Winter People

Good young Sydney bands with guitars – haven’t seen enough of them lately. Tonight we get lucky because there’s two of them back to back, and both manage to excite me more about our current musical climate than most live acts have all year.

The Standard is already pumping by the time Winter People take to the stage in all their shaggy, violin-adorned glory. Fast becoming a band worthy of headline status in their own right, Winter People do Arcade Fire-style orchestral rock without coming off like wankers because they’re earnestly great musicians, pouring their heart and sweat into every note. Veering between folk, prog, rock and whatever else swims around in frontman Dylan Baskind’s cranium, they’re as engrossing to listen to as to watch, and have the songs coming out of their eyeballs. Really intricate arrangements and sudden time-changes add to the excitement – if you haven’t already pegged these guys as a band to watch, get on board now.

Having just returned from an all-conquering tour of the States, Cameras are riding high off the release of their first record In Your Room, which a good portion of the audience seem to know the words to, despite it only coming out a week ago. Their gloriously moody rock gets an extra kick from the venue’s sound system, which apparently sounds a lot better to the audience than it does to the band – but that works just fine for us. Opening with the achingly gorgeous ‘Polarise’, Cameras show why Manimal Vinyl snapped them up overseas, and why they’ve been attracting such a strong following here; they look and sound like a proper rock band. Front woman Eleanor Dunlop commands the audience’s attention with a stunning voice that seems to improve with every show the band play, and guitarist/vocalist Fraser Harvey has stepped up his game, too. The really great thing that you get from watching these guys on their home turf is that they’re really tight; every riff and snare crack and section change is note-perfect and highly enjoyable, despite the dark melodic subject matter.

When Dunlop and Harvey strip it back for a haunting cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’, it’s so quiet you can hear a pin drop. ‘I Know’ has already become a favourite, as has the jagged Interpol-esque riffage of ‘Kreuzberg.’ The crowd are cheering like maniacs, and I haven’t witnessed that happening for a purely local lineup in months. Viva la renaissance!

Jonno Seidler
- THE BRAG

On that subject, for fresh talent I can’t go past first support, Sydney’s Winter People. Led by shaggy troubadour Dylan Baskind, and flanked by singing violinists and a tambourine-shaking guitarist, this band revel in depth, colour and intricacy, without alienating anyone in the audience. The cheers get louder as their short set progresses, and though they’re yet to release anything definite, you can expect big things from this engaging and talented group.

Jonno Seidler - THE BRAG

The last support slot was filled by possibly my favourite from the night, Winter People. This Sydney band packed 6 onto the stage, including 2 violinists/vocalists – a massive feat usually, but as they pointed out, it was a very large stage. They credit their sound to The National and Arcade Fire, and their atmospheric harmonies certainly embrace this sound, but they also have a folksy vibe reminiscent of Bob Dylan. The best thing about Winter People? The lead’s voice sounds almost exactly like Alexis Taylor from Hot Chip, in my humble opinion. Their tracks twist and turn, and never end up where you’d expect; and the 6 talented musicians prove their worth, taking no-one for a ride.

- Purple Sneakers

The interesting brand of “post rock folk” as The Winter People describe themselves as have this interesting brooding quality to it. Just listening to “The Antidote” makes one’s head drift into some sense of traumatic distortion. Comparing that track though with “My Town” though makes the wonder of where this band is coming from in terms of influences that more intriguing. It’s a track that’s twinged in so much country that one of my teeth went missing. But in a musical democracy which we all live in, why can’t one band explore many musical areas? The Winter People do that very well. - Scattered Loyalty Blog

My Town
rating: 4/5
Really seductive track. About a shit and insensitive town. They're recording new stuff at the moment. Looking forward to hearing more from them.
Richard Kingsmill, triple j
- Triple J Unearthered by Richard Kingsmill

Sydney six-piece Winter People have a luscious sound that falls in between Temper Trap and Arcade Fire, a beautiful but distinctly Australian take on baroque pop. Wishingbone is their first single and it storms out of the gate, a rich blend of vocal harmony, violins and thundering drums, and flighty lyrics about far borders and animals in the rain. A hugely accomplished debut. - Beat Magazine

A phenomenal group has been bubbling away beneath the surface of Sydney’s folk scene for the past two years. After gigs here, there and everywhere the band have settled down to record a full length release.

The first cut is called ‘Wishingbone’, it’s a dense, cinematic slice of gorgeous folk. And thanks to the mixing-meistering of Peter Katis (Jonsi, The National, Sigur Ros) the acoustic peaks and troughs have been honed into an undulating range of bluesy nostalgia.

Grab ‘Wishingbone’ from Soundcloud:
http://soundcloud.com/winterpeople/wishingbone

More from Winter People as it comes. But if you’re not quite convinced, have a listen to this live clip and tell me violins aren’t hot.

xMandu

- Electrorash

Kicking off the evening were Winter People, a well-dressed collective who matched duelling violins with sparse, twangy and reverberating guitars to display a flair for the dramatic. Their music shifted between a dark, almost country vibe to delicate ukulele plucking, whistling and hand claps. A very versatile, promising and thoroughly enjoyable young act. - The AU Review