Halcyon Days

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Before the pièce de résistance were due to arrive, Melbourne-based indie band Halcyon Drive opened the stage with a quirky balance of organic and electronic bursts of energy. While their sound proved to be a step in a different direction to what most of the audience prepared themselves for, they were still supported from start to end by appreciative palms and cheers.

At last, the time came. Like every aesthetically pleasing concert, the colourful lights dimmed down to an eerie glow and in an instant, lit up as the bashful Welsh rockers Stereophonics walked onstage. It seemed as if they were almost swallowed by the canopy of tall trees and stone heritage walls of Fremantle Arts Centre but soon became larger than life as they delivered some of their biggest tunes like ‘The Bartender and the Thief’, ‘Have a Nice Day’ and my personal favourite ‘Mr. Writer.’

It was this year that the band was celebrating their twenty-first year since the initial release of their debut album Word Gets Around and the chance to please the isolated little state of Perth with auditory pleasures from their newest album, Scream Above the Sounds.

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And what is a concert without a comedic story delivered by the frontman? Kelly Jones indulged us throughout the set with hilarious recounts of awkward encounters in Brisbane and the original backstory for ‘Graffiti on the Train.’

Yes, the band was full of chemistry and strategy. The most skilled trick of the night was the organisation of their setlist. Wanting to keep their fans begging for more, each new and older tune was delivered in accordance to a pulse. To every amped up, floor stomping song, they would add in a beautiful, melodic one. While the instrumentation may have slowed in tempo, the applause remained constantly at a deafening decibel.

Drawing closer to the end after a number of energetic songs that warranted crazy guitar and drum solos (courtesy of drummer Jamie Morrison), it was time to unveil one last song. The song every fan had gathered near and far on this clear night to hear. The #1 UK Singles and UK Indie Chart topper, ‘Dakota.’ You might as well have put us all in a football stadium, because Stereophonics were musically competing with thousands of fans from the left, right and centre of the widespread venue.

It was a perfect night that threw in a mix of nostalgia, plenty of beers and a performance so astoundingly flawless.

But hey, even if you weren’t at the very front or anywhere remotely near the stage, you might just have caught a glance of Kelly, Richard, Adam and Jamie peering over the balcony above the merch table before the show.

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Stereophonics

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Check out Karen Lowe’s gallery of this show HERE

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Check Out Georgie Dickinson’s interview with RICHARD JONES HERE

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Connect with STEREOPHONICS!

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AMNPLIFY – J B