Pigeon

ALHAMBRA LOUNGE - 21 April, 2012

There’s a considerable wait before the bands start here at Alhambra. When they finally come, the vocals from openers Chinatown Carpark are hard to hear over everything else. Their thick, typically indie sounds – stuttered riffs, calypso sensibilities – are delineated by some great, lolling bass work, and the band’s considerable knack for layering their twinkling melodic refrains. The lead guitarist is very active - always climbing, talking - and as a whole, the band have a gorgeous tone. It aches, but in the happiest way – the way nostalgia kindly hurts. Favourite propels itself with a wild, giddy stagger, gaining speed, and debris; it’s a great, rolling Katamari of a track. As things draw to a close, their amorphous set takes a decidedly more post-rock leaning with Regret – soars of shrilling guitars start small before thoroughly swallowing the memory of everything else.

After a short wait, there’s a clambering on the stage. The light catches on a Christmas beanie, then there’s a flash of sax, and what looks like a trumpet. The figures disappear, and the floor is shaken by a grinding dance number from the house speakers. Then, somehow, before we’re even aware of it, the stage is again full, and the floor is a mess of moshing and pulsing – people rocking wildly back and forth. Before their similarities to Justice eclipse that first impression of Pigeon completely, the air is broken by the bleeding heart of a saxophone, shrill and unchained, leaving the crowd a little airless in their shock. This one-two punch of entrance and volume becomes the booming Smart Casual Calvary. It’s followed by a new song, which sounds joyously like Skrillex gone Gary Numan.

The gorgeous, proud strains of a trumpet open a track that’s notable for its more organic approach to dubstep. Apex doesn’t sound like machinery, or the dying moans of old buildings: it sounds like life, and dancing. To the lazy ear, Pigeon appear very cluttered, excessive and overstuffed: everything accented with a bold, primary-colour garishness, but in that noise, there are very clear flashes of ingenuity, and an undeniable sense of fun. The wobbling synths below the siren-like screeches of brass are together so stark, and insistent, they’re almost, by force alone, a revelation.

Written by Sam Hobson - TheMusic.com.au

They can fill you with wonder and excitement, leaving you with a giddy grin and looking around at your fellow human beings hoping they're feeling the same way. And Sunday morning at Splendour is a great time to be surprised.

I sauntered up to a dusty mix up tent just after 11 to catch a little known band from Brisney-land called Pigeon. I'd randomly stumbled across these guys on triple j unearthed 6 or so months ago and was taken by their subtle groove and prolific use of saxophone. The two tracks they had on there didn't adequately prepare me for what i was about to experience.

Not only was the sax in full flight, Pigeon also had enlisted the help of a trumpet and a trombone along with their 5 or so synths to get my shoulders a-swayin' and a smile beginning to break my early morning lips. Then, out of nowhere i found myself raving completely by myself as the beat "dropped" and a fully fledged dubstep band somehow hatched from Pigeon's egg.

Just as i was getting used to this heaving glitch band, the band's drummer emerged from behind his laptop and drum kit and began rapping. Rapping! After his retreat, we were back with some saxophone groove, this time covering Just Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins if you don't mind. Then during the very same song, we had a dubstep breakdown which transformed into this phenomenon of a couple of years ago.
Anyway, I can now be considered a big fan after witnessing this great up and coming Australian band, and it's another example of what one can discover when walking around one of our country's many great festivals.
Oh, and later on in the day, i was approached by a couple of very nice girls who asked for a photo with me, so i did, but then when i was saying goodbye to them my friend said another girl had snuck up behind me and held up a sign above my head which read "I have a small penis" with a speech bubble pointing to me. They awkwardly apologised and i acted nonchalant but felt awkward and then they left and i stood there weirdly. - triple j

Pigeon
Why? Adding brass instruments to electro rock - an otherwise overdone genre in Australia - is a genius idea. Period. Their live show is fantastic, and their popularity has grown slowly over 2011 as they've played just about every festival they could get their hands on (Splendour, Festival of the Sun, Parklife, Fat as Butter and many more...). In 2012 they're going to be bringing out a remix EP for Parallels, another release and embarking on a lot of national touring... in their own words, they'll be "spreading the Pigeon love". We have a feeling that love will be contagious. - AU Review

Woodland - Fri Dec 16
Tonight’s opening act Tourism warm up an expectant crowd with a series of guitar pop songs that hint at just a touch of psychedelic influence. Their set features a selection of songs from their amusingly, confusingly titled This Is Not Our EP. Second act Tin Can Radio have a well-established reputation as one of the best live acts in Brisbane, and tonight’s performance only serves to cement that. Interweaving dance synths with indie rock rhythms and a head-spinning array of time signature and instrument changes, TCR have the crowd dancing the crazy monkey, the funky chicken, the exultant gorilla and plenty of other dances that don’t actually exist. The band play a selection of songs from their debut album Chase The Sun, Hold The Night including perennial favourite Hot Trash. The euphoric Skeletons closes out a brilliant set before the band depart the stage to a round of ecstatic applause. Tonight’s headliners Pigeon certainly deliver on stage design in regards to tonight’s Neon Xmas Party event title. Their impressive arsenal of synths, brass and guitars are all clad in various glowing adornments ranging from glow sticks to neon lights. Pigeon’s bizarrely effective blend of eurotechno beats, vocoder, indie rock sensibilities and brass instruments is the kind of music that just shouldn’t work and yet inexplicably manages to be both captivating and incredibly danceable. The crowd moves from head nodding to all out raving and back again within the space of a few bars during songs like Ultimatum and Apex, and the sing-along vocals on Smart Casual Cavalry seem to make the band even happier than the punters. Pigeon even manage to squeeze in a revved up take on Jingle Bells before unleashing their synth-flooded version of Phil Collins hit Just Another Day In Paradise. Tonight’s show is Xmas the way it should be done: saxophones, trombones, synthesizers, sing-alongs and a psychedelic galaxy of brightly flashing lights.
JOSH DONELLA - RAVE Magazine

