LIVE REVIEW: SPACEY JANE @ THE FORUM
Saturday night Melbourne in its prime, heading into footy finals season the streets were crowded with locals ready for a big night out. The Forum was ready for another night of music lovers, already having four sold out shows leading into the Saturday night.
Opening act Teenage Dads collected a crowd of indie youths early. The crowd donned muted tones, interspersed with the Melbourne uniform black on black. Presenting their tracks with strong energy, the band surprised the crowd with two new tracks: Teddy and 3am. Speaking to Jordan and Vince afterwards, they commented on what an awesome night it had been, but we’re quick to note the whole tour had been amazing.
Soon to follow was the 80s synth of ‘I Know Leopard’. Their songs could be mistaken for the latest stranger things soundtrack, with their neon set reflecting the throwback. It was a clear and consistent performance, ‘Heather’ introduced a synchronised head nod throughout the crowd but the three piece didn’t quite provide the stage presence you would hope for, despite the live violin and a feature from Spacey Jane guitarist, Ash.
With a thunderous applause, Spacey Jane were glowing as they walked out to their fifth and final sold out Forum show. Their recent album, ‘Here comes everybody’ peaked at #1 on the Aria charts and it has been full steam ahead for the four pieces indie rockers. After performing their biggest show to date at RAC Arena in Perth, it was clear they had perfected their craft.
Frontman Caleb crooned as the crowd sang along from the first track. It was the kind of vibe you don’t think can be beat, yet somehow it was amped higher as they got under our ‘Skin’. There were slow sing alongs and conversations with the crowd (in one aside, Caleb marveled “I feel pretty f*king good!” despite the physical and emotional toll of touring). The strength of their fan base was evident as the room was electrified with an injection of ‘Thrills’, arguably their most energetic track of the night and dating back to their 2017 EP.
The excitement after ‘Booster Seat’ was momentarily halted as Caleb spotted a fan in the front of the crowd who had reportedly fainted. It was a biblical moment as he swiftly parted the sea of fans to get security in to assist. After making sure everyone was ok, the dropped straight into their next song. It was an event that would rattle many bands and potentially throw off their remaining performance but Spacey Jane came back without hesitation.
Encore was soon demanded, with not only Spacey Jane but Teenage Dads and I Know Leopard returning to the stage in their finest party hats. ‘Head Cold’ played as balloons were thrown from the stage and they danced together, celebrations as the overwhelmingly successful tour came to a close.
