Live Review – Second Opinion!: Sound of Seasons + D at Sea + Breakaway + The Maze – The Lair, Metro Theatre (23.09.12)

When Sound of Seasons released “The Sheltered” a few days ago, I was impressed enough to think, ‘I should check them out.’ Coincidentally, they had a show at The Lair this weekend, so I went along to see if the single was a one-off success, or just a taste of how good the band was. Supporting them were D at Sea, Breakaway, and The Maze – Three other young artists that I hadn’t heard of.

First on was the synth/rock/pop band The Maze from Wollongong. Having read that they were just out of high school, I honestly didn’t expect much, so I was delighted when they proved me wrong. Though they list their influences as people like The Beatles and The Wombats, they sound less like a genre, and more like a mood; like road trips with friends and sunny days at the beach. On their Facebook page, they have one Band Interest: Balance. This is definitely noticeable in the music, as they have an unusual grasp on structure and melody, constructing songs with equal focus on all their instruments, rather than just supporting a hooky guitar riff (as many bands do). Their obvious enthusiasm, combined with their natural charisma made for a thoroughly enjoyable set. The highlights were “Jenny” and “Not My Scene”, both of which are available for free on the band’s triple J Unearthed page.

Following that was the band Breakaway, who were decent enough in terms of pop-rock appeal. Right from the start, vocalist Sam Biland demonstrated a knack for transitioning between singing and (tastefully) screaming, so I expected their songs to have a lot of punch. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Each song hit equally hard, making it difficult to distinguish between them. It’s a common mistake made by young bands who have enthusiasm but not experience, as they tend to throw everything they have at every song they produce. Instead of creating great music, it gives the impression that they have no imagination when it comes to lyrics and style. However, they clearly have talent. By exercising a little more restraint in their composition, and expanding their influences, they could improve very quickly. Their strongest song was “The Bitter Truth”, proving that they really do have potential.

The last supporting act was D at Sea who, unlike the others, was a solo performer. His set was a mixture of covers and originals; quite a change from the louder bands that had played before. The Brisbane singer-songwriter had plenty of heartfelt tunes about beautiful girls, and a strong voice. I often find myself struggling to pay attention when it comes to purely acoustic performances for two reasons: one, the guitar riffs can all begin to sound the same, and two, because the stripped-back nature forces the focus on vocals, making many performers sound weak. However, Doyle Perez knows where his strengths are, and was able to hold my attention. My favourite original of his was “December”, which will be on his upcoming EP – the lines ‘I’m not afraid of giving my heart / I’m not afraid of living my life’ are powerful indeed.

Finally, Sound of Seasons took to the stage. At first listen, they appear to be Australia’s belated response to Panic! At The Disco, but it very quickly emerges that they’re less theatre, more rocker. They opened the show with “Curses” the first track on their new EP (titled Makebelieve), and before the song had even finished, I was impressed. It only got better from there, with the band brandishing their instruments like weapons and playing with just as much power. Marcus Bridge’s voice ranges from a grittier lower register, right up to a faultless falsetto, perfectly complimented by the band’s instrumental composition, which is actually interesting to listen to, as opposed to just being catchy.

Together, they have an uncanny sense of synchronisation, moving from one killer song to the next, stopping only to banter with the crowd (Marcus: ‘Has anybody bought the EP yet? Anybody? Come on, somebody buy it! At least one, please?’) or each other. After playing their encore, the band turned around and asked if they could play two more songs. Usually this comes off as a ploy for applause, but the band sounded genuinely overwhelmed by the audience’s reaction to their set, and despite the warning that these last two hadn’t been played in a while, they were just as well-executed as the rest of the set.

When the band finished, I joined the queue at the merch table. Judging by the amount of people there, they were going to sell more than ‘at least one’ copy of Makebelieve. For a band I hadn’t heard of a week ago, Sound of Seasons really won me over during their one-hour set. Their music is accessible without sounding commercialised, and their live show was electric: two things that have put them firmly on my list of bands to watch.

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