The Red Paintings

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 Red Paintings
OriginGeelong, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Labels
Past members
  • Trash McSweeney
  • Josh Engelking
  • Wayne Jennings
  • Ellen Stancombe
  • Amanda Holmes
  • Andy Davis
  • David Sue Yek

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.[1][2] This lineup released the EP Cinema Love on Asphalt Records.[2]

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.[5][7] 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.[10]

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."[12] 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][16] Also in 2007, the Red Paintings released the EP Feed the Wolf .[17][18][19]

After several EPs, the Red Paintings announced plans for a full-length album and requested fan donations, raising A$40,000.[20][21] The band moved to Los Angeles in 2012,[22] and toured as the opening act on two tours by Mindless Self Indulgence.[23] In 2013 they supported a tour by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead[24][25][26] The full-length album The Revolution Is Never Coming was released in 2013.[27][28] 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."[29]

The Red Paintings relocated to the United Kingdom in 2014 and served as the support act on a tour by Gary Numan.[30] In 2017 they released the single, "Deleted Romantic".[28][31]

Members
  • Trash McSweeney – lead vocals, guitar, sequencing, sampling
  • Josh Engelking – percussion
  • Wayne Jennings – cello
  • Ellen Stancombe – violin
  • Amanda Holmes – bass guitar[17]
  • Andy Davis – drums[17]
  • David Sue Yek – cello[32]
  • Leigh Doolan – drums[1]

Discography

Albums
  • The Virgin Mary Australian Tour Acoustic/Strings Album (2005)
  • Seizure & Synesthesia (video album, 2007)[16]
  • The Revolution Is Never Coming (2013)[33]

EPs

References
  1. "Triple J Unearthed 2004 | Queensland | The Red Paintings". Triple J Unearthed. 2004. Archived from the original on 15 September 2004. Retrieved 13 April 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. Bledsoe, Elliot (10 August 2004). "musicwire > cd-reviews > The Truth Is Out There: The Red Paintings by Elliott Bledsoe". vibewire.net. Archived from the original on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Six Pack". Time Off. Archived from the original on 9 August 2003. Retrieved 16 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. Jensen, Erik (29 June 2007). "The Red Paintings". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  5. "Established Artists – The Red Paintings Bio". Soulshine.com.au. 2006. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Releases :: Walls". Australian Music Online. Archived from the original on 27 November 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. Eliezer, Christie (19 April 2005). "New Signings #5; Modern Music Hang the Red Paintings". In Music & Media (451). Archived from the original on 21 February 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. Curley, Adam (May 2005). "Brisbane – Reviews and interviews – The Red Paintings". Time Off. Our Brisbane. Archived from the original on 22 June 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "27 Nov 2007 - Australian Music Online :: Releases :: Destroy the Robots - Archived Website". Trove. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  10. Wallace, Ian (15 May 2006). "Week Commencing ~ 15th May 2006 ~ Issue #845" (PDF). The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) (845): 2, 4, 7, 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  11. "The Dresden Dolls". news.com.au. 2006. Archived from the original on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 16 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. Pham, Jade (19 September 2006). "The Dresden Dolls / The Red Paintings / Jacob Diefenbach & Emma Dean With Zen Zen Zo / Jason Webley". Rave Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. Leszczewicz, Heather (21 August 2006). "Dresden Dolls makes second Milwaukee appearance". On Milwaukee. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  14. "The Dresden Dolls Concert & Tour History". Concert Archives. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  15. "Seizure & Synethesia - The Red Paintings World Tour (2007)". Screen Australia. 2007. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. Clare (August 2007). "DVD: Seizure & Synesthesia – Red Paintings, The". TheDwarf.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 September 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  17. Red paintings (Musical group) (2008), Feed the Wolf, Robot Records: Vitamin Records [distributor], retrieved 10 March 2022
  18. Iain (23 July 2007). "Feed the Wolf – Red Paintings, The". thedwarf.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. Tope, Belle (29 May 2007). "The Red Paintings announce 'Animal Rebellion' Tour". TheDwarf.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 September 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. Wylie, Caird (27 March 2008). "The Red Paintings" (PDF). Forte Magazine (424): 2, 5, 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  21. Watt, Dan (9 April 2008). "The Red Paintings". Beat Magazine. No. 1110. Archived from the original on 5 August 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  22. Savellis, Cass (11 September 2012). "The Red Paintings". Tone Deaf. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  23. "Bands". Billboard the Venue. 8 April 2009. Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. "The Red Paintings announce new single 'You're Not One Of Them'". Soundsphere magazine. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  25. "Mindless Self Indulgence with The Red Paintings". do312.com. 24 April 2013.
  26. "...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, The Red Paintings, The Leap Year @ Rosemount Hotel". themusic.com.au. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  27. Keating, Justine (5 June 2013). "The Red Paintings / The Revolution Is Never Coming". themusic.com.au. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  28. "Internationally-acclaimed art rockers The Red Paintings head to Cumbria". Times and Star. 7 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  29. Bruins, Gert. "The Red Paintings - The Revolution Is Never Coming Review". Background Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  30. McRae, Rhys (4 June 2014). "Why Gary Numan Is the Godfather of the 90s". Tone Deaf. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  31. Gray, Alan (23 June 2017). "The Red Paintings – Broadcast, Glasgow – 21/06/17". musicscramble.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  32. "Wakers and Shakers: The Red Paintings Continued..." Attitude Pulse. Archived from the original on 7 September 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  33. Potts, Gilbert (23 May 2013). "The Revolution Is Never Coming". Tone Deaf. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
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