Well, well, well, was this one a throwback or what? I mean, was I the only one who had ‘Where the City Meets the Sea’ as my Myspace theme song back in the day? Anyway, moving on…
When the Melbourne-based quartet earlier this year announced they would be playing their 2008 debut, Other Voices, Other Rooms, in its entirety, I knew I was in for a night of nostalgia in its most pure form.
The night began with sets from solo acoustic act Chasing Ghosts and Melbourne-based alt-rock five-piece, Harbours, which set the tone for the night and doubled as a great build up in energy, preparing the crowd for what was to come.
Unlike most shows which adopt a single set and encore structure, this one took the structure of two sets and an encore, with the first set featuring a mix-mash of several songs. Opening with powerhouse tune, The Reckoning, the crowd instantly lit up as they caught a glimpse of front man Matthew Wright and those long luscious locks of his. This set then
moved through the likes of If The Suspense Doesn’t Kill Us, Something Else Will, taken from 2006 EP Hold Coversation, Dark Horses, from 2015 album Dark Horse, and even a Fleetwood Mac cover of Dreams.
The selection of songs featured in the first set appeared to come as a surprise to much of the crowd, but nonetheless a delight. Not only were things being thrown back at this gig, they were being thrown, left, right and center too.
The boys returned for their highly-anticipated second set after a short break, which saw them play Other Voices, Other Rooms, cover to cover. And for much of the time, the crowd (including myself) were absolutely losing our minds.
It was crazy to think these were tracks that were produced almost 10 years ago, that I’ve listened to on rotation in my car CD player (what even is an AUX cord?) for several years. If I closed my eyes, I could’ve sworn I was back in my car, singing along to the CD, with how crisp and on-point the live performance was. With my eyes open though, was a whole new element of added energy, accompanied by intense nostalgic vibes, from seeing these well-known and loved tracks (that were the soundtrack to my early teenage years) performed live.
The night was drawn to a close, with Strings making an appearance as the encore, while the crowd slowly filed out of the venue basking in the energy of what will be an unforgettable experience.
Where: The Corner Hotel, Richmond
When: Saturday 9 September, 2017
Supports: Chasing Ghosts and Harbours
Reviewed by: Helena Metzke
