FROM: fasterlouder.com.au
THURSDAYS PAGE - Beyond Paradise EP Launch @ The Rocket Room, Friday 29th of May 2009
The Rocket Room is usually host to some quite hardcore rock
acts, but Thursdays Page fitted right in at the launch of their alternative rock
EP, Beyond Paradise, and packed out the venue.
First up to support the band was Bunbury’s The Words, who
were eager to please the crowd. Unfortunately, they lacked a little confidence
and stage presence, making the vibe a little awkward. The songs were mostly
quite original though, and the inclusion of the harmonica was a pleasant
surprise.
The nerves of the band may have been showing through, but
the lead guitarist did not fail to please the crowd with his awesome guitar
riffs and enthusiasm. Although perhaps there should be more of these in the
songs, as most of the set consisted of common timing and tempo. Also, a lot of
the songs had really similar breakdowns towards the end, making it seem like they
were ending their set about 4 times before it actually ended.
A solid performance, the band was tight and well rehearsed.
A little more experience will no doubt increase their confidence and hopefully
their song writing skills, and their gigs in the future will only get better.
Following The Words were Sons of Rico who opened with a
quick, upbeat piece that grabbed the audience’s attention immediately. They
followed this up well and did not waste time getting into their set. The
drummer held the band together excellently, being showed up only by some
awesome guitar riffs.
Although the set fell down a little towards the middle when
the songs all began to have the same steady drum beat accompanied by minimal
rhythmic guitar. Compared to what the band opened with, this lost the interest
of some of the crowd.
Getting back to their opening vibe was not hard though. The
band grabbed the audience’s attention again with excellent guitar, awesome
breakdowns and timing changes that showed the audience what Sons of Rico are
capable of. They are clearly a very original and talented live act.
By the time Thursdays Page hit the stage, it was clear who
the audience was there to see. The Rocket Room was almost at full capacity and
no one was left disappointed. As soon as the band started, vocalist Jake
Hoskins showed his talent with an archipela opening before the band launched
into their first song. Hoskins’ falsetto is amazing, and used at exactly the
right times.
The second song, Impressive Direction showed a more versatile
side of the band with an introduction on the guitar that sounded almost techno.
The song morphed into a rockier sound, before bringing out Phil Watts on keys
as a more prominent sound.
Although the stage set up was a little wierd, with the
drummer Ryan Ammon off centre making the bassist Ben Mathews and Watts a little
squished in the corner, while the lead guitarist Glen Hagger looked a little
lonely over the other side of the stage, there was not much else to fault in
the performance.
Disbelief changed the mood a little, by starting off slow
and melodic and showing the lower range of Hoskins and the harsher side of his
voice. The band was good at controlling the mood of the crowd. In fact, at one
point the had people climbing the walls…literally.
It was clear that the main focus of the band was Hoskins and
his falsetto, and although he is clearly a huge asset to the band, it would
have been great to hear the other instruments show off a little as well.
Thursdays Page did not disappoint the loyal punters who showed up in support,
and no doubt Beyond Paradise will be a huge success.