SUNSET SONS are a three-pieced British/Australian band who, earlier this month released their second album: ‘Blood Rush Déjà Vu’. Having previously supported Imagine Dragons and Nothing But Thieves, Sunset Sons have just started a UK wide headline tour before looking to take over Europe. We caught them on their first sold out show at Bristol’s classic venue ‘Thekla’.  

Opening the show was a band called Natural Mystery Museum. The trio from London have been making a real mark on the alt-rock scene and tearing things up as they progress their way up the ladder. They played an amazing set which really gripped all in attendance.

You could see the passion on the faces of all the members as they performed songs from their latest EP, ‘Volume 0’, which was mixed by Caesar Edmunds who has previously worked with acts such as Foals and Queens of the Stone Age. Just from listening to the few songs that made up their minimal setlist, you can tell that they have potential to be an amazing band in the very near future. 

Sunset Sons took to the stage with ‘Purple Rain’ by Prince blaring out of the PA system, naturally, the crowd erupted in excitement. Sunset Sons’ sound is reminiscent of late 2000s indie rock with the lead singer, Rory Williams sounding uncannily similar to Caleb Followill of Kings of Leon, this may come as no surprise as the bands share the same producer. Throughout the performance, it felt as though something was missing. There was barely any interaction between the band members on stage, something that is always refreshing to see. The only time I did see this was after they played “I Can’t Wait’ which saw Williams choking up and not being able to continue singing, meaning that the vocal duties were left to the crowd to wrap up the song. It was great to hear the crowd cheer him on, on what was clear to see, a very difficult song for him to sing. 

The band made up for their lack of stage presence by interacting with the crowd throughout the show. They handed out a video recorder to the audience explaining they want to make a tour video and the Thekla was the perfect venue for this to happen, It’ll be interesting to watch the video once the tour has reached its conclusion. At one point during the show, Williams climbed into the crowd and positioned himself at the back of the room where he proceeded to belt out one of his songs, this was a very exciting moment for die-hard fans of the band as it gave them a more personal, intimate experience.

The highlight of the show for me (and no doubt others) was their track ‘Superhero’, there was no doubt that this is their most popular song as, midway through, the crowd were almost as loud as the lead singer. This was a great moment of unity between the band and their fans with everyone coming together and being as one, which was truly amazing. One thing’s for sure, Sunset Sons are definitely very loved by their fans.

Words and Pictures by Meg Barnett