The band yielding from the Blue Mountains of Australia was pleasantly surprised by the turn out of their only gig in Paris. “We weren’t sure anyone would show up,” said front man Alister Wright, with a somewhat nervous chuckle. Formed in 2007, Cloud Control has been collecting a lot of attention in their native country. And while the band has opened in the past for Vampire Weekend, Local Natives and Supergrass, the fact that their debut album Bliss Release came out only last year (2010) has kept their exposure localized – that and the fact that no one bothers to pay attention to anything going on in Australia.
Having recently moved back to Paris, my attendance at Cloud Control’s concert was the result of random venue browsing and minimal Myspace sampling. I had dragged a friend and wondered just how many others had come on a hunch like myself. There didn’t seem to be a general sense of anticipation in the crowd that filled but didn’t pack the small space; they seemed idle and content. As we made our way to the doors at the end of the concert however, it may as well have been with a completely new set of people.
Having recently moved back to Paris, my attendance at Cloud Control’s concert was the result of random venue browsing and minimal Myspace sampling. I had dragged a friend and wondered just how many others had come on a hunch like myself. There didn’t seem to be a general sense of anticipation in the crowd that filled but didn’t pack the small space; they seemed idle and content. As we made our way to the doors at the end of the concert however, it may as well have been with a completely new set of people.
With only four instruments (plus the occasional use of a transfixing tambourine) Cloud Control manages to create a sound that is powerfully enveloping. “Make my head a pool of water,” Wright and Heidi Lenffer (keyboard/vocals) sang in their opener “Meditation Song #2,” displaying the kind of harmonic abilities that distinguishes their sound. “Let out my emotions and my pain,” they continued once the guitars started blazing, pulsing hands began clapping, the tambourine trembling, and the audience was left feeling like we were following these four folks in front of us on some kind of pilgrimage through the rainforest. With lyrics like “soul is what I got/ I know it’s not much/ whatever it is its mine” (“This Is What I Said”) and “there’s nothing in the water we can’t fight” (“There’s Nothing in the Water”) Cloud Control delivered a whole-hearted dose of blissful idealism. But if Cloud Control’s lyrics verge on the light-hearted, the ecstatic vocal explosions (“Into the Line”), psychedelic synth solo (“Gold Canary”), and the tribal chant texture ("Ghost Story") in their music gives them the weight of revelation.
Generous with their time, Cloud Control played songs from their album, their EP, as well as a cover of “Pursuit of Happiness,” which, of course, everyone in the audience knew and were happy to sing along to. By the end of it, the crowd that walked out was a group of invigorated, loud, and lively people. Although Cloud Control is sticking to Europe for their first tour – most shows being in the UK – I doubt it will be long before these Aussies starts to resonate extensively in the indie rock world.
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