Australia’s Radio Free Alice landed in Edinburgh on the back of appearances at Dot to Dot, London Calling and The Great Escape festivals, as well as a number of headline dates through the UK and EU during the last month or so. This reviewer was blown away by their single ‘Paris is Gone’ and was intrigued to hear more by the five-piece who released their debut EP in November 2023. The set opened with the first track from the EP ‘Look What You’ve Done’ and it didn’t take long to get the crowd onside.
The set continued with songs including ‘Back of Van‘, ‘Spain’ and ‘Empty Words’ and as the gig progressed the crowd got more and more raucous. I suspect many, like me, didn’t know a lot of the music of this band, but the performance only proved that heading to Sneaky Petes tonight was a good choice. This was no shouty post-punk. Radio Free Alice take their inspiration from the likes of The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division and The Strokes, and these influences can be heard throughout, but of course they are their own thing. There was some swopping of instruments midway through the set as bassist Michael handed it over to keyboard player Mayaan, and picked up a saxophone instead. Radio Free Alice are completed by lead singer Noah, drummer Lochie and guitarist Jules, and there was a lovely touch when a member of the crowd brought through a round of drinks for the band – much appreciated of course.
Current single ‘2010′ was a highlight, as was the aforementioned ‘Paris is Gone’ which received whoops of recognition before the band even started playing it.
The final track ‘Waste of Space’ saw groans by the crowd as it finished, because no-one wanted the gig to end. As the band were starting to pack up their kit, the crowd kept chanting for more. After a quick discussion Radio Free Alice launched into a class version of Gang of Four‘s, ‘Damaged Goods‘ with lead singer Noah admitting he may forget some of the words!
And this time it really was the end. Their merch was doing a roaring trade and gig goers were queuing up to talk to the band members while venue security were, calmly, trying to clear the place! With another EP due out this summer, we haven’t heard the last from Radio Free Alice.
For more information on Radio Free Alice please check their facebook and instagram.
