Line-up

Headliner
Sleeping At Last Last time in Berlin: First time!

Venue

Admiralspalast

Friedrichstrasse 101, 10117, Berlin, Germany

www.admiralspalast.de/

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Sleeping At Last biography

Sleeping At Last (formed in 1999) is an American emo-inspired, alternative rock band, hailing from Wheaton, Chicago, Illinois, in the U.S.

Formed as the indie music project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ryan O’Neal in 1999, he later invited brother Chad O’Neal on drums, and Dan Perdue on bass. Before long the band earned a devoted local following and became the support acts for bands such as Kill Hannah and Plain White T’s. Due to this success, and persuasion from the Smashing Pumpkins, Bill Corgan signed the band to Interscope in 2002, who issued Sleeping At Last’s major-label debut album “Ghosts” in 2003. Following the release the band embarked on a national tour alongside the likes of Switchfoot, Zwan, Yellowcard and Something Corporate.

Sleeping At Last went on to release the seasonal EP “Ghosts of Christmas Past” in 2005, followed by their independently released third full-length “Keep No Score” in 2006. Featuring the orchestral accompaniments and arrangements of Van Dyke Parks, Sleeping At Last’s fourth studio album “Storyboards” was released in 2009, prior to which Chad O’Neal departed the group. From October 2010, the band released three songs on the first of every month that culminated in the boxset “Yearbook” in December 2011. After the release Dan Perdue let the group to pursue other interests, with Ryan O’Neal continuing as the only permanent member.

In 2013 O’Neal began his series of six EPs titled Atlas, each covering a various topic including darkness, light, space, land, and the oceans, which later earned a combined release as “Atlas: Year One”. In 2014 the song “Light” from “Atlas 1” was used in the soundtrack to the film “The Little Death" and Sleeping At Last released the EP “Covers, Vol. 1”.

Live reviews

Whilst the ever so slightly unnerving name of the band might suggest that they’re actually an emo or metalcore outfit of some kind, the sound of Sleeping at Last, has largely been described as baroque pop, although there’s been enough guitar included over the course of their fifteen year career to date to ensure that they’ve permeated traditional indie rock circles during that time, too. Ryan O’Neal, who hails from the town of Wheaton, Illinois, now remains the sole original member of the outfit, having parted ways with his brother Chad O’Neal, who played the drums, in 2008, and Dan Perdue, who was previously on bass duty, in 2011. After touring with the likes of Something Corporate and Billy Corgan’s solo project Zwan in the early days, the group went on to release a well-received debut album, Capture, in 2000; they’ve released three more since, although - tellingly - nothing for five years now, with the upheaval in the lineup apparently having taken its toll on studio activity. Instead, O’Neal has focused on EPs, turning out six in the past couple of years and playing select live shows to promote them; the new lineup on stage sound tighter than ever, but don’t expect UK dates until there’s a proper full-length to promote.

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