The advertisement poster for tonight’s event reads ‘Sunset Rubdown featuring members of Swan Lake, Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes’, a fact that band leader Spencer Krug is clearly wary of pointing out that they are all him. Still it is obvious Krug is the leader of this Montreal five-piece, he strikes an imposingly confident figure as he confirms this is a Sunset Rubdown set and not any of his other alter egos. The frontman’s presence strikes a stark contrast with the rest of the band as they take step back and let Krug lead the show. Co-vocalist / keyboardist former Pony Up! Camilla Wayne Ingr is the only other member remaining in the constant spotlight cutting a rather more timid figure in comparison to the muscular flexes of Krug.
Sunset has been hailed as the outlet for most of Krug’s more adventurous outings, however by the strength of their records and tonight’s performance they can easily compete on quality terms with his more famous projects. The set starts on a atmospheric note as the band lay out a lush full sound before Krug crows into ‘The Empty Threats of Little Lord’ ending on a scratchier note as the singing hisses ‘you snake’ at the end each line of the last verse. From this point the band never drops in tempo, often jumping into bouts of double percussion, as they cut through a set featuring a heavily from the outstanding new record ‘Dragonslayer’ probably the most accessible to date under this alias.
The hugely talented Krug also proves he can inject a bit of humor into the proceedings as he shares amusing tales of their overnight ‘cruise’ from Amsterdam, before proving he isn’t perfect after all as he embarrassedly forgets the names of tonight’s support acts, local based Mitchell Museum and North Atlantic Oscillation. However they recover from this minor setback and end the set emphatically as they finish off with two tracks from 2006 stand out ‘Shut Up I Am Dreaming’, starting off with the triumphant ‘Stadiums and Shrines II’ before ending on a softer more ambient note with beautifully constructed ballad ‘Us Ones In Between. As the band leave the stage to an rousing reception it is clear that Sunset Rubdown have gone some way from just being a Wolf Parade side-project, and here’s hoping this their first visit to Glasgow wont be their last.
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