Project Description

LA DISPUTE

@ The Metro Theatre, NSW

15/09/19

(Live Review)

Reviewer: Amelia Torresan

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Everyone has that one band that they discovered when they were a teenager which holds a special place in their heart because they made them feel like they weren’t alone when they listened to their music. Watching La Dispute play at the Metro Theatre on Sunday night, I could definitely see how, for the 300 or so people in the room, this was that band for them.

Supporting La Dispute, were a band who describe themselves as “queer pop dreamboats:” Sports Bra, from Sydney. At first sight, they may appear as a group of high school friends who started a band but after watching their set, all I saw were professionals who knew how to perform for a crowd. Their ability to channel the raw emotion within their lyrics through their performance was astounding and painted them as genuine musicians using their own experiences as inspiration. This allowed the audience, including myself, to connect with them on a personal level.

The band promote love, acceptance and positivity through their music, creating a safe space for anyone who feels like an outsider. It’s as if their music was giving you a hug and telling you to ‘be yourself, you’re amazing.‘ This was conveyed through the last song in their set “Thank You For Being Alive” from their 2017 self titled album, Sports Bra which they dedicated to the crowd as a ‘congratulations’ for getting out of the house. If you are ever feeling down on yourself, I’d definitely suggest Sports Bra and their music for giving you never-ending support!

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The clock then hit 9:00pm and onto the stage walked the main act of the night: La Dispute. They’re a post-hardcore band from Michigan formed in 2004, made up of 5 members. Now, if you’ve never heard of or listened to La Dispute before, think slam poetry but to music.

Starting the setlist with ‘Rose Quartz/Fulton Street I‘ from their recently released album Panorama, lead singer Jordan Dreyer and guitarist Corey Stroffolino had an endless supply of energy and enthusiasm on stage from the get go that was maintained until the very last song of the night. The scene can be compared to a musician who is dancing or playing along to their favourite song alone in their room, unapologetically being themselves and wholeheartedly enjoying the moment they’re in.

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The energy within the crowd I found would rise and fall depending on how recent the song being played was released. The older songs, particularly from La Dispute‘s older albums Somewhere At The Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair (2008) and Wildlife (2011) were definitely the ones that created more commotion. I assume that it was  the songs on those albums that turned them into a fan of the band when they were teenagers and generated the most nostalgia. Bringing up Myspace received one of the loudest cheers of the night, which really showed the general age of the audience.

There were two small moments in the show which really stood out to me and allowed me to observe the character of the lead singer, Jordan Dreyer. The first was when he expressed concern for the crowd, handing out bottles of water because staying hydrated is super important especially if you’re in a tightly packed and sweaty mosh pit. The second moment was when Jordan mentioned that they had a little booth for Headspace at the show. I found it refreshing that they emphasised the importance of mental health to their fans and aimed to create “a safe space where we take care of each other and look out for each other.” You could tell that La Dispute cared just as much about their fans as their fans did about them.

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Before I attended the show, I decided to listen to some of their pre-recorded songs which didn’t appeal to me at all. However, watching La Dispute play live absolutely changed my mind on the band and their music. Every element of their performance, including movement, vocals, sound levels and crowd interaction came together so perfectly that I sat there watching in awe. You can tell that their 15 years in the music industry has allowed them to perfect their live performances.

Even though I personally couldn’t make out the lyrics of the songs that were being spoken, I could still feel the emotion that were being conveyed. The songs themselves were so raw and the spoken word style fit so well with the music. I can understand why most of the crowd would be intrigued by them in their (angsty) teen years. Reading the lyrics after the show, I realised how poetic everything was, which lead me to the conclusion that La Dispute are angsty slam poetry with music.

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After confessing that they wanted to skip the whole “go offstage, hide and then come back after a chant in a variation of ‘one more song“, La Dispute played a handful of songs that would’ve been considered as part of their “encore.” These songs were some of my favourites of the night, and clearly some of the favourites of the crowd. One song in particular was the most popular out of all the ‘encore’ songs, and this was ‘King Park‘ from their 2011 album Wildlife. When I think of La Dispute songs, I know this song and this song only, mainly due to a Facebook group titled ‘a group for only speaking in emo lyrics’ where hundreds of members post the one same lyric from the song: “Can I still get into heaven if I kill myself?” I couldn’t believe how absolutely wild the crowd went during this song; quoting the song word for word, creating circle pits, moshing, crowd-surfing and just general headbanging. It’s clear ‘King Park‘ was the most popular song of the night.

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To sum up La Dispute‘s show at the Metro, all I have to say is that when you find comfort in their music because you feel like an outsider, also remember that they care about you and you matter.

Check out Laura Hughes‘s interview with Jordan Dreyer here

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Connect with La Dispute

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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