Live Review: Cloud Control @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney

In 2010, popular music in Australia was a far cry from its by-the-numbers approach that now dictates the market (and algorithm).

Releasing their debut album Bliss Release in May of that year, Cloud Control became darlings of triple j in an era when the station had more taste-maker prominence than now - and its pair of hit singles There’s Nothing In The Water We Can’t Fight and Gold Canary were spun alongside the lines of Gotye’s superhit Somebody That I Used To Know, Boy & Bear’s Feeding Line, and Matt Corby’s Brother.

In short, it was an era prime for Cloud Control’s new-agey, jangly, psych-folk-rock.

Like most of its contemporaries from that era, the band quietly disbanded a few years ago, but when they announced a return to celebrate their debut, the reaction was nothing short of euphoric.

But even with all the hype, it was clear that Cloud Control was taken aback by a sold-out Enmore Theatre roaring every “woop”, “why-o-why-o-why”, “yeh-yeh-yah”, and every other consonant-based vocal hook back at them as they tore through their indie classic on Friday. 

The nostalgic theme of the evening had already been established by opening act Juliawhy?, whose take on My Bloody Valentine was a surprisingly aggressive, but welcome, warm-up.

Despite the demographic of the crowd being firmly over 30, the fitter punters with the stamina to stand up for more than two hours seemed to enjoy the fuzzed riffs and dreamy vocals.

But as welcome as a shoegaze guitar tone may have been, the polite reception Juliawhy? received was a far cry from the cries of joy that greeted the opening drum beat of Cloud Control’s Dojo Rising - anchored, of course, by Heidi Lenffer’s spacey synths and expert-level tambourine playing.

In a welcome change from other album format shows, Cloud Control opted to grease the tyres with some non-Bliss Release cuts up front.

But, following an impressive rendition of The Smoke, The Feeling, a low drone and acknowledgement of the custodians of the Blue Mountains (where Bliss Release was recorded) heralded the start of Meditation Song #2 (Why Oh Why), and the beginning of the album playthrough proper.

Looking back at the reviews of the album, critics at the time saw a special record. Seeing it brought to life 15 years later, it was delightful to be reminded of the many good songs here, with each cut being like reuniting with an old friend.

The big singles all sounded as exciting, wonderlike, and mysterious as ever - Lenffer even managed to get the crowd singing the chant hook of Gold Canary in two-part harmony - but it was the deeper cuts that stood out here.

Ghost Story was as hair-raising as its lyrics proclaim, with bassist Jeremy Kelshaw adding some percussion via a roadcase in what felt like a very 2010 nu-folk move, while The Rolling Stones oscillated between pitch-perfect harmonies and its blast-of-energy chorus, a reminder that Cloud Control can rock devil horns.

The highlight, though, was Hollow Drums, a haunting acoustic number performed by Lenffer and frontman Alister Wright on stools with just an acoustic guitar (“everyone was 23 and too crazy to really get it at the time”, quips Wright afterwards). 

Being somewhat of a hometown show (Cloud Control formed at Sydney University but all hail from the Blue Mountains), the band made sure to give shoutouts to the people there who helped in its early days; shout-outs included to Josh Pyke, who took them on its first tour, and Liam Judson, who produced the album.

After bringing the Bliss Release set to a close with a beautiful rendition of the rolling ballad Beast of Love (propelled by Ulrich Lenffer’s steady percussion), the band depart briefly, returning with crowd favourite Promises, the first of a staggering five encores, with Panopticon, Scar, Treetops, and a spell-binding rendition of Dream Cave bringing proceedings to a close.

It’s unclear whether this is indeed the last Cloud Control show; it was the final night of their first tour in seven years since their disbandment in 2018.

The members were affected by the scenes in front of them, though, with Wright choking up in Dream Cave, and the members standing arm in arm at the end, clearly stunned by the final ovation they received from the 2500-strong crowd. 

If this is the last we see of them, then this was a fitting send-off for a homegrown treasure and its cult-classic LP.