Review: The Getaway Plan U18

People walking through Russell Street on Friday afternoon were wondering why the hell so many different teenagers were lined up around several corners, throwing Starburst at each other, drinking Coke, yelling, laughing, or simply sitting on the concrete. The reason? The Getaway Plan were back in town.

Cheerleader, the first support act, were vaguely energetic and politely received. Despite that, they seemed to lack enthusiasm and only were able to summon a cordial response from the audience. The next band, Built on Secrets, were able to garner more of a reaction, with engaging performances from each member, particularly the drummer. However, the more well-known Stealing O’Neal eclipsed both the previous acts, stealing the show with a healthy mixture of old favourites, entirely new tracks and banter, performed with a riotous exuberance and the confident declaration that this was their best performance ever. In between acts, speakers reminded the audience of the show’s cause: to raise awareness about depression, addiction, self harm and suicide.

After Stealing O’Neal, the curtains went down, and Billboard the Venue buzzed with an almost overwhelming nervous excitement from hundreds of teens desperate for a hit of The Getaway Plan. The rising curtains heralded frenzied cheers from the crowd, and the resulting band appeared much the same, except for a haircut and smart black coat for vocalist, Matt Wright. They performed admirably considering their year-long absence, blazing through their set with songs from their last album, Other Voices, Other Rooms, including Sleep Spindles, Shadows, Red Flag and of course, ending with the ever-popular Where The City Meets The Sea.
There was some disappointment at their decision to include only one song from pre-Other Voices times. Nevertheless, The New Year added to the showcase of Matt Wright’s impressive vocal range, ranging from screaming to singing to whispering.

The encore song, Rhapsody on a Windy Night, was preluded by the haunting Entr’acte, similar to the album version. Any lingering thoughts that The Getaway Plan weren’t fully back were forgotten as Matt leapt from the stage into the crowd complete with microphone, sparking a crazy few minutes with some doubt as to whether the singer would emerge again. He did, and The Getaway Plan went out with a bang.

Are they really back? The clock is counting down...



So that was my review of the show. Also, I EFFING LOVE THE GETAWAY PLAN TO DEATH. In other news, my goal in life is to become a rockstar.