The Red Paintings Explained

Origin:Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Past Members:
  • Trash McSweeney
  • Josh Engelking
  • Wayne Jennings
  • Ellen Stancombe
  • Amanda Holmes
  • Andy Davis
  • David Sue Yek

The Red Paintings were a collaborative art rock band originally formed in Geelong, Australia. The group was founded by Trash McSweeney, who provided lead vocals, guitar, sequencing and sampling. He was joined by various collaborators.[1]

The band was known for their themed performances incorporating elements of theatre and art, often self-described as "orchestral sci-fi art rock". Band members often dressed in elaborate costumes and employed stage props, theatrical elements, and visual projections during their shows. The band often invited members of the audience to paint during live performances.[2]

History

Formation and early releases

McSweeney formed the project in Geelong, and described how he got the idea for the band, "I experienced a seizure at a friend's house... I saw things that really affected me, actual visuals in my head."[3] McSweeney also claimed to have synaesthesia.[4]

The group was briefly based in Melbourne before relocating to Brisbane.[5] [6] McSweeney was later joined by Leigh Doolan on drums, Jasmine Ebeling on bass guitar, and Ellen Stancombe on violin, tin whistle, and vocals. This lineup released the EP Cinema Love on Asphalt Records.

The Red Paintings signed with the Brisbane-based label Modern Music, with distribution by Sony BMG, in early 2005.[7] The title track from the Walls EP entered Triple J's Net 50 chart at no. 3 and charted for fifteen weeks. That year, they toured China and Hong Kong.[8] Their next EP was Destroy the Robots, released in May 2006.[9] [10] It achieved some commercial success in Australia but with mixed reviews from music critics. The EP reached no. 86 on the ARIA singles chart.

In September 2006 the group supported an Australian tour by American band Dresden Dolls.[11] [12] Jade Pham of Rave Magazine described one of their shows: "art-rock weirdos the Red Paintings 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." The Red Paintings then supported Dresden Dolls again on an American tour.[13] [14] The tour was documented in the DVD Seizure & Synethesia, released in 2007.[15] Also in 2007, the Red Paintings released the EP Feed the Wolf .[16] [17]

After several EPs, the Red Paintings announced plans for a full-length album and requested fan donations, raising A$40,000.[18] [19] The band moved to Los Angeles in 2012,[20] and toured as the opening act on two tours by Mindless Self Indulgence.[21] In 2013 they supported a tour by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead[22] [23] [24] The full-length album The Revolution Is Never Coming was released in 2013.[25] [26] The album received mixed reviews, with Gert Bruins of Background Magazine calling it "... 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."[27]

The Red Paintings relocated to the United Kingdom in 2014 and served as the support act on a tour by Gary Numan.[28] In 2017 they released the single, "Deleted Romantic".[29]

