Wall of Sound presents... The Million - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 1st September @ The Rhythm Hut, NSW
The Million
The Rhythm Hut, Gosford NSW
September 1st 2017
Supports: The Waxfinz, Reliqa and The Deep Blue
Wall of Sound presents… a really good night. Set in a venue known by very few, with bands who in some cases haven’t even released an EP yet; The odds were stacked against us. However, you should never underestimate the central coast music scene.
The Rhythm Hut is quite the hidden gem. Located directly across from the train station, you don’t really expect the colourful nature and quality set up of the venue. The comfortable environment set the vibe as those who came out early, enjoyed the sensual sounds of The Waxfinz. Inspired by the coast surf culture, for fans of Hockey Dad. The 3-piece, set the pace; their energy pretty immediate as they assist the crowd in getting comfortable with a slow build rather than an abrupt bang. With a setlist including their triple j unearthed release ‘Summer’ along with the melodic ‘Hearts’ and ‘Without You’ the boys aesthetics played very well within the venue.
I want to preface this, I left the venue for five minutes, at most, and came back to an almost full room. Reliqa, despite having yet to release a single and by far the heaviest band on the line-up; have obtained quite the loyal fanbase. The welcoming crowd serving as a constant source of energy for an already energetic band. Opening with the larger than life ‘Legacies’, the 4-piece has everyone off their feet in seconds. This only continuing through ‘Doomed’ and the atmospheric ‘False State’, showing off the phenomenal vocal range of front-woman Monique Pym. The band's chemistry fed the excitement of the audience as the opening riffs of ‘Insomnia’ rang out, the pit opened and the crowd went nuts; Those lucky few who had seen them live before singing along to every word. The set only continued to showcase the ridiculous talent of the band, ending with ‘Omega’... talk about ending with a bang. I was convinced the floor was about to cave in. Needless to say, they left the stage with a room full of people desperately waiting for an EP.
Onward and upwards, came the hidden gem of the night The Deep Blue, who entranced the crowd with their melodic set. Opening with ‘Darling’ and ‘Sleep In’ the crowd is introduced to the unique voice of front-man Blake Wares; His charismatic nature and talent with audience interaction, displaying the talent of a far more seasoned band. The boys had everyone dancing through fan-favourite ‘Did You Know’, absolute banger ‘Blue’ and a fantastic Catfish and the Bottlemen cover. This only solidified by the forever well received cover of ‘Mr Brightside’ with ‘Little Lover’ taking the role of an elusive finisher. The boys left a sweaty crowd and whispers of “That band was really cool! I should check them out later”.
The opening of ‘Nightmares’ has everyone prick up in anticipation as the boys jump on with immediate energy. Prefacing the night with the possibility that this will be the last time they play tracks of their debut EP ‘Awake too Late’, everyone is ready to give it the send off it deserves.
The band's chemistry is evident as they hammer through the yet to be released ‘Again’ followed by another cover of ‘Mr Brightside’ displaying that no one is ever going to get sick of that song apparently; because everyone screams it as loud as they did the first time.
‘Debris’ is my personal highlight of the night; Front-man Jacob Thomas’ performance is filled with such energy and passion. The crowd moves to every word and sings it back with just as much excitement. It’s honestly impossible not to dance and displays the wide range of talents from the entire band. This is followed by a phenomenally fun cover of MIKA's ‘Grace Kelly’, which had the crowd full of nostalgia as they sung back the “oooo’s” and “aaahh’s” as off-key as humanly possible; they same of course could not be said for Jacob who impressively was not thrown off and nailed it.
The boys charismatic charm naturally intertwined with a string of favorites; ‘Tommy and Krista’, the lighter waving, hip swaying ‘Autumn’ and another couple of fan favorite covers of Kings of Leon ‘Use Somebody’ and Wheatus ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, proving the band to be quite the crowd pleaser.
Saving the best for last, the opening riffs of single ‘Wanted’ play out and the crowd knows every word. The boys feed off the energy immensely. The vibe is genuinely euphoric as the new surge of energy has everyone clapping along and makes for a memorable experience. Impossibly they managed to follow that up with the absolute banger and debut single ‘I’m Not Feeling It’ which despite immense line-up changes since it's release, still holds up as an incredibly energetic finisher... But they weren’t done. There was one song missing, a cover that we all knew was coming; a song that has now become a bit of an inside joke between the band and their fans… ‘500 Miles’. As expected it goes off, the marching almost puts a hole in the floor (I was later told that they actually did put a hole through the floor last time they played the venue… of course) There was jumping. There was chanting. There were about 6 false endings as if the boy were making sure that everyone in the room had completely lost their voice when they left.
Breathless, covered in sweat and grinning from ear to ear; the night ended with last minute merch sales and the rapid noting down of bands they had to check out once they got home. It was a night of immense talent and we look forward to seeing every band on this line-up blow up very soon.
Written and shot by Bree Vane. Find her on Facebook and Instagram
Please credit Wall of Sound and Bree Vane if you repost.
The Deep Blue
Reliqa
The Waxfinz
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The Million
