Review: Silversun Pickups @ The Gov 22/07/26

Review: Silversun Pickups w/Coast Arcade @ The Gov 22/07/26

With a seventh studio album in tow, LA alt-rock icons Silversun Pickups arrived back in Adelaide for a sold-out show at The Gov.

My first time listening to the band was when one of my wife’s music students performed a solo drum assessment of 'Panic Switch'. He set up the kit in a similar way to how he saw the live clip on YouTube, resulting in one of the best solo assessments I have ever witnessed. This sparked my interest in the band, and I soon delved into their first two albums. Since then, I've always held a connection with each new release over the years.

Arriving as a steady line of patrons ambled their way into The Gov for this Wednesday night gig, I noticed the crowd was quite diverse, with t-shirts adorned with everything from Sleep Token to Jamiroquai. It seemed Silversun Pickups bridged that gap between genres just enough for discerning listeners.

The support for the band's Tenterhooks Tour was New Zealand’s Coast Arcade. With a debut album released last year, this was their first tour of Australia and who better to go around it with than Silversun Pickups.

The band seemed overjoyed to be here, with vocalist and guitarist Bella Bavin smiling throughout the set. They won some new fans with their cover of The Veronicas' 'Untouched', along with their unapologetic '90s rock influences. Their final song, 'Baited ', had us headbanging along with bassist Leo Spykerman, who throughout the set gave us the prime example of how to rock out to Coast Arcade.

After chatting with a fellow concertgoer for a few minutes, I didn't notice the crowd that had formed around us. Admittedly, it was a sold-out show, so it was not unexpected, just surprising how quickly The Gov filled out. I was crammed in the middle now, and there was no way I was giving up my spot before Silversun took to the stage. My prime position gave me a great view for Silversun Pickups' entrance, with the band kicking things off with the opening two tracks from their latest album Tenterhooks: 'New Wave' and 'The Wreckage'.

Vocalist and guitarist Brian Aubert sounded exactly like he did on record, his voice powerful among the distortion. Not to be outdone, bassist Nikki Monninger had her early moment in the spotlight with 'Well Thought Out Twinkles'. The groove-ridden track from their debut Carnavas definitely had the crowd moving and got us warmed up. But 'Panic Switch' was the early set winner for me. Reminiscing about the drum performance I saw all those years ago, I was now witnessing the actual drummer, Chris Guanlao, expertly tackling the song with the kit setup just like I remembered the student had done.

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"Hello." Aubert only said one word, and it had more of a cheer than any song so far. "It’s been a while… the world has fixed itself!" he jibed until he gave us some free advice: "shut that shit off." Phones were put away, and his instructions followed as all eyes went to Monninger as she took on lead vocals during 'Au Revoir Reservoir'. Attention turned back to Aubert for his minor guitar improvisation before 'The Royal We', which gave Guanlao another opportunity to display his incredible skills.

One highlight that was not on stage was a twelve-year-old boy having the greatest moments of his life vibing to Silversun Pickups. Apparently it was his third concert ever, but you'd think it was his first by his excitement.

Keyboardist Joe Lester, with two keyboards in front of him, laid the foundations for all the tracks, especially in 'Three Seed', where the more downtempo moments took on that grounded soundscape.

"It was a different time," Aubert reminisced, "we thought it was fucked up then!" He guided us through a memory we could have all shared – that burnt CD with new music, that song that just stays with you, and the girl who sings on it. "Surprise!" Aubert joked, having a dig at his own vocal uniqueness.

The darkness and light came out mid-set, with 'Mean Spirited' bringing a guttural dirge to the set, opposed to the acoustic guitar-driven 'Long Gone', which had a unique drum sound from Guanlao creating a truly peaceful moment. "Sanity is a form of rebellion… stay sane, stay decent… we will check on ya," Aubert subtly promised to return as he led the band into the final song of the set, 'Dots and Dashes (Enough Already)'. Aubert remained on stage solo to loop distortion through our bodies before exiting with the rest of the band.

A lone shout for the encore soon infected the rest of the crowd, with the band returning to play three classics from their catalogue. 'Little Lover's So Polite' and 'Growing Old is Getting Old' had the buildup to get the sold-out audience grooving as one. Then came that song. The one we all sang along with. But I do not think we expected the power of Aubert’s voice, and the band’s cohesiveness to explode into a life-affirming highlight. 'Lazy Eye' had our voices wrecked. We definitely shut that shit out, Brian.

For a band that, if you mentioned in passing, people may not bat an eyelid, but on hearing the songs, they would recognise, Silversun Pickups have a solid Australian following that will hopefully see them return to this neck of the woods sooner rather than later.

Want more pics of the gig? Check out our full photo gallery here.