The Leed Fiends – Spectrum 28th September 2008

The Leed Fiends have come a very long way in a year. The Sydney-based rock band has changed drummers, tweaked its sound and revamped its image. The Fiends’ now look and sound like a band worth a cover charge. Instead of following the herds of musicians wearing tight jeans and chanting melodies, Leed Fiends play music. And it’s damn good.

The trio headlined Spectrum on Sunday 28th September with a dynamic and entertaining set. The opening song Riverside screams “first single.” “She’s got a gun in her hand and her finger on the trigger” sings intriguing lead vocalist and guitarist Pete Covington. The band showed off a set full of well rehearsed and written songs. ‘All Alone’ is about a soldier left behind in battle, ‘Live Inside You’, a well crafted song with sweet backing vocals by bassist Rob Jardine.

Drummer, Sam Gaunt, the newest member of The Fiends, loosens up and looks up more with each song. He gives the rhythm section a steady and solid wall to lean on with his hard hits and creative beats. However, with fewer snare rolls the skill would impress the audience and give crescendos variety.

The rest of the set shows off Covington’s guitar playing, reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix and John Frusciante. It must be said that this guy is worth listening to and worth watching. His body twists and bends in solos and his guitar becomes another limb as he moves across the stage. His voice sits somewhere between Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins and funnily enough the meter of Sinatra. “I always listen to The Chili Peppers, Hendrix, Smashing Pumpkins but at the moment a lot of r ‘n’ b and funk from the 70s. Also Coltrane and Miles Davis,” Covington says. Hardly a narrow focus or set of influences, which is reflected in their sound.

Mid-set, the rock trio let us inside what feels like a moment in their rehearsal room when they fall into a jam in a loud and in your face song called ‘Balloons’.

The guitar squeals and feeds back at the end of songs but the tunes aren’t typically heavy rock. They sit between rock, pop and grunge.

‘What’s Your Life Worth’, is a stand out as it begins with a Mayer style pop riff but moves into more of a rock feel in the chorus.

As they announce their last song and begin the crowd favourite ‘Casting Off’, the small but attentive audience cheers. “Casting off is about coming to a realization about something. It’s an image of someone escaping their surroundings to share their thoughts with someone else,” says Covington.

The boys are writing, rehearsing for gigs and plan to record their second ep in December. Until then you can download The Leed Fiends’ current tracks FREE from http://www.myspace.com/leedfiends

The band play The Bald Faced Stag on Friday 17th October 8pm and Sonar on November 1st.

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