Live Review: Sleepy Sun & Foam

As Perth Festival continues to heat up the city and the string of live acts continues to create a hive of activity in the cultural centre, it's good to know that you can still gather a lively crowd on a Tuesday night. Foam were first on stage, creating their own hive of activity with their distorted rock. Bestowing the best possible compliment on their act, these three Perth boys produce a sound quite reminiscent of Nirvana and Sonic Youth. So Far So Good, a single from their debut EP, Sarpa Salpa, really showcased Joel Martin's voice and the deep timbre that forms the basis of Foam's sound. Launching another EP next month, you get the impression that the act plan on becoming the seasoned musicians their performances hint at.

Sleepy Sun, a five-piece psychedelic rock group from San Francisco, did not exactly ease themselves on stage, opting to elbow through the crowd with a 15-minute intro. The band seem more like a fine-tuned, well-rehearsed work group whereby whimsy is a form of fallacy. True images of California emerged onto the stage when singer Bret Constantino opted for a more acoustic vibe, playing his 12-string or a blend of mouth organ and maracas. Golden Artefact, from the album, Embrace, showcased Constantino's voice at its haunting best as the lyric “This is where the sun will rise” reverberated through the venue.

There are so many musical references that are impossible to miss on stage; The Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin 4 to be more specific) have had a definite influence over 'Suns musical style, and Brian Jonestown Massacre also snuck into their performance style. That's not to say that 'Sun is a product of a genre; they rely on a number of references to grow their audience but they definitely hold their own and maintain autonomy in their sound.