The Getaway Plan’s highly anticipated underage show, a part of the Other Voices, Other Rooms Tour saw the Evelyn Hotel, located on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy, bursting at the seams. The full capacity audience endured a lengthy wait in +30 degree heat for a line up that also included emerging talents Stealing O’Neal and Ellora Danan.
Melbourne’s own Stealing O’Neal opened the show, launching into their catchy pop-rock tunes to a receptive crowd. Playing new songs such as Chin Up Baby from their forthcoming EP Collidescope (expected to be released within the next few months) along with crowd favourites Wait, For Me Tokyo and Bedroom Eyes from their current release Spin For Me. Vocalist Chris Scott and guitarist Tim O’Keefe’s onstage banter between songs kept the audience amused and spirits high. Stealing O’Neal’s increasing popularity is indicative of their electrifying live show, which separates them from the influx of mediocre melodic bands that are currently swamping venues across the country. They are definitely a band to watch over the coming months with their stock set to soar.
The second band up, Perth natives Ellora Danan, opened their set with the song Check Your Smile (from their current release We All Have Secrets) further enthusing the already frantic crowd. Introducing fresh songs from their forthcoming album, the members of Ellora Danan proceeded to throw themselves around the stage and even crawled onto the barrier, keeping the pace high though out their entire set. The only downfall was the lack of projection from the amplifiers, leaving guitarist/vocalist Isaac Kara’s amazing backing vocals barely audible – although certain members of the enthusiastic crowd made up for the absence of Kara’s voice. This is Ellora Danan’s third time in Melbourne and surely after today’s show their fan-base here would have increased tenfold.
Finally the band that everyone was there to see, The Getaway Plan, started setting up their equipment, leaving the audience murmuring and limp with anticipation. When the band members entered the stage, all except vocalist Matthew Wright, the crowd let out squeals of excitement. When Wright finally joined the rest of his band on stage, the crowd went wild. The title track off their debut album Other Voices, Other Rooms was played over the PA, before the band exploded into the first single Streetlight. Playing songs from the album and from their EP Hold Conversation, the crowd seemed pleasantly satisfied. The biggest surprise of the night was when The Getaway Plan played a song called Strings from their 2005 demo CD, which made crowd members scream along with Wright’s dreamy vocals. Another blistering performance from one of Australia’s biggest up-and-coming bands.
