The Getaway Plan @ The Metro,Sydney (25/11/11)

Wed 30th Nov, 2011 in Gig Reviews

It’s hard to comprehend Gatherer on a number of levels. As a trio of Kiwi’s based in Melbourne, the experimental alt-rock outfit certainly put the mindset of a dwindling audience to the test, with blistering vocals and screeching guitars consuming the tiny Metro Theatre in a haze of dissonance. Whilst for many this amalgamation of stoner and noise rock may have proved to far afield from the headliner for the night, the impassioned angst imbued within such a brief set was unquestionably worthy of a far heftier applause than the apathetic crowd was willing to grant.

Far more to the taste of punters, Break Even are quick to follow with their raucous hardcore stylings. Fronted by the ever charismatic Mark Bawden, even securities best efforts failed to contain a veritable riot on the floor, triggered by a slew of fans attained almost certainly as a result of Break Even’s years of slogging it out in similar support slots for local and international acts. Despite this however, the quartet easily maintained their ever cool disposition, doing the Australian hardcore scene proud as they powered through thirty minutes of melodic mayhem.

Barely twenty minutes later the lights once again dimmed, with the first of many backing tracks subtly piercing the chatter of the room, with the ominous intro to The Reckoning ringing out across the room, closely followed by the angelic voice of Matthew Wright whose immense talent as a vocalist is brazenly apparent from the outset.

Wasting no time, both new and old were quickly mixed, with the locals ran through the post-hardcore esque Phantoms and Streetlight in a aurally and visiually impressive display, with guitarist Clint Owen Ellis complementing Wright’s melodies with engaging precision to form a magnificent canvas imbued with raw emotion.

Above all what became quickly clear was that this was not a night for showcasing the band’s most popular material, rather, it would seem that this had been the purpose of their brief tour in lieu of the quartet’s return from hiatus. Instead, despite the best protests of a number of irritatingly intoxicated punters in the mosh, this return to the Metro was to focus almost solely upon Requiem.

This second and latest release showcases a far more intimate side to Wright’s songwriting and was showcased towards the end of the hour long set with Coming Home, Stars and Heartsone enchantingly blending with soft lighting in a breathtaking harmonious display that culminated with a sonorous crescendo in the anthemic Heartsone, bringing the main set to a close.

Triumphantly returning to stage, Wrights bursting into the falsetto laden intro to the bands biggest hit to date – Where the City Meets the Sea ignited the mosh, with the Melbourne bred musos looking their most comfortable, now accompanied by punters screaming along to every word. Unusually yet somewhat fittingly however, rather then finishing on such a high note, Wright once again led the audience into the final and self titled track of Requiem that climaxes with an intense screaming laden outro complete with the now exhausted looking vocalist diving into the crowd.

Whilst some fans may have been disappointed by the lack of older material and short length of the set, The Getaway Plan once again reminded Sydney of their prodigious talent in a spectacular display of engaging musicianship.