I first time I caught Aussie sibling psych rockers Stonefield, it was in the worst scenario possible.
It was Desert Daze 2018, day two. Day one concluded with Tame Impala blueballing the crowd when they were forced to walk off about 10 minutes into their headlining set due to an impending storm. I was thankful I hadn’t taken any mind altering substances that day because my immediate thought was how quickly south all those people’s trips went. By the time I got back to my campsite, I was completely soaked and realized I didn’t secure the rainfly to the tent, and my entire suitcase’s contents were soaked. I slept in the car that night and dried everything out in the sun the next afternoon.
Stonefield‘s Desert Daze set was 3:15 PM the next day, and I sauntered over to their set at the small tent stage and was immediately shaken from my hangover and general annoyance. By a couple songs in, I was banging my head and felt like I could rally. That Stonefield set was the beginning of that rally.
The four-piece band is made up of the four Findlay sisters: Amy Lee on drums and lead vocals (I know), Hannah on lead guitar, Sarah on keyboards and vocals, and Holly on bass. They carry a straight out of the ’70s vibe. Wednesday night, they were at Zebulon Cafe in Silverlake, basically the perfect environment. It was funny to see them soundcheck in these really dope outfits that fit their sound, a few of them had vintage looking big coats on. Then you realize that’s just their regular clothes — they later came onto the stage in almost matching blazers. This isn’t a Greta Van Fleet situation where they’re playing dress up. Stonefield matches up with their vintage sound.
Last year’s Bent was their third full-length record and a solid step forward. They’ve leaned heavier into the synths that give some of the songs a bit of a Doors type edge to them. There also seems to be a bit more variety — “Route 29” stood out as something that could’ve been a Nirvana song in another life.
These songs came to even more life in a live setting. The eldest Findlay sister Amy Lee headbanging while delivering roaring vocals while being so great behind the kit. The sound at Zebulon isn’t great, so Amy’s vocals sounded best when she was shouting at the top of her lungs on songs like “Far From Earth” and “Sister”. The instrumental “66” is great at letting all four sisters flex their chops.
By the end of the show I felt as though I had a case to press charges against Stonefield from the whiplash I suffered from headbanging so hard. Not really, but damn — I’m still a little sore! Definitely catch them when you get a chance, as long as you have good health insurance.
Photos by Tim Aarons
