"Summer is ready when you are"...
& that pretty much sums up The Breeders, one of the ultimate summer bands. For the uninitiated their album Last Splash, featuring the hit single 'Cannonball' would be a great starting point. They played the Adelaide Big Day out around the same time of Last Splash, twin sisters Kim & Kelly Deal stealing the spotlight, both playing with huge smiles that made you feel like this was the best gig they'd ever played. I remember feeling like I could be crushed at any moment by the crowd which surged forward and swayed on the brink of panic. It wasn't until the next year that an artist friend Stickman (no you won't find him on fb or any other digital media) lent me their earlier album 'Pod', a more obscure record with an evolving line up including Tanya Donelly (Belly & Throwing Muses). I'm sure many of these songs were played at the BDO show? The drums and bass are solid and up front, with the perfect balance of clean against overdriven guitars, plus just the right amount of teenage angst vocals mixed in with spacious melodies... the standout track for me is 'Opened'... for some reason I always picture a young witch taking to the skies on her broom and flying low over the highways Wizard of Oz style as Kim Deal hits the Chorus
"Robin flies again, Robin flies again"...
