Having just come back from Munich, Stealing Sheep are continuing to tour their debut album, ‘Into The Diamond Sun’ in the UK. Tonight, however, down at the Green Door Store, the turnout is a slight disappointment. Not that it’s empty, it’s just we reckon this scouse three-piece are one of the best new bands of the year.
No matter, because Stealing Sheep put on an enthralling and psychedelic performance – but still with a touch of humility. We don’t remember the last time a band looked so happy to be playing, but that might have something to do with the dynamism of their songs and how they translate into a live sound. The power of ‘Tangled Up In Stars’ isn’t so apparent on the album and nor is the wonderfully ethereal atmosphere of the kaleidoscopic ‘Bear Tracks’. It would have been nice to hear the moody, ominous ‘Liven Up’, but not this time.
What’s surprising about Stealing Sheep is how complete they are: you have Lucy’s tribal drum work, compounded by her stomping feet; Emily’s delicately considered guitar lines; and Rebecca’s lovely textured synths. And whilst playing their respective parts they can also weave layers of harmonies. There really isn’t anything missing from this band and they’re even happy to twist tunes a little when playing live.
Their presence might appear understated at times but there are also flashes of brilliance. Whilst playing her ribbon-adorned tambourine on ‘Genevieve’, it was as Rebecca was trying to summon a spiritual deity. Listeners were also treated to some tracks that didn’t quite make the album. The penultimate tune, ‘Paper Moon’, certainly made up for the absence of ‘Liven Up’. It doesn’t quite fit in with their album track due to the haunting opening drones exploding into a dancey beat – just as you get your feet settled it drops back to eerie undertones.
And as an example of their experimental nature, they finish off with a delightfully pared-back version of ‘Shark Song’. It’s essentially an acoustic version with drums reigned in and no keyboards, which lets Rebecca do the vocals whilst sat on a speaker right at the front. We prefer it to the album version.
There’s no doubt that Stealing Sheep know how to write songs but it can sometimes be tricky for new bands to translate their efforts on to a live stage; the trio suffer no such problem. Rather appropriately, Rebecca talked about a dream she had in which her bed was stolen. Perhaps that’s what the band name is about: having your sleep or dreams stolen. The only thing that got stolen here were some hearts.
Green Door Store, Wednesday 5th December 2012
Words by Matthew Yau
Photos by Jon Southcoasting