Live Review - Boys Of Summer Tour, Friday January 19th 2007

22 January 2007 | 10:43 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

The night belonged to Misery Signals.....

Friday January 19th will forever go down as a monumental moment in my life. I got to see Misery Signals – it’s simple as that. But before I heap praise on one of the greatest bands in the known world, I should tell you all a bit about the rest of the evening.

To begin with, it was still 32 degrees outside – which mean standing in a room with 600 other people only made things worse! But hey, it’s Melbourne, and we’re used to getting the shit end of the stick when it comes to the weather.

Tonight marked the second anniversary of the touring circus we know as “The Boys Of Summer”. Presented by the good folk at Destroy Al Lines, the tour aims to showcase bands from all over the globe… and all over the musical map. I think the crew at DAL are to be commended (and not shit talked – YES I’M LOOKING AT YOU OUT THERE IN INTERNET LAND) for putting together a tour which brings in so many punters from all walks of life.

First band of the evening was Adelaide’s “In Fiction”. These guys play a brand of pop rock similar to Aussie heroes Gyroscope and After The Fall – and they do it well! The songs are catchy and they look great on stage but unfortunately the crowd just weren’t feeling it tonight. Maybe it was the heat or maybe the kids were saving their energy for the headlining acts, but I don’t feel “In Fiction” got the response they deserved.

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Next up were US emo kids “Spitalfield”. I couldn’t tell you the name of one “Spitalfield” song but there were a bunch of fans up the front who loved every minute of their hook laden set. Personally I don’t see the big deal about this band, there’s a million bands doing THIS sound better – but hey, who cares what I think!? I own White Snake’s self titled record on vinyl for fuck’s sake so I doubt the kids are going to listen to me! I will admit however that the last 2 songs of “Spitalfield’s” set did get my toes a tappin.

After a brief changeover local lads “The Getaway Plan” hit the Corner main stage. This was my first time seeing the band since the departure/release of their guitar Benny and things looked a little shaky from where I was standing. TGP played us a couple of new tunes (of a forth coming release on Boomtown Records mid year) and if the rest of the album is as good as these tracks then the band is well on the way to stepping up to the rock n roll big leagues. Unfortunately, The Getaway Plan’s older material didn’t fare quite as well. With only one guitar to lead the way the song’s sounded empty and lost a lot of their punch (and the hooks) that are present on the band’s current EP, Holder Conversation. The mix was also particularly muddy for the TGP but to their credit, they keep their energy up for their entire set and left most of the crowd wanting more.

It was easy to pick who was here to see Misery Signals. MS fans were ravenous. They were champing at the bit to see if Misery Signals’ recorded output could be matched (and hopefully surpassed) by their live show.

I feel confident in speaking for everyone that the band absolutely owned The Corner Hotel on Friday the 19th. The sound was amazing – the mix was crystal clear, the guitars resonated, the bass rumbled and the drums sounded like an eruption. The fact that new-ish vocalist Karl commanded the crowd’s attention like one Phil Anselmo (if you don’t know who Phil Anselmo is go play in traffic) didn’t hurt either. His vocals were brutal from start to finish and his stage presence was second to none.

MS played a healthy mix of old and new songs which kept long time fans and recent converts happy. To pick a highlight would be like tying to pick up a favourite child but to hear “Five Years” live was something I will never forget.

To round out the evening were SA heavy hitters I Killed The Prom Queen. Fresh from a US tour w/ Silverstein and It Dies Today, IKTPQ showed why they are currently Australia’s number 1 metal export. Their live show is second to none and they certainly know how to whip a crowd into a frenzy. My only complaint (again) is that the mix left a lot to be desired. The Corner Hotel is notorious for its live sound and tonight was no exception. The majority of the crowd definitely loved every minute of the Prom Queen set but after Misery Signals I was finding it a little hard to focus.

Congratulations must go to Destroy All Lines for putting together another successful tour. The crowd was near capacity and from all reports, the rest of the stops on the tour were the same. Every band gave it 100% on stage regardless of how punishing the heat was but quite simply, the night belonged to Misery Signals. I don’t think Australia is going to see anything better than that for a long time…..