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BOYS LIKE GIRLS
+ The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
@ Roundhouse, Sydney,
07th October 2022
(Live Review)

Review by Amelia Torresan

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Boys Like Girls, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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Picture this: It’s 2006, Myspace is thriving, skinny jeans are in, emo hair is big, black and dead straight and your favourite bands are at their peak releasing hit after hit. Last night transported all elder and new-age emos to this scene and it was absolutely incredible. Two bands who found their voice in 2006 teamed up to put on one iconic show for their Sydney fans, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Boys Like Girls.

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The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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The night first started with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, setting the mood for their performance with Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ Intro music. From there, their setlist consisted largely of songs from their 2006 debut LP, ‘Don’t You Fake It’ which boasts all of their most well known songs, such as Waiting, Cat and Mouse, False Pretense, Face Down, and Your Guardian Angel. As a casual fan myself, these were the songs I knew and was ecstatic to see live in concert and not just listen to on my Spotify ‘Liked Songs’ playlist. The crowd sang alongside lead singer Ronnie Winter throughout the show.

“There’s always one person in the crowd who says one thing in the night ‘Face Down’ as if we’re not gonna play it. Of course we’re gonna play Face Down.” – Ronnie Winter

Then it came time for ‘Face Down’ and the entire crowd burst with excitement, half screaming, half shouting the lyrics back at the band. It was definitely a full circle moment for many in the crowd who grew up listening to the song on CD players and iPods to see The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus perform it live in concert. They hyped up the mosh and set the scene for Boys Like Girls effortlessly, performing with a down-to-earth quality that was reminiscent of a group of friends in their parent’s garage playing music because they love it.

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The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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Boys Like Girls, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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Then it came time for the main attraction, Boys Like Girls, who started their set with arguably their most popular (and one of my all time favourite) songs ‘The Great Escape.’ The crowd went absolutely WILD when the introductory guitar riff filled the airspace of the Roundhouse and sang along to every word of the hit song. It was the perfect taste of what the show to come would be like: a rock and roll party with good vibes and great music.

‘5 Minutes to Midnight ‘, ‘Hero/Heroine’ and ‘On Top of the World’ were next in the lineup, keeping the energy of the crowd at an all time high. Boys Like Girls’ energy and stage presence could not be faulted, they commanded the attention of the crowd and showed them a good time, performing an incredible example of a rock show. As the night went on, Boys Like Girls continued to play their entire debut album, which explores themes of love, loss, youth, and angst for the future, front to back to the delight of their fans.

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Boys Like Girls, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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Boys Like Girls, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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“Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer
Do you know you’re unlike any other?
You’ll always be my thunder”

Taking a break from the high energy songs, the show took a turn for the acoustic with a heartfelt performance of ‘Thunder’ which had the crowd swaying along with their phone flashlights held high and shining bright. The song effortlessly showed off the vocal talents of lead singer Martin Johnson as the melody echoed throughout the venue. The mood picked up as the band played ‘You, Me and My Medication’ and ‘Up Against the Wall’ accompanied by a blinding light show that illuminated the three frontmen and dazzled the crowd. It was incredible watching their drummer John Keefe absolutely demolish the drums during ‘You, Me and My Medication’ that could be felt through the floor and left no jaw un-dropped.

The die-hard fans of the band knew which song came next and screamed in anticipation for ‘Dance Hall Drug’ to start. The crowd moved as one, enthusiastically jumping up and down to the beat of the song and singing along to the lyrics whose message of ‘kids are trying to grow up too fast’ has stayed relevant over the past 18 years. The song even featured an acapella chorus where the tables turned and the audience became the lead singers for Dance Hall Drug.

During a brief intermission, lead singer Martin Johnson admits that “when you write this shit when you’re 18 you don’t expect to sing it front to back when you’re 37” thanking the band’s fans for their loyalty over the years and stating that “it feels so good to be on stage with my best friends”. Judging by the way Johnson speaks to the crowd, it is evident that he is a down to earth dude and his intentions are genuine, which is what you want to see when you’re a fan as you want to support good people.

