Runaway Nuns have released their video of The Sideways Session, filmed and recorded earlier this year at The Sideways Building in Woodstock. The Nuns performed four songs from their new album, Spit, which was released on Now Now Just Now on the 15th of May.
Since the session’s recording in early March, more than three months of lockdown have made live performances feel like a distant memory, despite many artists turning to social media platforms to livestream performances from their homes. Fortunately, The Sideways Session captures the bristling energy of the Nuns’ live show while maintaining enough laid-back charm to deliver listeners a taste of the kind of performance they could have expected to enjoy before Coronavirus hit South Africa. Even in a less gig-starved landscape, the session would prove a worthy release in its own right, with tracks performed with studio precision and complimented by Warren Fisher’s audio production.
Given the venue’s usual function as a fabric factory workshop, some work was needed to convert it into the sparse and hazy space seen in the video. Lead guitarist Desmond Kannemeyer recalls an early start to set up their temporary studio, which required the performance space to be cleared of sewing machines while the band were still “quite fragile” from the previous night. Appropriately, the session kicks off with “Hanging”, and is followed by “Antenna”, “Tasteless” and “Lately” in quick succession.
Filming and editing was handled by Thomas Sandell, with a second angle provided by Josh Rijneke. As a fan of the band, Sandell describes the session as “a passion project, as well as a job” and this familiarity shines through in the video. The camera shifts around like an excited audience member, alternately honing in on individual members and stepping back to appreciate the band as a unit, and frequently locking eyes with frontman Sean Baron. The songs were each recorded in two or three takes, which provided Sandell with greater flexibility in the editing process, and makes room for a far more dynamic final cut.
“There wasn’t a massive rush with the editing process so I got to take my time with the cuts and grading and I’m really stoked with what we created.”
Thomas Sandell
RUNAWAY NUNS // THE SIDEWAYS SESSION CREDITS:
- Filmed by Josh Rijneke (@joshrijneke) & Thomas Sandell (@thomassandell_)
- Edited by Thomas Sandell (@thomassandell_)
- Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Warren Fisher (@warrentfisher)
View The Sideways Session in full below:
Runaway Nuns will be performing their first live stream on StoorSessions on the 1st of August. StoorSessions is a new production from Audiopimps and DPK that aims to support the South African music industry during lockdown, delivering stay-at-home concerts through the efforts of the crew and artists behind the music.
Get your tickets for the Runaway Nuns live stream here.
Design by Francois Taljaardt // @junglef00t