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The Red Paintings

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The Red Paintings
OriginGeelong, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Labels
Past members
  • Trash McSweeney
  • Josh Engelking
  • Wayne Jennings
  • Ellen Stancombe
  • Amanda Holmes
  • Andy Davis
  • David Sue Yek

The Red Paintings are a collaborative art rock band originally formed in Geelong, Australia. Founding mainstay, Trash McSweeney provides lead vocals, guitar, sequencing and sampling. He has been joined by various musicians.

The band is known for their themed performances incorporating elements of theatre and art, often self-described as "orchestral sci-fi art rock". Band members often dress in elaborate costumes and employ stage props, theatrical elements, and visual projections to support their shows. The band often invites members of the audience to paint during their live music set.

History

Formation and early releases

The Red Paintings were formed in Geelong in by founding mainstay Trash McSweeney on lead vocals, guitar, sequencing and sampling.[1][2] McSweeney later described how he got the idea for the band, "four years ago... I experienced a seizure at a friend's house... I saw things that really affected me, actual visuals in my head."[3] The group were briefly based in Melbourne before relocating to Brisbane.[4][5] By August 2004 McSweeney was in Brisbane and was joined in the Red Paintings by Leigh Doolan on drums, Jasmine Ebeling on bass guitar and Ellen Stancombe on violin, tin whistle and vocals.[1][2] This line-up released an EP, Cinema Love via Asphalt Records.[2]

The band's leader was Trash McSweeney as of May 2006.[6] McSweeney says that he formed the band after having a seizure in a supermarket, which caused him to "see music as colour" (synaesthesia).[7]

Walls, Destroy the Robots and Feed the Wolf

The Red Paintings were signed to Brisbane-based label, Modern Music with distribution by Sony BMG in early 2005.[8] Title track "Walls" of the seven-track Walls EP (May 2005) entered Triple J's Net 50 chart at No. 3 and charted for fifteen weeks.[4][8] Early in 2005 they toured China and Hong Kong but dropped the use of geisha and china doll costumes, cellist Wayne Jennings explained, "we were afraid it might be regarded as culturally insensitive."[9] The next EP was Destroy the Robots (May 2006), via Modern Music/Sony BMG.[10][11] It achieved some commercial success in Australia and received mixed reaction by music critics. The EP made its debut at No. 86 on the ARIA singles chart – their first charting release.[11]

During September 2006 the group supported a national tour by United States visitors Dresden Dolls.[12][13] Jade Pham of Rave Magazine described their Brisbane show, "art-rock weirdos the [band] seem comparatively normal in this line-up; dressed in warped Geisha style while two painters either side of stage use people as canvas, and frontman [McSweeney] shoots the crowd with toy laser guns."[13] They followed by supporting the same group in the US in September-October.[14][15] The tour was documented in the DVD, Seizure & Synethesia (2007), which was written, directed and produced by McSweeney with Clint Lewis and Damien Pascoe.[16][17]

The Red Paintings released Feed the Wolf EP in June 2007. It was recorded by the line-up of McSweeney on vocals, guitar, sequencing and samples; Stancombe on violin, tin whistle and vocals; Jennings on cello and vocals; Holmes on bass guitar; and Davis on drums.[18][19] The band undertook their Animal Rebellion Tour to promote the EP.[20]

The Revolution Is Never Coming

The band requested fan donations after announcing plans for recording the debut album. A$40,000 was successfully raised towards their independent LP.[21][22] They issued a single from the album, "We Belong in the Sea" (March 2008).[21]

Red Paintings moved to Los Angeles.[23] They were announced as the support act for Mindless Self Indulgence.[24] Following these shows, Mindless Self Indulgence invited the Red Paintings to tour as the main support for their theatre tour across the UK and Europe in November and December 2013. Soon afterwards, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead announced TRP as the opener for their North American tour in July 2013.[25][26][27]

In 2013, the band released their 13-track debut studio album, The Revolution Is Never Coming, which was described as "futuristic rock".[28][29] Whereas Gert Bruins of Background Magazine felt "[it's] much too ambitious. Some moments are difficult to stomach. It's only when they pull on the breaks sometimes, that the band's musicality becomes clear."[30] At the 2013 Queensland Music Awards, they entered "You're not One of Them" for the Video category.[31][32] The Red Paintings relocated to the United Kingdom serving as support act to Gary Numan, in June 2014.[33] In 2017, the Red Paintings became an international band, based across London and Los Angeles.[29] As of June 2017 they released a single, "Deleted Romantic", and undertook a European tour including England, Russia and Iceland.[29] Alan Gray of MusicScramble caught their performance in that month at Glasgow's Broadcast nightclub.[34]

Members

  • Trash McSweeney – lead vocals, guitar, sequencing, sampling
  • Josh Engelking – percussion
  • Wayne Jennings – cello
  • Ellen Stancombe – violin
  • Amanda Holmes – bass guitar[18]
  • Andy Davis – drums[18]
  • David Sue Yek – cello[35]
  • Leigh Doolan – drums[1]