There were some true gems during the early afternoon, that weren’t fully appreciated by the audiences, who mostly came towards the evening. Pigeon from Brisbane, blew the minds of the 10 or so people who watched, as they powered through almost every genre known to man, mashing Latin with trance and rock with reggae. Their energy and stage presence should’ve been enough to excite even the most timid of punter, but the audience’s size was rather inevitable at a 12:00 start. - Faster Louder

PIGEON – Parallels

MONDAY, 29 AUGUST 2011
(Independent)

Dance with sax
Hailing from Brisbane, Splendour wasn’t a big trip in terms of distance, but the success of Pigeon’s recent set at the festival shows just how big the spacey electro pop group are starting to get. Their EP, Parallels, demonstrates their eclectic collection of tastes – from the Aussie hip hop and dubstep drops in Lucy, to the extremely European sounding Ultimatum, which has a hint of symphonic metal band Nightwish in the mix. You’ll find some early ‘90s dance music introducing Art Vs Science-ish vocals in Cataclysm, which then totally changes into … big band jazz? Ok, why not. Just to top off the album, Pigeon has a novelty sound rarely heard in dance music … Kenny G style sax soaring throughout the album. While it seems odd in some songs, it definitely adds to others – like the opening track Smart Casual Cavalry. With some Triple J airtime already, this combination of Architecture In Helsinki and Ou Est Le Swimming Pool is the catchiest track on the album and a good choice of opener.
MARK BLACKMAN - Rave Magazine - MARK BLACKMAN

X&Y - Sat Aug 20
There’s a buzz about X&Y tonight and just after 8pm the place is already starting to fill up. Kicking off the evening is electro rock trio Chairman Meow, whose choruses are as catchy as their band name. The Slow Push channels the post-punk rhythmic elements of Joy Division and with an energetic stage presence immediately demand attention. The longer their set goes on, the more people The Slow Push draw into the band space.
After playing this year’s Splendour In The Grass, Brisbane’s Pigeon are starting to get some attention. The crowd is stretching halfway up the bar by the time their set begins, and it demonstrates that Pigeon need to head to a bigger venue; but the cramped conditions lend their performance a party-like atmosphere.
Their performance is a pastiche of styles: dubstep, electro-rock, Aussie hip hop and European folk melodies are wrapped up by a three-piece horn section that gives the band a certain X factor, driving the packed crowd wild.It still might be early days, but Pigeon already have the material and performance skills that a headliner should possess. This is a band definitely on the rise.
LINDSEY CUTHBERTSON
- Rave Magazine - LINDSEY CUTHBERTSON

EDGE OF COLOUR / HUNZ / THE VIDEOMATICS / PIGEON - HI FI BAR - 08/04/11

I wasn’t really sure what to make of this night. While I was contemplating the painted lady in the corner, the single malt in my hand, and the electric anticipation, the unmistakable sound of a guitar being picked up from the stage snapped me out of my thoughts and the show began.

The curtains pulled back to reveal 5 guys surrounded by keyboards, laptops, guitars, saxophones, drums, and didgeridoos, all outlined in an orgy of fluorescent tape. This of course was Pigeon. If you pardon the pun, I found out very quickly that one cannot simply just pigeon hole these guys. They effortlessly bounce from electro to reggae, gypsy to dubstep, jazz to rock, and well, you get the idea. Amazing. Looking behind me, I found people were gravitating to the front, which was a shock to me because I had somehow also gravitated there. These guys love what they do, it shows, and the audience was feeding off of it. There were women head banging in evening dresses, and I too couldn’t help getting down and dirty to the Pigeon dubstep bass wobble. It seemed everyone (band included) couldn’t wipe the smile that planted itself firmly on our faces. These guys are a must see. Truly.

Following was The Videomatics. By this time, more people had entered the venue and proceeded to fill the space. The Videomatics looked the part, and they were tight, but admittedly they had a tough act to follow in Pigeon. If you are into your European indie rock, then you’ll probably find a friend in The Videomatics. Listening to their recorded material uncovers that they have some good songs, but the live show is a bit of a lackluster performance that lacked any real energy.

Hunz was up next. They (he?) were determined to get into their set. Unfortunately it seemed that with the exception of the handful of mosh-side spectators, they were the only ones. This was a shame because they had some good stuff on offer in the form of dark electronica infused with rock sensibilities. I got the impression that these guys are a band that you need to invest some time in acquainting yourself with prior to watching them live, as their style can lend itself to dark background music.

To say that Edge of Colour was channeling the spirit of Lady Gaga is an understatement, but who is to say that is a bad thing? Edge of Colour treated this show as a stadium performance complete with costume changes, dancers, video DJ and backup singers. The vision and ambition for the show is admirable, and their fans showed their appreciation by twirling their oversized glow sticks and raving to the incessant beat. I don’t use the word incessant lightly, as I found the constant beat became too much for my ears. If you’re into non-stop electro and don’t mind the odd glow stick twirl here and there, then this could be your thing.

Overall, there was a lot of variety on show tonight. However, you really can’t go past Pigeon as the band of the night. Their grooves were captivating and their energy was contagious. They are determined to bring back the age of the sexy sax solo, and you definitely want to be there for that one.

Marwan Butrous

Photo by Vicki Winter - Press Record Online - Marwan Butrous