The Frowning Clouds from Geelong-Melbourne arrive for their first tour of Europe bringing with them some lovely 60s garage beat sounds, a wealth of experience and some great haircuts. The above photo might not be the best and in focus shot of any band ever but they certainly look like they just fell out of a 60s pop music magazine and look like they’ve spent the last two hours jumping through bushes and running down back alleys in order to evade the screaming hordes of teenage girls pursuing them with a bloodlust even The Beatles never encountered. Then again they never wore sexy furry boots like the dude second from left in the photo…
As was written of their recent album, Listen Closlier:
retro bands are a dime a dozen, and the Frowning Clouds succeed because they’ve penetrated the heart of a classic era of playing and songwriting. These aren’t posturing rave-ups or candy-coloured larks but melancholy musings on adolescent frustration that never feel overwrought.
It makes sense, given the recurring tug of sadness, that the majority of these songs were penned in the winter. Yet the album manages to end on a romantic note. “Everything was black,” goes the closing number, “when in the darkness I saw you.”
Ah, shucks, I think I’ll go after all, I’m a sucker for nostalgia, especially when it sounds as good as these guys do.
Here’s what they do live, enjoy it:
