APPLES IN STEREO at the
Horseshoe, May 23. Tickets: $12.
Attendance: 375. Rating: NN
after hearing mid-set that ap-
ples in Stereo drummer Hilarie Sidney had given birth a few months ago, it was amazing to see her carry the band through an otherwise lacklustre performance.
Although modern-day Brian Wilson guy Robert Schneider’s vocals are often brilliant, they’re not special enough to disguise the fact that Sidney steers the Apples’ show.
The Denver-based fivesome get a great sound in the studio, but few of their songs packed any punch live.
Sidney propelled the band through Go from 1999’s Discovery Of A World Inside The Moone and Shine A Light from the memorable Tone Soul Evolution album, making them seem a lot more exciting than they should have been, given what the other band members delivered.
It was hard to cut through the din of poppy guitars to focus on the only thing that was interesting — Sidney.
Her quirky, unexaggerated style works well with Schneider’s 60s-influenced pop tunes. Keyboard player Chris McDuffie should have provided at least some of the expected psychedelic element, but it seemed like he wasn’t even plugged in.
Aside from a few short psych guitar bursts, the band didn’t really stray from their formula. Maybe the Apples were just using this mid-weeker as a warm-up for their U.S. mini-tour.
