Review and gallery: JD Garrahy
It’s not often that a band slips under my radar, let alone two. And when they’re paired on a tour of our great land, you know I have to check it out. Tonight, we are blessed with the musical brilliance of The Spill Canvas and The Juliana Theory. The Triffid is a buzz with energy before you even walk through the show doors, with fans gathered around the entry, sharing stories of the how’s, when’s, and why’s of the impact of these two bands upon their lives. There is passion here, and it’s very justified for what I’m about to witness.
The emo scene was never my thing — I was always a punk kid at heart. But as I grow older, I’m finding justification as to why the emo scene grew into the behemoth it is now. Kicking into action straight off the bat is The Juliana Theory. While the crowd is silent in eager anticipation, as they take the stage, they jump straight into “Into The Dark”. Tonight is a celebration of their incredible album Emotion Is Dead. At 25 years, this album still holds up and has firmly planted itself in the hearts and memories of their devoted fan base — for good reason.
Now, I could go on and on listing the songs that they played, but this setlist is here to showcase Emotion Is Dead. Head to wherever you stream music, and cue this album up. It is beautiful, emotionally driven, and the musicianship of these gents is something to truly behold in a live setting. Incredible to witness.
Watching guitarist Joshua Fiedler bounce around the stage, whipping his axe around like it doesn’t exist is one thing to watch, but when he and Eric Espiritu work with each other, it sounds otherworldly. Add to the mix the incredible voice of Brett Detar, and it’s VERY easy to see how these guys built such a solid fan base and produced some truly amazing music.
As I said at the start, The Spill Canvas slipped under my radar, but talking to the fans here tonight, they are a band deeply rooted within the hearts and minds of many people. Their celebration tonight is for their album One Fell Swoop. Twenty years ago, they launched this album onto the scene, and how it affected so many people still holds true to this day. Fans that have listened to it since they were 15, others who found them after the fact and rate it as one of the most influential albums of their lives. It truly is a testament to how deeply certain music can affect people from all walks of life.
It’s nothing short of spectacular to watch a band play their first shows in Australia, even more so when the atmosphere is so dense in emotion that you know every person singing along to these songs has part of their being deeply attached to the music. Watching Evan Pharmakis thrash around the stage, leaping from the drum riser while Nick Thomas lays every bit of his heart and soul bare before us is awe-inspiring. This has 100 percent been the night to bask in the glory of such a brilliant band and their achievement in such an incredible album (their catalogue WILL be a part of most playlists I make now — congrats on the new fan, lads).
As the night draws to a close, everything has been spot on: the sound, the lighting, everything. There hasn’t been one thing overlooked and not one fan disappointed. I’m sure myself and every other person in this venue will be waiting with bated breath for the return of these two amazing bands to our shores.
– GALLERY –
