The first time I saw Saintface was several months ago, in August at the Mercury Lounge. I had heard they were Brit poppy, so I went to check them out. From the moment that lead singer Peter Riley, a tall well-put together guy with slicked back hair, started singing, I couldn't believe how much he reminded me of Morrissey. His stage swagger and his vocals were reminiscent of Moz, and frankly, it shocked me. But by the third song, I was converted. The songs were infectious and made me nostalgic for The Smiths. I found myself smiling throughout their set. Later I found, it wasn't just me. Most of my friends who were mega Moz fans also fell in love with Saintface. The epidemic was growing.
So when I went to the Saintface show at the end of October, I felt the same rush as the first time I saw them -- except this time I knew the words to the songs from their EP, Hudson & Day, and could sing along, joyfully. Their music is unabashedly poppy and sounds so goddamn polished, both live and recorded.
While Riley is jauntily roaming around stage, his vocals are amazingly flawless, which is sort of thrilling and almost hard-to-believe. In one of my favorite Saintface songs, "Hudson & Day", Riley airily coos about the ups and downs of searching for the perfect romance:
We could meet one another
Somewhere more interesting than halfway
We could be for each other
Rock Hudson and Doris Day.
Each note is calculated carefully and delivered effortlessly into perfect symmetry with the rest of the band who all work off each other's vigor.
Oftentimes, Riley will fall onto his knees or collapse onto his back, seemingly exhausted from the vocal exertions. But never does he stop singing or stop trying to engage the audience. He'll lean forward on the sound monitors, motioning people to come forward, come closer. His confidence is unwavering and magnetic. And sometimes he can be a little saucy with his stage banter. It all comes together in the end, though, and their live shows are all the better for it.
Through lively and dramatic bursts, Michael Parkin jumps up and down all over his keyboards, rocking them back and forth with force. Andy Elder drums hard, propelling the songs forward into fast, booming paces. Both guitarist David Blake and bassist Joe Babic are the two more understated members, tending not to dabble in stage theatrics as much as the rest of the group. But that kind of balanced performance works for Saintface, and their exuberance is catching.
— 10 December 2003
