A misguided if well-intentioned young man once implored us to “Put your hands up for Detroit”. It would have been wise for that fellow to have rather beckoned us to put our hands up for psychedelic rock. Psychedelica is in like never before (well perhaps except the 1960s), with bands like Tame Impala becoming household names all over the globe, from Wollongong to Rwanda. Parades have been held in support of the genre worldwide, the wide-eyed colourful buzz hallmark of the genre manifesting itself in an iconic rainbow flag waved enthusiastically by thousands. Countries like Persia and Turkey have gone crazy for intricate carpety rugs, and Indians have taken up the sitar in droves.
Psychedelia’s revival is in full swing, and My Life in Pieces from The Demon Parade is owning it. Coaxing vocals and fuzzy guitars, what more do you need?
Unlike the man before, we know what the public wants. So do The Demon Parade, who having spent their early career penning nightclub dance tunes discussing post-industrial American cities, have now turned their attentions towards cooking the good shit. My Life in Pieces is the rather sombre name of this banger, that betwixt its penchant for fuzz and rock, will turn the greyest of shirts into the brightest of tie dyes. Simple and thus incredibly sexy, frontman Michael Badger coaxes lullabies from the most accommodating Adam’s apple you’ll ever hear from.
Smooth is quite rightly the name of the game here. The Demon Parade bely their name and are actually quite velvety and heavenly in gliding over every buzzing fuzz and distorted concoction emanating from the amps. It’s like the guitars are nagging the rest of the band to not be absolutely chillaxed and easy with whatevs, but the Badge and everyone else is saying “Yo man, quit it” as if they’re the musical equivalent of that show about the pot smoking dog and his owner’s boyfriend.
The Demon Parade have a new EP coming out soon, Stone Circles, which is bound to hit the shelves on Friday 7 August. If you are one with the earth and life and you want to hear more of this rollicking sophisticated Melburnian psychedelic rock, The Demon Parade are doing a pub crawl around Australia, in support of Stone Circles. Leety deets and dinky links are as follows:
Thursday 13 August – Unibar Lismore, Lismore NSW
Friday 14 August – Quiksilver Boardriders, Coolangatta
Friday 14 August – The Northern, Byron Bay
Saturday 15 August – Trainspotters, Brisbane
Friday 21 August – Old Manly Boatshed, Manly
Saturday 22 August – The Standard Bowl, Sydney
Sunday 23 August – Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney
Friday 28 August – Yah Yah’s, Melbourne
