14 October 2023 – Harvey Road Tavern, Gladstone – words & pictures by Brad Fry
I’m writing this from my average regional town after spending an average regional day doing average regional things. Tonight is a stop on The Trophy Eyes regional tour and it most certainly promises to be anything but average. The Newcastle dynamos are supported by Dear Seattle and The Stone Apes at Gladstone’s home of live music (and Rugby League) The Harvey Road Tavern. You can always tell how big a show will be at The Harvey Road Tavern by how far the tables are pushed back (it’s a sports bar by day). Tonight the tables were pushed way to the side and I was hoping the Gladstone locals would be there in droves. I wasn’t let down. Nick Hooper (drummer for The Stone Apes) told me that tonight’s show had the most presale tickets sold on this leg of the tour. Good on you Gladdy!
Spoiler alert! I have seen the Stone Apes a number of times and they always deliver! Originally from Rockhampton the boys have been making waves up and down the east coast with their trajectory consistently on the rise. The five piece band are made up of Nick Hooper (drums) Ben Thistlewaite (bass) Jeremy Titmarsh (guitar) Graydon Kennedy (guitar) and Jye Kennedy (vocals). The Stone Apes are effortlessly good, infectiously fun and their stage presence commands attention. The Apes charged headlong into their set, opening with Strange Colours, Ghost and Molly, all the while revelling in the love being shown to them by the crowd.
Because Gladstone is only an hour drive from their original home base of Rockhampton, The Stone Apes had many familiar faces in the crowd but none shone brighter than Graydon and Jye’s parents. As their sons did their thing on stage, the Kennedys danced and filmed their boys at work. ‘Till The Light Stings, Highly Sexy and Waste My Time closed out the set. Great interaction with the crowd, particularly from Graydon, gave the set a fun and welcoming vibe. It was like we were all mates having a sing and a dance at a party. The talent in this band coupled with their down to earth nature predicts a future that is bright. Praise from Dear Seattle and Trophy Eyes confirms what those of us in Central Queensland already know. The Stone Apes rock! Catch them when you can and you can thank me later. Come back soon guys. Gladstone loved you.
Dear Seattle were up next and they hit the stage to large cheers from the crowd. The Sydney band were all smiles as they greeted the crowd and kicked into their opening song Way Out from their 2022 album Someday. Maybe and Nothing’s Stopping Me Now followed, all the while accompanied by front man Brae Fisher’s big smile. He made mention a number of times how happy he was that so many people in Gladstone had not only shown up for the show, but also that they knew the words to their songs. Not long into the set, a local yelled out to “do a shoey”. Brae returned fire and told the punter to do it himself. The next thing we knew, the shoey fan leapt onto the stage and downed a shoe full of Canadian Club (much to the distain of security who had a word in his ear once he rejoined the crowd). Home Grown, Afterthought and Modest were the next songs to grace the audiences ears. Bass player Jeremy Baker turned into a wild man as the set progressed.
Swinging his hair and bass in-between backing vocal duties he was a stark contrast to the quiet and unassuming person that I had seen walk onto the stage at the start of the show. Guitarist Lachlan Simpson dealt out his riffs with sublime touch and the steady, hard hitting drumming of Josh McCoy tied the band up tightly. The mere mention of a cover Dear Seattle have recorded (for Triple J like a version) bought large cheers from the crowd and everybody knew what was to come. The Missy Higgins song ,The Special Two, was given the Dear Seattle treatment and the crowd went crazy in response. The Meadows and Daytime TV were the final songs of the set and the band went out on a high. I really enjoyed the Dear Seattle set and I know the locals did too. High energy combined with tight music and a love for the art they make made for an enjoyable night out for all those in attendance.
Trophy Eyes took the stage but before they started frontman John Floreani set the scene. He told the crowd that they had driven a very long way and as consequence his “ass was sore”. He said that he also had a four day hang over (everyone cheered). With all this in mind he didn’t want to see anybody standing around with their hands in their pockets. With the formaliteis out of the way, they kicked off with Blue Eyed Boy and the crowd proved that they had been listing. No photo pit meant that I was in the crowd and I can vouch for how pumped they were to have Trophy Eyes performing for them. Figure Eight and 27 Club had the locals singing along with every word being delivered magnificently from the stage. Heaven Scent, Friday Forever and Suicide Pact were the next set of songs and at some point the microphone stand couldn’t take it any more and started to become loose.
After a few mid vocal attempts to fix it, Floreani pulled it apart and did his best Freddie Mercury impersonation (including the hey oh fan interaction). Life In Slow Motion, People Like You and On My Way were the next songs on the set. I was in awe of the drumming of Blake Caruso! He is an abosolute machine and I was mesmerised watching him do what he does and he was flawless for the whole show. Unfortunately the gear gremlins weren’t done with their antics for the night. From time to time there seemed to be a crackling electronic noise happening and the band had to stop their show to allow the techies time to source and solve the problem. While not ideal for any band, the professionalism of Trophy Eyes shone through and while the crew did their thing, Floreani sat on the edge of the stage and talked to the fans. At one point he grabbed a set list and gave it to a member of the crowd. Funnily enough I can see this being a highlight of the night for Tropho fans instead of it being a negative. With the issues fixed the show picked up where it left off with high energy and enthusiasm. Bass player and backing vocalist Jeremy Winchester was on fire throughout the whole set and his stage right counterpart, guitarist Josh Campiao, matched the energy of the crowd and then some. Before the show was over Floreani got all those in attendance to get out their phones and add Dear Seattle and The Stone Apes to their Spotify… so cool. Daydreamer, Chlorine, You Can Count On Me and Bandaid closed out the action for the night. Trophy Eyes have such a great dynamic on and it shows on stage and in their music. Despite some tech issues, the show was incredible and Tropho fans most certainly got what they paid for.
The music was loud, the punters were loud and the bands were frantic (all in the best way possible). With Cairns, Townsville and Mackay under their belts already, all three bands were super tight and ridiculously gig fit. Get around this tour if you get the opportunity. You will not be disappointed! Thanks to Trophy Eyes, Dear Seattle and The Stone Apes for thinking of all the music fans in regional areas of Australia. The effort taken to get to us will not be forgotten and remain in our hearts long after the hire cars roll on to the next venue.
