Big acts celebrate end of era as Spunk Records pulls the plug on 25 years of music

After 25 years of spreading music, Spunk Records founder Aaron Curnow has hung up his earphones with a big tribute concert.

Explosions In The Sky appearing at the Opera House on the opening night of Vivid. Picture: Jordan Munns

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Way back in the last millennium four guys from Austin Texas formed a band called Breaker Morant. That same year, 1999, Aaron Curnow from Wollongong founded the Spunk record label which would give a voice to independent bands and open up a new world to the CD buying public.

The Texan quartet of Munaf Rayani, Michael James, Mark Smith and drummer Christopher Hrasky wisely changed their band name and as Explosions In The Sky they have been bringing their brand of multiple guitar-driven symphonic rock to a big fan base through eight studio albums and several film soundtracks.

Along with Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire and Prince Billy (Will Oldham) they joined Spunk to become one of its most successful marquee acts.

Now Curnow has called it a day and is winding up Spunk after releasing an amazing 700 albums. He and the band jointly celebrated their 25th anniversaries on the opening night of Vivid with a reunion gig in Sydney Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre joined by other Spunk favourites, Kiwi singer-songwriter Aldous Harding and Townsville psychedelic collective The Middle East, making one of their much-anticipated comeback appearances since officially disbanding 13 years ago after their second album, I Want That You Are Always Happy.

Explosions, augmented by regular live guest Carlos Torres swapping between bass, guitar and keyboards, performed their best-loved 2003 album The Earth Is Not A Dead Cold Place in its entirety in a 90-minute set which generated so much smoke haze that it leaked out the auditorium and into the Opera House foyer.

The fog and lighting – brilliant orange, switching to moody blue – gives the live performance a cinematic effect, along with the constantly moving choreography of Rayani and James swaying and lurching in sequence, their guitars strapped low, occasionally kneeling to set off a loop pedal. Smith meanwhile alternates between playing high stabbing notes on guitar and crouching to add synth and pedal effects.

James, sometimes swapping to bass guitar, starts a simple chord sequence which builds and overlaps until Hrasky, wearing earphones, kicks in with some thunderous drumming – marching snares, pounding floor toms and cymbal crescendos – to bring each song to an ecstatic climax.

The Middle East opened the Spunk Records 25 Finale show. Picture: Jordan Munns

The Middle East opened the evening. I have to say I have never been a fan, and this 45-minute set did nothing to change my mind. Sound and balance were mushy and vocals were often drowned out by the multiple guitars and keyboards, the bass was too quiet and the pedal steel barely cut through.

The onstage chemistry was not good either – the band has not been a happy bunch for a long time and it shows. At times each undoubtedly talented musician seemed content to just do their own thing – songs would fall away to annoying noodling before running out of steam.

After a shambolic start the audience did eventually warm to them and the set finished strongly.

Aldous Harding mesmerised with her short set. Picture: Daniel Boud

Harding, on the other hand, totally mesmerised and stunned the audience in her 20-minute set of four songs, playing acoustic guitar for the opening Warm Chris before being joined by Laura Jean on piano for Fever, then taking over keyboard duties for She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain, both from the Warm Chris album, and ending up with a puppet-like minimalist dance for Horizon, from her 2017 Party album.

The two-night show marks the end of an era – perhaps an era that has been ending for a while now. The music world has changed massively since 1999 - nowadays a CD shop is hard to find. But Spunk has played an immeasurable role in changing our tastes, and besides we can still relive the halcyon days of indie rock through vinyl and streaming services.

DETAILS

• CONCERT Vivid: Spunk Records 25 Finale

• WHERE Sydney Opera House Joan Sutherland Theatre

• WHEN May 24, 2024