On Sunday when I headed to the Metro, all I had experienced of The Big Pink was the latest single "Dominos". From this I developed a very clear, preconcieved idea of what I could expect from this show; a uniform British indie band, with one catchy song and a lot of filler.

Thankfully, as soon as they stepped onto the stage, it was clear that my preconceptions meant bugger all. The four musicians that took to the stage all looked as if they could each be from a different band. We have Robbie Furze, the militant bovver boots wearing singer/guitarist, Milo Cordell, the '90s grunge hangover on the keys/synth/programming and supporting this duo is a handsome bass player rocking the suave indie look and a sparkly bra'd Japanese hottie on the drums. With this much visual diversity in one band, I sat up and paid attention.

The Big Pink are a ball of passion and energy on the stage. Furze leapt around the stage, jumping on the speakers and sharing the love with the rest of the band, tussling and rocking out with them... a little bromance was apparent. Beers are thrown over each other (by each other) through a lively start to the show, and the crowd were clearly warmed up. The pace was then taken down a notch to get to the heart of their music.  

I found myself totally spellbound by their sound, some tracks were reminiscent of The XX, yet each track stood out as its own listening experience. The set was beautiful, haunting, seductive, rock 'n' roll, and pop all in one. As this was their first ever Sydney show, they treated us to a rare live rendition of title track "A Brief History of Love", which was just stunning. My goosebumps made an appearance at the party when they broke into a cover of Otis Reddings' "These Arms of Mine" - I think the fact that Furze has arguably the most amazing arms in the world contributed to the overall experience of this song, even the guy standing next to me with his girlfriend couldn't stop gushing about them.

The set ended, of course, with the single "Dominos", and having experienced the rest that The Big Pink had to offer, I saw this song in a new light... the small but loyal crowd gave out as much energy as the band had graced us with and rocked out to the end of what was, put simply, a fucking brilliant gig.  What an unexpected treat!

FULL SETLIST:
Too Young To Love
At War With The Sun
Velvet
Frisk
Crystal Visions
Count Backwards From Ten
A Brief History of Love
Tonight
These Arms of Mine
Dominos