Yellowcard, Toy Boats @ The Palace Theatre, Melbourne (29/10/2013)
A lot has happened since the year 2003.
Two new rovers explored the surface of Mars, Youtube was launched, and Ocean Avenue, the landmark album by Florida's Yellowcard celebrated its tenth anniversary.
Musical milestones are usually celebrated with a re-release, or some sort of one of show or tour. But Yellowcard took it one step further.
Unlike most re-releases which appear during anniversaries (remastered, with a fancy new sticker, sometimes with a few B-Sides thrown in to please the fans), Yellowcard upped the ante, going one giant leap further by re-imagining, re-recording and re-releasing the entire record acoustically.
But if that wasn't enough (SPOILERS: It wasn't) Yellowcard also decided to take the record on the road to celebrate the only way real rock stars should; by putting on one of the most genuine, and engaging tours I've ever seen by a band.
The sole support act for the night was Toy Boats, an acoustic moniker for Byron Bay local, Hugo Costin-Neilsen.
Bathed in four blue spotlights, the former vocalist of hardcore band Dead Ends serenaded the crowd with his style of gentle acoustics and vivid lyrics, turning more than a few heads away from the bars to take notice of his performance.
Realistically though, by any means Costin-Neilsen's music isn't exactly groundbreaking. It's certainly nice to listen to, and he has a rather relaxed stage presence, but singer-songwriters have been picking up guitars and playing folk songs for decades, and Costin-Neilsen really wasn't bringing anything new to the stage.
However, it would be unfair of myself not to mention that Costin-Neilsen held his own amongst the crowd, with some of his fans at the front waving their arms and even cheering out for an encore once he'd left the stage. And for that, he must be commended.
The above is merely my initial impressions of Toy Boats performance, and ideally, I'd like to reserve my final judgement until I see him perform once again, or when I sit down and listen to his debut record, which is due early next year.
Now it's onto the main act, and tonight's Yellowcard performance was split into two sets, with an intermission. The first set was the band's Ocean Avenue acoustic performance, and the latter set was your standard rock gig, much more in tune with Yellowcard's usual stage set up.
I suppose it's a review of two halves, so we'll begin with the Ocean Avenue acoustic set, which was simply fantastic. While I was expecting a laid-back affair with bar stools and acoustic guitars, my expectations were completely wrong.
Instead, those in attendance were treated to an essentially a full blown rock show, minus the electrics. Even Sean Mackin's violin was "classical", as he paraded around the stage and interacted with both his fellow band mates, and the crowd.
It's a fantastic thing when a band like Yellowcard can release a land-mark album like Ocean Avenue, and still sell out a venue like the Palace ten years after its release. It's a testament to their showmanship, dedication as musicians and above all, their promises to their fans: if they keep coming to their shows, they'll keep coming to our shores.
Opening the second half of the gig with Paper Walls, Yellowcard's ten song encore was a set in itself, with the band turning things up to 11 for one of the most eclectic sets I've witnessed at the Palace. The band use the venue as a strength, and it compliments their performance well.
The Palace is currently under threat, but tonight's show proved that bands like Yellowcard need the venue to perform in. It's a unique landmark, and music icon in our city, and I can't imagine Melbourne without it.
Bookending the night with a short reprisal of Ocean Avenue, the band played well into the next morning, and even after the house lights had lifted, the roadies began packing up, and the band had left the stage, the crowd cheered for an encore.
And you know what? For a moment, I thought they might actually get one.
Luke Sutton
@lukesutton
Two new rovers explored the surface of Mars, Youtube was launched, and Ocean Avenue, the landmark album by Florida's Yellowcard celebrated its tenth anniversary.
Musical milestones are usually celebrated with a re-release, or some sort of one of show or tour. But Yellowcard took it one step further.
Unlike most re-releases which appear during anniversaries (remastered, with a fancy new sticker, sometimes with a few B-Sides thrown in to please the fans), Yellowcard upped the ante, going one giant leap further by re-imagining, re-recording and re-releasing the entire record acoustically.
But if that wasn't enough (SPOILERS: It wasn't) Yellowcard also decided to take the record on the road to celebrate the only way real rock stars should; by putting on one of the most genuine, and engaging tours I've ever seen by a band.
The sole support act for the night was Toy Boats, an acoustic moniker for Byron Bay local, Hugo Costin-Neilsen.
Bathed in four blue spotlights, the former vocalist of hardcore band Dead Ends serenaded the crowd with his style of gentle acoustics and vivid lyrics, turning more than a few heads away from the bars to take notice of his performance.
Realistically though, by any means Costin-Neilsen's music isn't exactly groundbreaking. It's certainly nice to listen to, and he has a rather relaxed stage presence, but singer-songwriters have been picking up guitars and playing folk songs for decades, and Costin-Neilsen really wasn't bringing anything new to the stage.
However, it would be unfair of myself not to mention that Costin-Neilsen held his own amongst the crowd, with some of his fans at the front waving their arms and even cheering out for an encore once he'd left the stage. And for that, he must be commended.
The above is merely my initial impressions of Toy Boats performance, and ideally, I'd like to reserve my final judgement until I see him perform once again, or when I sit down and listen to his debut record, which is due early next year.
Now it's onto the main act, and tonight's Yellowcard performance was split into two sets, with an intermission. The first set was the band's Ocean Avenue acoustic performance, and the latter set was your standard rock gig, much more in tune with Yellowcard's usual stage set up.
I suppose it's a review of two halves, so we'll begin with the Ocean Avenue acoustic set, which was simply fantastic. While I was expecting a laid-back affair with bar stools and acoustic guitars, my expectations were completely wrong.
Instead, those in attendance were treated to an essentially a full blown rock show, minus the electrics. Even Sean Mackin's violin was "classical", as he paraded around the stage and interacted with both his fellow band mates, and the crowd.
It's a fantastic thing when a band like Yellowcard can release a land-mark album like Ocean Avenue, and still sell out a venue like the Palace ten years after its release. It's a testament to their showmanship, dedication as musicians and above all, their promises to their fans: if they keep coming to their shows, they'll keep coming to our shores.
Opening the second half of the gig with Paper Walls, Yellowcard's ten song encore was a set in itself, with the band turning things up to 11 for one of the most eclectic sets I've witnessed at the Palace. The band use the venue as a strength, and it compliments their performance well.
The Palace is currently under threat, but tonight's show proved that bands like Yellowcard need the venue to perform in. It's a unique landmark, and music icon in our city, and I can't imagine Melbourne without it.
Bookending the night with a short reprisal of Ocean Avenue, the band played well into the next morning, and even after the house lights had lifted, the roadies began packing up, and the band had left the stage, the crowd cheered for an encore.
And you know what? For a moment, I thought they might actually get one.
Luke Sutton
@lukesutton