Tonight Alive, Hands Like Houses, D At Sea @ Billboard The Venue, Melbourne (13/09/2013)
2013 has seen Sydney's Tonight Alive achieve phenomenal success.
Upon publication of this review, their second record, The Other Side, debuted at #5 on the ARIA charts, and they've also been included on not one, but two editions of the 2013 Vans Warped Tour.
There's a lot of hype surrounding the five piece from Sydney. But more on that later.
Tonight, I was working double media duties; both photographing the bands, and taking mental notes on the performances for this very review.
D At Sea, a solo moniker for Confession's Doyle Perez warmed up the crowd with his soothing and soulful acoustic jams. Perez's performance as D At Sea was a welcome change start to the evening, with the audience connecting to the poignant side to his music through acoustic melodies.
Next on stage, and performing as direct support to Tonight Alive, fellow US Vans Warped Tour mates, and Canberra locals Hands Like Houses, who set the scene for the main act, delivering a refreshing and enthusiastic set of post-hardcore tunes from their sophomore album, Unimagine.
Undeniably ecstatic to be there, Hands Like Houses used every ounce of the Billboard stage to their advantage, whipping up a set which cemented them in this reviewers eyes as Australia's next international breakthrough act. After tonight's incredible performance, all eyes are on what they do next!
So, back to that hype surrounding Tonight Alive.
Whenever the band are mentioned, I hear and read nothing but good things. From their stage presence, to their light shows (which my fellow photographers rave about), the bar was set ever so high.
As drummer Matty Best kicked things off with an incredible and strobe lit drum solo, the members of Tonight Alive emerged on stage, with vocalist Jenna McDougall racing onto the stage, leaving myself taken aback by her sheer enthusiasm, energy, and genuine excitement to be performing for us tonight.
While the first three songs were spent up close and personal in the pit, following that I immediately purchased their sophomore album, The Other Side from the merchandise desk, and stood back to watch just next to the lighting booth. A wise decision; not only was I able to take in the full scope of the lights, but I could actually see the sheer energy let off from the crowd and band interacting.
While Tonight Alive's performance was certainly enjoyable, it was surprising as to how early the night finished. Now I'm unsure as to whether this was due to a curfew in the venue, or the band's own decision, but in all honesty the short set worked well, particularly for one key reason: Tonight Alive didn't over do it. The set list was concise, rehearsed and above all, an enjoyable experience.
To reiterate, there's a lot of hype surrounding Tonight Alive, but after that performance, I know that it's well and truly justified.
Luke Sutton
@lukesutton
Upon publication of this review, their second record, The Other Side, debuted at #5 on the ARIA charts, and they've also been included on not one, but two editions of the 2013 Vans Warped Tour.
There's a lot of hype surrounding the five piece from Sydney. But more on that later.
Tonight, I was working double media duties; both photographing the bands, and taking mental notes on the performances for this very review.
D At Sea, a solo moniker for Confession's Doyle Perez warmed up the crowd with his soothing and soulful acoustic jams. Perez's performance as D At Sea was a welcome change start to the evening, with the audience connecting to the poignant side to his music through acoustic melodies.
Next on stage, and performing as direct support to Tonight Alive, fellow US Vans Warped Tour mates, and Canberra locals Hands Like Houses, who set the scene for the main act, delivering a refreshing and enthusiastic set of post-hardcore tunes from their sophomore album, Unimagine.
Undeniably ecstatic to be there, Hands Like Houses used every ounce of the Billboard stage to their advantage, whipping up a set which cemented them in this reviewers eyes as Australia's next international breakthrough act. After tonight's incredible performance, all eyes are on what they do next!
So, back to that hype surrounding Tonight Alive.
Whenever the band are mentioned, I hear and read nothing but good things. From their stage presence, to their light shows (which my fellow photographers rave about), the bar was set ever so high.
As drummer Matty Best kicked things off with an incredible and strobe lit drum solo, the members of Tonight Alive emerged on stage, with vocalist Jenna McDougall racing onto the stage, leaving myself taken aback by her sheer enthusiasm, energy, and genuine excitement to be performing for us tonight.
While the first three songs were spent up close and personal in the pit, following that I immediately purchased their sophomore album, The Other Side from the merchandise desk, and stood back to watch just next to the lighting booth. A wise decision; not only was I able to take in the full scope of the lights, but I could actually see the sheer energy let off from the crowd and band interacting.
While Tonight Alive's performance was certainly enjoyable, it was surprising as to how early the night finished. Now I'm unsure as to whether this was due to a curfew in the venue, or the band's own decision, but in all honesty the short set worked well, particularly for one key reason: Tonight Alive didn't over do it. The set list was concise, rehearsed and above all, an enjoyable experience.
To reiterate, there's a lot of hype surrounding Tonight Alive, but after that performance, I know that it's well and truly justified.
Luke Sutton
@lukesutton