SUNSET SONS deliver a memorable performance at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

It always feels like summer with this next band.

The Australia-via-France-via-UK quartet has just finished off the run of UK headline dates. Supporting their debut album Very Rarely Say Die, released in April this year, Sunset Sons made a stop at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire last week. Sunny vibes fill the notes of their music and so they filled the venue that night.

The moment I enter O2 SBE I can sense straight away the summery feeling in the air. A few people wearing Hawaiian T-shirts, a few proudly sporting the band’s merchandise and one very excited individual in the first row holding a tee with words “Real Men Are Cheerleaders” written on it, which turns out to be a gift for the singer. Well, if that’s anything to go by, this one surely is going to be very interesting.

One thing I must admit, Sunset Sons‘ fans are the nicest. I spend a lot of time this evening just talking to many strangers who simply share the love for the same band. But the time is up. Within seconds the lights go down and the cheers arise.

Sunset Sons take on to the stage and kick off with upbeat track Medicine, which seems to be exactly what we need in this cold windy weather. It doesn’t take long for the crowd to totally lose it. In the first moment they impressively sing back every word, in the next they are being told off by the security to stop moshing and then I even spot a poster saying “You Are My Medicine” being waved above our heads.

Tonight’s set is a beautiful display of the material taken from Sunset Sons‘ new album. As they move on to Tick Tock and She Wants, frontman Rory Williams laughs and shakes his head in disbelief as the crowd simply sings for him. The reception is vastly memorable for all members of the band who look a little bit overwhelmed at times.

The surfers/musicians smoothly deliver a captivating performance. Serving their compelling and chilled out blend of steering guitars, intensifying drums and alluring piano melodies they have created the sound world of their own. Euphonious sequences shape a wide space for the crowd to engage and once more, it feels like summer all over again.

There’s no doubt that unmistakable Williams’ vocals are one of the biggest assets of this band. Distinct tone adds a great dose of sharpness to the emotional journey we’ve been on.

The enticing Know My Name, catchy Come Easy and gripping Remember are just a few titles that land on tonight’s setlist and certainly they are designed, and destined, for bigger stages.

The band also showcases a new up-tempo track VROL which is stated as “fucking brilliant” by the singer himself. Nothing more to add about this one really.

As the last notes of the track Somewhere Maybe cease to echo throughout, the dark shadows cover the stage once again. Clearly, that’s not enough for the audience. The message “One More Song” is being sent away and the four-piece has no choice but to come back and spin more tunes.

Williams’ keys solo performance in the song I Can’t Wait open the encore bringing the ambient experience back in. “You are fucking the best!” he shouts and I couldn’t have come up with a better description.

Next, the rest of the band reappears on stage to play Lost Company which is dedicated to the entire family. And frankly speaking its sorrowful but somewhat uplifting theme perfectly fits into tonight’s mood because whatever happens “We’re all survivors / And survivors we remain”.

As this road is about to end shortly the band has one last song before they go. After a few shout outs to Sunset Sons‘ whole crew family and all gathered fans, Williams screams: “We’ve been Sunset Sons! Thank you!” and they hit the chords of the eminent track On The Road.

A brave, and luckily successful, attempt of the singer’s stage diving and crowd surfing shapes a grand finale as he’s being tossed above the audience. The accompaniment in the form of confetti cannons adds a spectacular factor to the entire set as the lyrics “I’m gonna be on the road / Honey, I ain’t coming home” resonate in the room, and continue to do so for a longer while after the band’s final disappearance.

Just as the writer Vera Nazarian has once said: “If Music is a Place — then Jazz is the City, Folk is the Wilderness, Rock is the Road, Classical is a Temple.”

The road may have been long and may have not always been easy but damn, it surely has been spectacular.

Photos: Kasia Osowiecka