Discography

Albums

  • Seizure & Synesthesia (video album, 2007) – Independent/Vitamin Records[17]
  • The Revolution Is Never Coming (2013)[36]

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with selected details and chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
[37][11]
Destroy the Robots
  • Released: 8 May 2006
  • Label: Sony BMG (SBM MM0033)
 86
Feed the Wolf
  • Released: 11 June 2007
  • Label: Vitamin Records
 —

References

  1. ^ a b c "Triple J Unearthed 2004 | Queensland | The Red Paintings". Triple J Unearthed. 2004. Archived from the original on 15 September 2004. Retrieved 13 April 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ a b c Bledsoe, Elliot (10 August 2004). "musicwire > cd-reviews > The Truth Is Out There: The Red Paintings by Elliott Bledsoe". vibewire.net. Archived from the original on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Six Pack". Time Off. Archived from the original on 9 August 2003. Retrieved 16 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b "Established Artists – The Red Paintings Bio". Soulshine.com.au. 2006. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "Releases :: Walls". Australian Music Online. Archived from the original on 27 November 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ Pompor, Paris (30 May 2006). "The Red Paintings". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  7. ^ Jensen, Erik (29 June 2007). "The Red Paintings". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  8. ^ a b Eliezer, Christie (19 April 2005). "New Signings #5; Modern Music Hang the Red Paintings". In Music & Media (451). Archived from the original on 21 February 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ Curley, Adam (May 2005). "Brisbane – Reviews and interviews – The Red Paintings". Time Off. Our Brisbane. Archived from the original on 22 June 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "27 Nov 2007 - Australian Music Online :: Releases :: Destroy the Robots - Archived Website". Trove. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Wallace, Ian (15 May 2006). "Week Commencing ~ 15th May 2006 ~ Issue #845" (PDF). The ARIA Report (845). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA): 2, 4, 7, 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  12. ^ "The Dresden Dolls". news.com.au. 2006. Archived from the original on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 16 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ a b Pham, Jade (19 September 2006). "The Dresden Dolls / The Red Paintings / Jacob Diefenbach & Emma Dean With Zen Zen Zo / Jason Webley". Rave Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ Leszczewicz, Heather (21 August 2006). "Dresden Dolls makes second Milwaukee appearance". On Milwaukee. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  15. ^ "The Dresden Dolls Concert & Tour History". Concert Archives. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  16. ^ "Seizure & Synethesia - The Red Paintings World Tour (2007)". Screen Australia. 2007. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ a b Clare (August 2007). "DVD: Seizure & Synesthesia – Red Paintings, The". TheDwarf.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 September 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Red paintings (Musical group) (2008), Feed the Wolf, Robot Records: Vitamin Records [distributor], retrieved 10 March 2022
  19. ^ Iain (23 July 2007). "Feed the Wolf – Red Paintings, The". thedwarf.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ Tope, Belle (29 May 2007). "The Red Paintings announce 'Animal Rebellion' Tour". TheDwarf.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 September 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ a b Wylie, Caird (27 March 2008). "The Red Paintings" (PDF). Forte Magazine (424): 2, 5, 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  22. ^ Watt, Dan (9 April 2008). "The Red Paintings". Beat Magazine. No. 1110. Archived from the original on 5 August 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  23. ^ Savellis, Cass (11 September 2012). "The Red Paintings". Tone Deaf. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  24. ^ "Bands". Billboard the Venue. 8 April 2009. Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  25. ^ "The Red Paintings announce new single 'You're Not One Of Them'". Soundsphere magazine. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  26. ^ "Mindless Self Indulgence with The Red Paintings". do312.com. 24 April 2013.
  27. ^ "...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, The Red Paintings, The Leap Year @ Rosemount Hotel". themusic.com.au. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  28. ^ Keating, Justine (5 June 2013). "The Red Paintings / The Revolution Is Never Coming". themusic.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  29. ^ a b c "Internationally-acclaimed art rockers The Red Paintings head to Cumbria". Times and Star. 7 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  30. ^ Bruins, Gert. "The Red Paintings - The Revolution Is Never Coming Review". Background Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  31. ^ Kanoniuk, Lachlan (17 April 2013). "The Red Paintings : You're Not One Of Them". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  32. ^ "APRA AMCOS Song Catalogue search". APRA AMCOS. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  33. ^ McRae, Rhys (4 June 2014). "Why Gary Numan Is the Godfather of the 90s". Tone Deaf. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  34. ^ Gray, Alan (23 June 2017). "The Red Paintings – Broadcast, Glasgow – 21/06/17". musicscramble.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  35. ^ "Wakers and Shakers: The Red Paintings Continued..." Attitude Pulse. Archived from the original on 7 September 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  36. ^ Potts, Gilbert (23 May 2013). "The Revolution Is Never Coming". Tone Deaf. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  37. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 231.
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