Sunday 15th June, 2011 – Review by DAVID SAYERS

A line of eager fans snaked down the street outside Capitol on Sunday May 15, as they awaited the first Perth performance by ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI in over three years.

Opening band, SAN CISCO was dwarfed by the stage as twinkling keys and jangling guitars popped out of vintage amplifiers. In particular, drummer Scarlett Stevens was almost swallowed by her massive drum kit, which seemed to take up half of the group’s performance space.

There was a love for minimalistic arrangements as many of the sounds were gentle and unobtrusive, forever in support of the vocal melodies of singer/guitarists Jordi James and Josh Biondillo. At times this worked brilliantly, allowing the emotive content of the lyrics to shine through. However, there were no saving graces when the words didn’t hit home or were delivered without confidence. This was a situation the young band initially faced as they played to a receptive yet quiet crowd. Shyness had penetrated the room and it took until the middle of the set for things to loosen up, when a new track, nicknamed ‘French Toast’, was offered and its catchy chorus drove the audience to vigorous bopping and cries of delight. San Cisco came to life at this point, driving home with a blast of energized tunes that showcased the group’s talent for accessible folksy rock tunes. The band finished with a powerful rendition of ‘Golden Revolver’, which had all the fans singing along.

Architecture In Helsinki capitalized on the moment by launching the infectious ‘Hold Music’ in a set that mixed old favourites with tracks from their new release ‘Moment Bends’. There was an electric presence on stage, as vocalist/guitarist Cameron Bird commanded the microphone with an intensity that proved to be a welcome contrast to the band’s synth-pop style. The bearded guitarist Jamie Mildren hid in the shadows, lost in his own world, while keyboardist Gus Franklin bounced around like a rubber ball. The crowd was very responsive to the new songs, which included set highlight ‘Contact High’, and erupted when vocalist/keyboardist Kellie Sutherland climbed the drum rise for a sweet guitar solo. There were moments of synchronized dancing before the band broke out the incendiary ‘Heart It Goes’.

The stage was vacated for less than a minute before Architecture In Helsinki returned for an encore, which included a smooth cover of group, LONDONBEATs ‘I’ve Been Thinking About You’. Despite Bird initially missing his cue for the vocals, ‘Contact High’ was another standout performance and a strong finish to the set. The audience flocked out of Capitol with smiles on their faces, no doubt fully charged for the week ahead.