The Getaway Plan @ Amplifier,Perth (09/02/11)

Sun 13th Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Nearly a year after announcing their break-up, The Getaway Plan are back and ready to celebrate their reunion with the first stop of their ‘Reclamation’ tour, held at the Amplifier Capitol in Perth. Despite the band’s hiatus, dedicated Perth fans made their way down in strong numbers to support the Victorian alternative-rock outfit.

The first act to take the stage for the night was a progressive rock group also hailing from Melbourne, Secrets in Scale. Brothers David and John McGuire allowed the audience to ease into the beginning of the night with a series of well constructed rock guitar riffs and distinct vocal stylings that sounded of music eras past. After the set had been finished for the night, lead singer David played a frantic, heavy mash-up of vocals and drums to cap it off.

Despite being quite musically talented, the set was played through with very little transition time and didn’t really allow for the band to try and connect or reach out to potential fans, with only a few ill attempts made. The tell-tale signs of resignation were rife throughout the apathetic crowd, and if the band is able to improve upon this factor alone in the future, Secrets in Scale could easily see themselves being moved up the bill.

After a somewhat lengthy set-up and sound check period, explosive pop-punk Sydney group Tonight Alive hit the stage. Treating the audience to songs from their debut EP All Shapes and Disguises and 3 track vinyl release Consider This, the entire set was high octane from start to finish, with their popular cover of Rufio’s In My Eyes thrown in for good measure. Being well supported by her fellow band members, lead singer Jenna McDougall was infectious up front and could very easily be Australia’s answer to fellow US pop punk front women Hayley Williams (Paramore) and Cassadee Pope (Hey Monday). With an album slated for international release in the middle of this year, Tonight Alive look set to take on the world.

After what seemed to be a quick turn-around, it was finally time and The Getaway Plan took to the stage while being cheered on by a floor full of audience members, and also fans from above on the second level. Opening the proceedings with a song that went unnamed off their upcoming album, it was apparent that the boys hadn’t lost a step from the last time they performed live together.

Playing songs mostly from their debut album Other Voices, Other Rooms, the crowd was also given a sampler of the new songs from their upcoming sophomore album. The first was Coming Home which was a nice, relaxed acoustic piece that contrasted well with the second song Flying Colours, which was a much more fast-paced, high energy rock song. A third song was also played which also went unnamed, but lead singer Matthew Wright said was about ‘drugs’.

Teasing the fans with an early closing, the band played their most commercially well-known track Where the City Meets the Sea to a huge reception from the audience, before leaving the stage for five minutes to chants of “encore” and “one more song”. Eventually answering the cry of their fans, they took back the stage to play a few favourites to close out the night.

Although all of the songs from the new album were solid sounding tracks, unfortunately they appeared to be partially lost on the audience. One must remember that the last time the band recorded was in 2008, and so a sizeable contingent of the crowd would be made up of nostalgia fans coming to hear, and sing along to, songs that they remember from years ago. Perhaps the tour was booked a little prematurely, and would have been better suited after the album had been dropped on the public.

Regardless of timing, one thing is for sure, whatever The Getaway Plan has set out to ‘reclaim ‘with his tour, they have placed themselves firmly in the right direction.