LIVE: STORY OF THE YEAR – Perth, 4 August 2024

LIVE: STORY OF THE YEAR – Perth, 4 August 2024
Metropolis Fremantle, with Behind Crimson Eyes & Senses Fail
Reviewed by Zac Ashby
Photography by Luke Baker

 

20-years on from their breakout debut album, Page Avenue, Missouri’s Story of the Year have set out on their 5-date celebration tour of Australia with a show at Metropolis Fremantle on Sunday night. With support from post-hardcore act Behind Crimson Eyes, and emo-staple Senses Fail, the lineup promised a big night for the almost sold-out crowd – and it delivered.

As soon as the doors were opened, the room filled up quick. Bursting in at the top of the show was Behind Crimson Eyes, Australian-representatives who are hot off the heels of a new single release. Throughout their set, concert goers pushed further and further forward, eagerly warming up for what was up next – Senses Fail.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of their record Let It Enfold You, Senses Fail had the crowd roaring before they even took the stage. Setting the tone for the rest of their set, they started out with ‘Lady in a Blue Dress’ – if the crowd wasn’t into it already, they were now. Crowd favourites ‘Buried a Lie’, “Bite to Break Skin’, and ‘Rum Is for Drinking, Not for Burning’ were enthusiastically echoed back to the band, hanging in the air alongside vocalist and frontman Buddy Nielsen, who occasionally jumped in between songs with off-the-cuff monologues to keep the crowd ready to go.

Then onto the main act, and the reason everyone was there – Story of the Year. After a bait-and-switch opening, the band walked out humorously to ‘Good Vibrations’ by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, which was quickly drowned out by cheers from the crowd. Everyone in that room knew just how good the next 1 hour and 20 minute set was going to be. Without wasting a second, the band broke out into the opening track from Page Avenue, ‘And the Hero Will Drown’, capitalising on the already high spirits of the crowd, and raising them even higher.

The band continued with their celebration of Page Avenue, occasionally weaving in their greatest hits from their extensive catalogue, including ‘War’ from their most recent release Tear Me To Pieces, which had the crowd bouncing with intensity. Engagement was high for the whole night – the lights were dimmed during ‘Sidewalks’, with phone torches flooding the room, providing the only light for the duration of the song. Quickly following, the crowd was captivated by ‘Anthem of Our Dying Day’, with what seemed like every line sung passionately back at the band.

Following their strong showing throughout the rest of Page Avenue, ‘In The Shadows’ closed out with a cute monologue from vocalist Dan Marsala about faking an encore, while (unbeknownst to him) the rest of the band had walked off stage. Returning from their encore-fakeout, they jumped straight into ‘Tear Me To Pieces’, and then into the moment everyone was waiting for – ‘Until The Day I Die’. Almost entirely in unison, the whole room was filled with every single line from the song, with a portion of the chorus left entirely to the audience to carry. The energy was electric, captivating, and a perfect bookend to what had already been an awesome night.

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries