The Getaway Plan
Friday, 2nd December 2011
Fowlers Live, Adelaide
Review and Pictures by Tori Hyland
Melbourne’s four piece, The Getaway Plan, had finally arrived back in Adelaide after a busy past few months. After announcing their reformation and releasing their new album, Requiem, we were all intrigued to see how their live show would play out.
The small crowd of various ages gathered inside the small live venue, some people hovered at the back while others went straight towards the stage. One of the first things I noticed was no barrier and an intimate feel. Although Adelaide was the only show on the Requiem tour that was all ages, a large majority of the crowd were over 18.
First up, Adelaide local hardcore band, Nazarite Vow, who took the stage a little after 7pm. The crowd reacted dismally, besides a few guys attempting to mosh near the back. The place was empty with only about 30 people scattered across the room, most of them watching, bored. The sound from the band was already heavy, not to mention their technical equipment was up too loud, making their music sound like a gigantic distorted noise. This affected most of the bands during the night. While all their songs sounded the same, and I along with others were never sure when to clap if the song was over or not. Now I don’t mind hardcore music, but I think most people who were solemnly there to see The Getaway Plan, a band who are not hardcore anymore, wouldn’t be exactly interested, making me question who organised the support bands.
Next, Melbourne based, Gatherer, who which Matt Wright (lead singer of The Getaway Plan) had been raving about a lot at the previous shows, but I didn’t seem to understand his judgement. Classifying what style of music Gatherer becomes a difficult task, it’s a unique sound, and would fall into the Alternative category. They took the stage for 30 minutes like every support band that night. It was quite difficult to hear the vocalists because of the overpowering instrumental sound. The crowd was slowly getting larger as time went by, but still stood waiting around for The Getaway Plan.
After, Perth’s hardcore band, Break Even, took the stage. They were lucky to score a spot for Soundwave next year as well as a top support spot for that night. The crowd surged forward reacting to the band’s energy, but still were not interested, besides a small group in the middle sporting Break Even shirts. Break Even were a typical metalcore band, although they were good, they were nothing I hadn’t seen before.
Finally, the time had arrived, after enduring three support bands and various sound checks, The Getaway Plan were ready to take the stage. Launching straight into their current single, The Reckoning, within a matter of seconds had the crowd off their feet and full of life, while the support bands hadn’t managed that reaction all night. Straight after, moving through to Phantoms and later an older song, Streetlight, showcasing the first bit of Matt’s unclean vocals briefly in the bridge. It’s weird to listen back to “old” Getaway Plan music compared to their newer stuff. They made a big change, going from a hardcore band to a rock band.
It wasn’t until after the second or third song, the lead singer, Matt, actually spoke a word to the audience, and even when he did it was very brief and quick, a polite ‘Thank you’ or a short talk. They seemed to keep to themselves and just play, which some people could perceive as snobby, but I thought it demonstrated a commitment to playing a good show rather than babbling on about nonsense.
Moving through to Move Along, then a crowd favourite Shadows, and back to two new songs; February and Flying Colours. All were executed perfectly.
It was quite interesting to analyse all four guys and their techniques. They had so much equipment and so much to remember. Everything they did was very controlled, for example, the lead guitarist, Clint, would carefully move his guitar toward his amplifier to use the feedback from it to create the sounds.
The set list was constructed very wisely also, with an upbeat beginning, a slower mid-section and some favourites to finish the show and leave on a high. Although the set was heavily populated with songs from the new album, Requiem, with 9 out of 13 songs being from Requiem. They had purposely placed the older songs between the new songs, a good idea in case the new songs didn’t go down well they could still save the show by playing an old favourite. Luckily for them, they have a very strong and loyal fan base, their new album had barely been out for a month, and nearly everyone knew all the words to every song. Not to mention I spoke to a girl next to me, who had seen them 11 times.
As the show was coming to a close, they slowed down for some ballads including New Medicine and Coming Home. Then S.T.A.R.S and Heartstone, which I would describe as power ballads due to the use of choirs, strings and percussion. Dismounting from the stage having supposedly finished, the crowd chanted for their reappearance.
As they re-entered the stage, finishing off with the biggest song of their career, Where the city meets the sea, which definitely saw a large reaction from the crowd. Everyone sang along drowning out Matt’s vocals, because honestly what Getaway Plan fan doesn’t know Where the city meets the sea?!
Concluding the night with Requiem, the last song on the new album. A slower song, that went down well, with an extra special ending. As Matt descended from his spot on the stage, kneeled down and fell into us in the first few rows as he screamed the final bit of the song and show. Before leaving the stage, a naked man, presuming he was a person apart of their tour management, walked onstage and presented Clint with a birthday cake as the crowd sang Happy Birthday to him.
Their set flew by at rapid speed and left you craving more. I thought they could have played longer; they definitely had enough repertoire to do so, and the microphone levels could have been adjusted better. At the end of the night, I walked away very satisfied along with many other fans. It’s a wonder why The Getaway Plan aren’t selling out larger venues with the talent they possess. I would even rate them one of the better Australian bands around currently and one of the best live shows I had seen all year. The show felt extra special and personal because of the small and intimate atmosphere which I enjoyed.
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