Members

Discography

Albums

EPs

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2004 . Triple J Unearthed 2004 Queensland The Red Paintings . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040915101929/http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/unearthed/bands/7347.htm . 15 September 2004 . 13 April 2022 . . National Library of Australia.
  2. Web site: musicwire > cd-reviews > The Truth Is Out There: The Red Paintings by Elliott Bledsoe . Bledsoe, Elliot . vibewire.net . 10 August 2004 . . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080223050246/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/30336/20041122-0000/www.vibewire.net/articles54db.html . 23 February 2008 . 7 June 2022 .
  3. Web site: Six Pack . . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20030808193659/http://www.timeoff.com.au/archive/1134/sixpack/6.html . 9 August 2003 . 16 January 2023 .
  4. Web site: Jensen . Erik . 29 June 2007 . The Red Paintings . 18 January 2023 . The Sydney Morning Herald . https://web.archive.org/web/20220503234007/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/the-red-paintings-20070629-gdqhyj.html . 3 May 2022 . subscription .
  5. Web site: Established Artists – The Red Paintings Bio . Soulshine.com.au . 2006 . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20060820110339/http://www.soulshine.com.au/artist.php?artistID=281 . 20 August 2006 . 13 March 2022 .
  6. Web site: Releases :: Walls. Australian Music Online . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20071126223044/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/44131/20071122-0001/www.amo.org.au/release1374.html . 27 November 2007 . 13 July 2022 .
  7. New Signings #5; Modern Music Hang the Red Paintings . Eliezer . Christie . In Music & Media . 451 . 19 April 2005 . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20060221050532/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10761/20060218-0000/www.themusic.com.au/im_m/archive/2005/050419-451_eliezer.html . 21 February 2006 . 13 March 2022 .
  8. Web site: Brisbane – Reviews and interviews – The Red Paintings . Curley, Adam . Time Off. Our Brisbane . May 2005 . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050621191114/http://mybrisbane.com.au/whatson/gig/reviews/2005_05_18_4.htm . 22 June 2005 . 18 January 2023 . dead .
  9. Web site: 27 Nov 2007 - Australian Music Online :: Releases :: Destroy the Robots - Archived Website . 2023-01-13 . Trove .
  10. Wallace . Ian . 15 May 2006 . Week Commencing ~ 15th May 2006 ~ Issue #845 . The ARIA Report . Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) . 845 . 2, 4, 7, 18 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20060519140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20060520-0000/issue845.pdf . 19 May 2006 . 13 March 2022.
  11. Web site: The Dresden Dolls . news.com.au . 2006 . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20060825034410/http://guides.news.com.au/music/artist/?39415 . 25 August 2006 . 16 January 2023 .
  12. Web site: The Dresden Dolls / The Red Paintings / Jacob Diefenbach & Emma Dean With Zen Zen Zo / Jason Webley . Pham . Jade . Rave Magazine . 19 September 2006 . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080907234323/http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/1385/1/ . 8 September 2008 . 18 January 2023 .
  13. Web site: Dresden Dolls makes second Milwaukee appearance . Heather . Leszczewicz . On Milwaukee . 21 August 2006 . 18 January 2023 .
  14. Web site: The Dresden Dolls Concert & Tour History . Concert Archives . 18 January 2023 .
  15. Web site: Seizure & Synethesia - The Red Paintings World Tour (2007) . . 2007 . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20140216081400/https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/find-a-film/detail.aspx?tid=25546& . 16 February 2014 . 16 January 2023 .
  16. Web site: Feed the Wolf – Red Paintings, The . Iain . thedwarf.com.au . 23 July 2007 . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070914153109/http://www.thedwarf.com.au/nd/layout/set/print/albumreviews/feed_the_wolf_red_paintings_the . 14 September 2007 . 10 March 2022 .
  17. Web site: Tope . Belle . 29 May 2007 . The Red Paintings announce 'Animal Rebellion' Tour . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070913192125/http://thedwarf.com.au/nd/layout/set/print/news/national/the_red_paintings_announce_animal_rebellion_tour . 13 September 2007 . 14 March 2022 . TheDwarf.com.au . National Library of Australia.
  18. Wylie . Caird . 27 March 2008 . The Red Paintings . Forte Magazine . 424 . 2, 5, 7 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080719084605/http://www.fortemag.com.au/edit/publications/FORTEMAG_424_MARCH_27_2008.PDF . 19 July 2008 . 21 July 2022.
  19. News: Watt . Dan . 9 April 2008 . The Red Paintings . Beat Magazine . 1110 . dead . 14 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090805104359/http://www.beat.com.au/article.php?id=1281 . 5 August 2009.
  20. Web site: The Red Paintings . Savellis, Cass . Tone Deaf . 13 July 2022 . 11 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220629055414/https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/red-paintings/ . 29 June 2022 .
  21. Web site: Bands . Billboard the Venue . 8 April 2009 . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090912175219/http://www.billboardthevenue.com.au/BBTV/bands.asp?ID=132. 13 September 2009 . 13 July 2022 .
  22. Web site: 2013-11-11 . The Red Paintings announce new single 'You're Not One Of Them' . 2022-11-12 . Soundsphere magazine . en-US.
  23. Web site: 2013-04-24 . Mindless Self Indulgence with The Red Paintings . do312.com.
  24. Web site: 2015-08-11 . ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, The Red Paintings, The Leap Year @ Rosemount Hotel . 2022-11-12 . themusic.com.au . en.
  25. Web site: Keating . Justine . 5 June 2013 . The Red Paintings / The Revolution Is Never Coming . 2022-05-03 . themusic.com.au .
  26. Web site: 7 June 2017 . Internationally-acclaimed art rockers The Red Paintings head to Cumbria . 21 February 2023 . Times and Star . https://web.archive.org/web/20230221003858/https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/17021380.internationally-acclaimed-art-rockers-the-red-paintings-head-to-cumbria/ . 21 February 2023 .
  27. Web site: The Red Paintings - The Revolution Is Never Coming Review . Gert . Bruins . Background Magazine . 21 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161118040251/http://backgroundmagazine.nl/CDReviews/TheRedPaintingsTheRevolutionIsNeverComing.html . 18 November 2016 . live .
  28. Web site: Why Gary Numan Is the Godfather of the 90s . McRae, Rhys . Tone Deaf . 4 June 2014 . National Library of Australia . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20180723225610/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/152679/20180724-0716/tonedeaf.com.au/why-gary-numan-is-the-godfather-of-the-90s/index.html . 23 July 2018 . 21 June 2022 . dead .
  29. Web site: The Red Paintings – Broadcast, Glasgow – 21/06/17 . Alan . Gray . musicscramble.co.uk . 23 June 2017 . 2 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170913081940/http://www.musicscramble.co.uk/2017/06/23/red-paintings-broadcast-glasgow-live-review/ . 13 September 2017 .
  30. Web site: Wakers and Shakers: The Red Paintings Continued... . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20070907072206/http://attitude.themercury.news.com.au/editions/2007/27/pulse2.html . 7 September 2007 . 14 March 2022 . Attitude Pulse . National Library of Australia.
  31. News: Clare . August 2007 . DVD: Seizure & Synesthesia – Red Paintings, The . TheDwarf.com.au . dead . 14 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070913015405/http://www.thedwarf.com.au/nd/albumreviews/dvd_seizure_synesthesia_red_paintings_the . 13 September 2007.
  32. Web site: Potts . Gilbert . 23 May 2013 . The Revolution Is Never Coming . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201028032431/https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/revolution-coming/ . 28 October 2020 . 14 March 2022 . Tone Deaf.

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