Live Review: The Getaway Plan, Gatherer, Freeds

Melbourne rockers The Getaway Plan returned to Perth to offer up a short but sweet serving of all their old favourites, as well as a few samplers from their forthcoming release, Dark Horses.

But first, Freeds hit the stage to warm up the crowd. The Sydneysider was accompanied by a masked drummer, which immediately caught people’s eye. The rapper acknowledged that having a hip-hop act open for an alternative band was a somewhat odd decision, but didn’t let it shake his confidence. The man managed to hold the crowd’s attention for the entirety of his set — his most notable track of the night being a cover of M.I.A.’s Paper Planes. 

Screeching riffs drew a crowd around the stage as Gatherer began their set. The New Zealand natives’ grunge-heavy set was impressive enough to get punters lined up along the barrier, egging them on. One fan was head-banging so aggressively, he ran the risk of knocking himself out on the bar in front of him. The four-piece was dripping with sweat as they poured out duel vocals and rumbling basslines that literally got the ground shaking.

Things had gotten rowdy as the audience anxiously awaited The Getaway Plan’s arrival. The boys made their introductions brief, launching almost immediately into Sleep Spindles. Front man Matthew Wright’s vocals were sublime, and since his screams weren’t as audible as they should have been, the crowd was more than happy to be his stand-in.

Fans were already treated to some new material by song #3 — and a sea of thrashing signified a resounding approval. New Medicine (Stay With Me) elicited some drunken slow claps and swaying back and forth; Wright’s vocals punctuated with just the right amount of poignancy.

Back to the new stuff now, and Battleships served as the perfect little teaser for what’s in store for their new record. Shortly after, a rare performance of A Lover’s Complaint was a pleasant surprise for diehard fans, who eagerly raised their glasses to toast the Melbourne locals.

New life was breathed into the room as soon as the boys began their biggest hit to date, Where The City Meets The Sea. Half the venue clutched their phone in their hand — filming the performance and their friends throwing down — while the other half excitedly scream-shouted the words back at the stage. The final throwback for the night, Strings, proved that these guys had it going on from the very beginning, and very clearly show no signs of stopping.