The Dawn Collective

They say the end of the world is coming? I was recently asked what my greatest fear was and without blinking I said the end of the world. Death is a heavy subject but the step beyond that into the realm of post apocalyptic brings a shiver to my soul. Whatever your beliefs are: UFOs coming back to reclaim the pyramids, peak oil, climate change, divine retribution, the second coming, Armageddon, the rapture, the Mayan calendar, nuclear fallout, Lord Zishnu assuming his tenth carnation, zombie uprising, midget uprising, hobbit uprising…it’ll be a shame to see this all go.

They say the end of the world is coming? And I’m sure it will happen at the most inconvenient time. UFOs destroying humanity while you’re on the way to the airport to travel the world with the money you’ve been saving for years or Jesus returning while you’re having a shower. Alanis Morrisette would call it ironic. I wouldn’t. Also, think of the events that you’d miss out on. That concert you bought tickets for ain’t going to happen. That football team you love won’t get a chance to make it to the finals.

They say the end of the world is coming? And it’ll be a drag. It’s important to let you know a couple of years ago we did a residency at the Hopetoun Hotel. Every show was unique. Set lists beautifully manicured to build and show the different dynamics and personalities of The Dawn Collective. Sometimes subtle and beautiful and surreptitiously revealing a part of life that love offers; and then pounding love’s mistakes in a face melting heavy purging experience. There are two sides to every coin.

They say the end of the world is coming? I urge you to come along to The Dawn Collective’s new residency at the Hopetoun Hotels on Sundays in August (9th, 16th & 23rd). Apart from hearing some good live music it will also be the only chance to grab a preview disc of some new songs. We’ve been busy writing and recording in the studio and are excited to reveal a couple of new songs. At any of the three residencies come up to the merch desk and grab one. It’ll be the only place these songs are available (for a little while at least). I’m not a prophet but if the world was going to end in a few months time you probably shouldn’t miss out on The Dawn Collective at the Hopetoun in August.

Our Hopetoun gig last week got reviewed in Brag - in case you missed it here it is:

The Dawn Collective
Hopetoun Hotel, Surry Hills
Thursday July 31

Nothing reaffirms the reality of the Sydney music scene like a Thursday night show at the Hopetoun. It’s not all flash and pizzazz; sometimes it’s about solid songs played in a regular pub by regular people. And sometimes, the lights don’t even work.

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For some reason, I’ve never seen The Dawn Collective before. And judging by the half-full Hoey, their reputation hasn’t spread around the music-loving public of Sydney, either. Which is a shame, because as much as this sounds like a dross line from a press release, these guys really are one of this city’s best-kept secrets. Sick of the vacuous, hollow bands that pride style over substance? Check out The Dawn Collective. Their music is hard to pigeonhole: it’s got the austerity of The Frames but guitar aggressiveness encroaching on alternative-rock territory. Marry that with melancholic cello lines, and it’s a sound that beautifully and effortlessly traverses territory that other bands wouldn’t dare tread.

They’re releasing an album later in the year, and I hope that it won’t be passed over as a throwaway disc from a small-time independent act. There’s a depth and substance to the music of Dawn Collective that demands attention.

Dom Alessio

The Brag Issue 273 - August 4th 2008

It was always going to be a small rush getting to the show, but I wasn’t expecting it to take as long as it did. There was some sporting event (and to be consistent with my interest in sport, I have no idea what game it was) taking place not far away, which extended our trip by more than 25 minutes including the time it took me to find a stupid car park. I did eventually find a car park, and it was indeed stupid because I was in such a hurry at this point. I rushed inside, and with the aid of my girlfriend and house mate (who are both drummers), we souped up the drum kit, making it TDC friendly in a very timely fashion.

I looked out into the audience and noticed that there was a very good-sized crowd floating around, which was great to see given that it only coming up to 8:30. Showtime was getting nearer but there was a small issue with the drum fold back not working, and something with a guitar channel, but Sheila the mixer soon sorted it out, allowing us to start our set on time.

Tonight was the second night we ran our new adjusted set. It started with a bang as Greg opened the night with the uplifting intro of Blessed Beauty filling the stage (and hopefully the audience) with a wave of energy that was quadrupled when the rest of us came in. It felt really cool and helped me forget about the rushing earlier in the night, allowing me focus on playing a great show. The set continued in the same way it started, Andrew kept us intrigued with his ‘faith in humankind’ story, before gracefully going into Shadow Friend. I never tire of listening to Simeon’s outro of All Those Pigs & Enemies, and the darkness that is created by Stacey’s bass playing in The Art of Longevity is very driving. The whole set felt strong and tight (which is how it should be) all the way to our final song A Russian Trilogy. We had a great reaction from the crowd, which is always very rewarding.

Once I had packed away my things, I listened to Bird Automatic, they were very tight and controlled and had many great tunes. I got thinking about my car, and thought it would be a good idea to move it, so after Bird Automatic’s set, I headed out and discovered a parking fine. Damn. There was still nowhere to park, so I put on my hazards, loaded my gear and went home both happy for playing a good set, and unhappy due to my fine and missing Plastic Palace Alice.