SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (Top40 Charts) Nestled within the inner suburbs of Brisbane, a city known for it's sleepy temperament and wide open spaces, might not be the first place you'd expect to find The Cairos, particularly after listening to their debut album -
Dream of Reason. It's an ominous, cathartic release that oozes equal parts discontent and pop sensibility, and has been lauded by Rolling Stone as "an epic sprawl of an album" and a "tour de force". However, after selling out shows around their native Australia, and being dubbed by many as "one of the hardest working bands in Australia", The Cairos have learnt to take these contradictions in their stride.
After signing to Island Records in 2012 (all at the tender age of 21), the four friends released their critically acclaimed EP 'Colours Like Features', with singles Shame and We All Buy Stars being lauded by national youth broadcaster, Triple J. This led to years spent touring Australia extensively - perfecting their live show, and building an impressive resume of support slots that includes some of the worlds most exciting bands (Julian Casablancas, The Temper Trap, Mute Math). The Cairos have now cemented themselves as a must-see live act.
Made up of songwriters Alistar Richardson, Alfio Alivuzza, Reuben Schafer and Jacob Trotter, The Cairos play music that's influenced and informed by an enormous body of work. Whether it's the great songwriters of the 60's and 70's, classic Australian pub rock of the 80's, the shoegaze guitar bands of the 90's, or the polished pop of the 2000's - The Cairos seem to draw from an immense well of inspiration… Think the strangely functional lovechild of The Beatles, Midnight Oil, Slowdive, and Air.
Despite this depth of inspiration,
Dream of Reason is a highly coherent affair - exploring common themes of Obsession, Insanity and Desire - in a way that is very much - The Cairos. Written in various home studios in places as diverse as small country farm-houses, coastal homes and abandoned engine workshops; and finally cut to tape at the iconic Studio 301 in Byron Bay's hinterland with Producer Nick Didia (Bruce Springsteen, Rage Against The Machine,
Pearl Jam, Powderfinger),
Dream of Reason is the embodiment of years of work honing skills in song-writing.
In their single, 'Obsession', Singer, Alistar Richardson crys - "I'm setting out for danger" - hinting at a desire to explore the unknown - a statement that proves pertinent when considering the bands more recent touring schedule. After spending a large portion of 2014 touring their new material, The Cairos have set their sights firmly on the horizon, finding themselves playing to new crowds in places as far flung as Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hong Kong.
The Cairos clearly aren't satisfied yet, either. Slated to return to Asia for a third time in 2014, they will make their debut appearances in the United Kingdom and
Europe in September, before making their way to the United States in early 2015.
Tour dates:
Friday 5th
September - Booshkabaash Festival, Suzhou
Saturday 6th
September - Booshkabaash Festival, Yuyintang
Sunday 7th
September - Electric City, Beijing w/ Nova Heart
Website: https://www.thecairos.com.au