Ship
Awkward
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Conor Giles
Dance Yrself Clean
