Project Description

TROPHY EYES

‘The American Dream’ Tour

@ The Gov

18/10/18

(Live Review)

Reviewer: Michelle Keesmaat

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Trophy Eyes

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Australian punk band Trophy Eyes came back to the motherland this month to tour their newest record, The American Dream. Dropping in August, they’ve given us a few months to listen to and become obsessed with this absolute masterpiece collection of tracks. They captivated us and the rest of the world with their previous album, Chemical Miracle, and many have been waiting a whole year to see them again. These Newcastle locals exceeded expectations and created a record that not only matches but almost surpasses their previous works. Celebrating the release with them on tour is Sydney locals Dear Seattle, indie pop-rock outfit Maddy Jane, and indie rock group STUMPS.

Kicking off the night were indie rockers, STUMPS. Hailing from Sydney, these four rockers opened up the show to a small but eager crowd at The Gov. Many people were yet to come but those in the main room were paying close attention to their unique groovy rock ‘n’ roll sound. Frontman and guitarist Kyle Fisher certainly had some pipes on him and belted out words to a bopping crowd. With songs like Conversations Conversations, We’ll Do It Anyway and Piggyback, showgoers who knew the lyrics sang back and newcomers enjoyed their set.

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Stumps

STUMPS // Photo – Kay Cann

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Next up was Maddy Jane, an indie pop rock artist from Tasmania. She’s recently cropped up after blowing up on Triple J Unearthed and supporting acts like Polish Club, Tash Sultana and Luca Brasi. I was more than happy to see Maddy Jane on the bill for tonight, a female artist on tour with Trophy Eyes, one of the biggest bands in the current scene? Phenomenal. She brought so much energy to the show and as the crowd started to pile in I could tell this was going to be a highlight. She has such a unique sound and her drawing voice echoed the room as she sang. Her live band put on a great performance as well, the bassist and drummer grooving out and belting out beats, respectively. The crowd happily danced and sang along to songs like No Other Way and Drown It Out.

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Maddy Jane

MADDY JANE // Photo – Kay Cann

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Without question Dear Seattle were the most anticipated of support acts tonight and it showed as the room was packed out. If you have never heard of Dear Seattle before then I implore you go listen to them after reading this because it will be one of the best things you do. These four down to earth guys put on an amazing set. Complete with VB cans, hair-tangling head banging, jumping around stage and a guitar held together with duct tape, these guys knew how to rock. Fan favourites Cut You Deep, The Meadows and Afterthought were highlights of the set. I lost count of how many mosh pits were started and crowd surfers went over the front railing. I couldn’t have picked a more perfect band to support Trophy Eyes up next, the energy was up and people were excited for what was to come.

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Dear Seattle

DEAR SEATTLE // Photo – Kay Cann

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The energy in the room was palpable and a packed room was eager for Trophy Eyes to appear. As they burst onto the stage the crowd erupted in cheers and the quintet jumped right into the set. A sombre A Cotton Candy Sky and Lavender Bay started off the set lit the place up and punters moved and grooved, jumping along and passionately shouting back to an overall-clad vocalist John Floreani. He brings so much energy to every performance and tonight was no different. Bouncing around stage and breathless the crowd shouted the start of the chorus “I won’t sleep until Sydney knows my name” loud enough that he didn’t need to. They continued with songs More Like You, Broken, and Something Bigger Than This being echoed by the animated crowd. Arguably the best on the album, I was happy to be able to scream along to these ones. With Blake Caruso on drums, Andrew Hallet and Kevin Cross on strings, and Jeremy Winchester on bass they rocked The Gov and belted out the tracks. An emotional Hurt, released before The American Dream came out kept up the same energy, before moving into Miming in The Choir. The soft instrumentals lift into hard hitting riffs and heavy vocals, contrasted with clean vocals and dancing feeling of Autumn, everyone stopping to shout “don’t let those sad songs rot your brain”.

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Trophy Eyes

TROPHY EYES // Photo – Kay Cann

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I’m sure I’m not the only person to have hoped a few songs from Chemical Miracle would be on the set list. To delighted fans, a whole five songs were included. Starting the throwback was Heaven Sent, and as it transitioned into the heavier portion of the song moshing ensued. Mosh pits and crowd surfing were a constant of the entire show and were a welcome sight. There’s something about seeing a crowd surfer trust the people around them enough to be held up and pushed to the barrier that warms the heart. Continuing with Breathe You In, Suicide Pact and Daydreamer the crowd’s energy was high and people were getting rowdy, moshing was a constant. Giving the band a little time for a rest and a breather, Floreani slowed things down with an acoustic Tip Toe and A Symphony of Crickets. Beautiful soft vocals, light acoustics and the low lighting made for a stunning performance.

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Trophy Eyes

TROPHY EYES // Photo – Kay Cann

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Bringing it back we go into Chlorine, the last of the songs from Chemical Miracle and clearly a fan favourite. It was chilling to hear hundreds of people shout in unison “I’m still breathing”, the passion evident on their faces. Moshing here, crowd surfers there, and even people sitting on each other’s shoulders, Chlorine brought us all together. It was nice to hear it live again. Ending the night, we were treated to an upbeat Friday Forever complete with pyrotechnics lighting up the room. After teasing us and the crowd calling for an encore they came back with You Can Count on Me and I Can Feel It Calling, leaving the night on a high.

Trophy Eyes never fail to put on a great show and tonight was no exception. These five guys are one of the most fun, passionate and engaging acts I have ever seen. It’s hard to believe that they’re not already known worldwide and it blows my mind because they deserve so much. Trophy Eyes bring people together with their music. The hardships that they have had to go through, and are still struggling with, is evident in their lyrics. The fact that it resonates so much with listeners just goes to show the power of their words and how much recognition they deserve.

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Trophy Eyes’ new album The American Dream is available now, go check it out!

SETLIST

A Cotton Candy Sky

Lavender Bay

More Like You

Broken

Something Bigger Than This

Hurt

Miming in The Choir

Autumn

Heaven Sent

Breathe You In

Suicide Pact

Daydreamer

Tip Toe

A Symphony of Crickets

Chlorine

Friday Forever

You Can Count on Me

I Can Feel It Calling

Connect with TROPHY EYES

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AMNplify – MK