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Boys Like Girls, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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‘Learning to Fall’ continued the performance, a passionate and motivational song that sounds like it came straight out of a 2000’s teen rom-com.The next song, ‘Heels Over Head,’ totally shocked me when it started playing as I have listened to it on Spotify for years but somehow never associated that it was Boys Like Girls, so that was definitely a pleasant surprise and I joined in singing with the crowd as soon as I realised. It’s incredible how many popular and well known songs came from only one album, and their debut album at that. It’s a feat that so many artists can only dream of achieving themselves.

‘Broken Man’ and ‘Holiday’ closed out the album, the performance of the latter being intimate and emotional with Martin Johnson being bathed in a pure and natural stage light showcasing the raw emotion behind the song. It was truly a dynamic melodic rollercoaster toying between stripped back and delicate and intense and passionate and the crowd were definitely enjoying the ride.

“We’re heading for a heart heart heartbreak
I’m gonna go and turn around and walk away”

Continuing on the setlist came songs from Boys Like Girls’ 2009 album ‘Love Drunk’ starting with one of the album’s singles: ‘Heart Heart Heartbreak.’ This song was so fun and energetic, bringing the energy and the crowd back to life and just reinforced the whole ‘rock party’ vibe of the night which carried on through to the next song ‘She’s Got a Boyfriend Now’. After their bassist Greg James partook in Aussie tradition by doing a ‘shoey’ out of the shoe of the ‘sweatiest dude in the room’ (according to Martin Johnson), Johnson teased new music to the crowd before playing a yet-to-be-released song titled ‘Outside.’ It was energetic and catchy, and after the first chorus, everyone was able to pick up on the hook lyrics and sing along like it had been part of Boys Like Girls’ discography since their debut. “It’s ok, it’s alright, baby welcome to life on the outside!”

The performance of ‘The First Time’ from the band’s 2011 album ‘Crazy World’ resulted in only what I can describe as a party in the mosh. The morale among the mosh was so high and the people upstairs watching from the balcony were bopping and singing along to the song. Like every party, there’s always an acoustic cutesy song for the couples, and that came in the form of ‘Be my Everything’ and ‘Two Is Better Than One.’ You could see the couples and even singles swaying along to the rhythm as if they were 18 again at their high school formal slow dancing with their sweetheart, it was cute.

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Boys Like Girls, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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Rounding out the show was my all time favourite Boys Like Girls song that absolutely filled my heart with so much joy and excitement to hear ‘Love Drunk.’ I personally like to record the first verse and chorus of my favourite songs and once they were over, lead singer Martin Johnson stopped the song, asked if we had “gotten our TikToks” and forced the audience to put away their phones and enjoy the moment. Once the song started again from the beginning, the mosh all crowded to the front and people were as squashed as sardines but jumping along to the song. It really felt like we had gone back to a time where there were no smartphones and people enjoyed themselves in the mosh, it was incredible.

Boys Like Girls really know how to put on a show. I can genuinely say I enjoyed every minute of it and really felt like the audience did too. Each member of Boys Like Girls and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are so talented and it was definitely a show that warmed my elder emo heart. I’m glad that these incredible dudes are still out there doing what they love and playing music for the world, music that makes people so happy. It was an experience to remember to say the least.

Also, top tip: take care of each other in the mosh. It’s a battlefield out there and we all need to look out for each other and do the right thing.

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Boys Like Girls, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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Check out Len Panecki’s gallery of the 170 Russell Melbourne show HERE

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Follow BOYS LIKE GIRLS
Website – Facebook – Spotify
Instagram – YouTube

Connect and Share with
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Apple Music/iTunes
Amazon

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Boys Like Girls, 170 Russell, Melbourne // Photo – Len Panecki

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AMNPLIFY – DB