This week the punters of Melbourne have been spoiled for choice in regards to Soundwave sideshows, and tonight was no different. The line stretching around the corner of Billboard was buzzing with excitement as the crowd slowly grew in numbers, everyone preparing for what was to be a fantastic night. The sold out show would be the last headlining show for American rock band Thursday and joining them in their farewell were good friends Saves The Day and Circa Survive.
As soon as the doors were opened, and the waiting crowd was unleashed onto the venue floor, they quickly dispersed, cementing their spot for the night. Whether it was in front of the stage ready for the mosh pit or up the back in close proximity to the bar, conversation flowed, the buzz continued to grow and incredibly quickly the venue filled up.
With a band like Circa Survive opening the show it was no wonder the sold out crowd wanted to be there right from the beginning. As soon as their intro began, the crowd erupted into applause. Without taking a second to breathe, Circa Survive erupted into “Through The Desert Alone” from their most recent release, Blue Sky Noise. Given that the album had been released almost two years ago, the crowd definitely had the lyrics down pat as they bopped along, singing loudly with front man Anthony Green.
He seemed to be in his own world, his striking vocals translating perfectly from record in pitch and energy, spending most of the song singing to the drum kit, barely opening his eyes. However, this didn’t hinder the band’s connection with the crowd, and the raucous of applause that followed every track was testament to this. Continuing with the newer material the band rocketed into “Glass Arrows” before heading back in time to play “In Fear And Faith”, the new and old material seamless flowing together.
Circa Survive didn’t need a fancy light show to keep the crowd entertained, their energetic and exciting live performance was enough to do that. The introduction to every track was enough to get the crowd in a frenzy, and even if they weren’t burning holes into the mosh pit floor, the power in their voices as they sang along with every word was enough to keep the energy flowing throughout the room. There was not one moment within their half hour set that Green was standing still, not even for a second.
With every beat of the drum and chord played on the guitars he threw his body around, jumping, headbanging and darting across the stage with as much energy as he had. When “The Difference Between Medicine” began the crowd were slowly beginning to move and by the time the opening chords of “Act Appalled” rang through the venue the crowd crushed towards the stage as Green sang most of the song balanced on the barrier. There aren’t many opening bands that get an encore chant, but as soon as Circa Survive exited the stage, the crowd went crazy.
Saves The Day strolled out onto the Billboard stage saying a quick hello before heading straight into their first song, “Firefly”. With their sound a little more upbeat than that of Circa Survive it made it a lot easier for the crowd to dance around, however this wasn’t the case and the crowd was slow to start moving. It took a few songs but by the time “Deranged And Desperate” began a small section of the crowd began jumping along. What the crowd lacked in energetic movement they made up for with their voices as they sung the lyrics to every song with as much heart and emotion as vocalist Chris Conley. The rest of the band had no problem feeding off the energy that was being thrown at them, never slowing down or showing any signs of fatigue for a single moment in their set.
There were only a few seconds of silence throughout Saves The Day’s set, the band not wasting too much time between songs to talk to the audience, instead making sure they used every part of their time on stage to it’s full advantage by playing as many songs as they could. In many ways their set almost seemed like one long song as the band seamless jumped through 13 years of material to play as much of their catalogue as possible. Their set was mainly weighted with material from 2001’s Stay What You Are tied together by tracks that spanned their entire career proving that the material from 1999’s Through Being Cool is still as powerful live as it was 13 years ago while showing that the tracks from last years Daybreak can hold their own as well. The breaks between songs were minimal, the band only stopping so vocalist Conley could swap his guitar over but the breaks in energy were non-existent. The highlight of the set came in the band’s final track “At Your Funeral” the crowd finally throwing their bodies around to the music, their voices booming through the venue.
As soon as Saves The Day left the stage the conversation around the room turned to the main event, the buzz flowing from the sold out crowd filling every empty space in the venue. Tonight was a special night for not only the crowd, but also the headliners Thursday. Melbourne was lucky enough to host the last ever Thursday headlining show, and everyone in the crowd knew they were lucky to be in attendance. As soon as Thursday took to the stage they let the six piece know just how lucky they felt, showering the band in applause. The beginning of their set held no surprises, the crowd already knowing that Thursday would be playing 2001’s Full Collapse from beginning to end. Tonight would definitely be a celebration.
It became immediately obvious why the crowd had been saving their energy through the support acts as soon as the beginning of “Understanding A Car Crash” filled the room. The mosh pit came alive and the crowd was thrown into an immediate frenzy, bodies flying in every direction, even Circa Survive frontman Anthony Green got in on the crowd surfing action. As they played the album front to back, the energy displayed by the crowd continued to grow, and Thursday fed off that energy, each member of the band displaying a burning passion to be on the stage. Full Collapse highlights came in “A Hole In The World” and “Paris In Flames” both of which saw the whole floor pushing, shoving and dancing while the whole room echoed the lyrics from wall to wall. This was the theme for most of the night, but of course there were the songs that really pushed the crowd over the edge.
Once the Full Collapse section of the night had ended, it was time for Thursday to fit in as much other material as they could. The second section of their set opened with “For The Workforce, Drowning” off their 2003 release War All The Time. The change of album didn’t affect the crowd, instead it re-energized them as they threw their bodies in every direction, and the people who couldn’t fit on the floor well they offered their voices instead. “No Answers” from the band’s most recent release, No Devolución brought the energy down, as vocalist Geoff Rickly stood behind the microphone stand, the crowd with their lighters and phone screens in the air. Nevertheless, the passion was still there. As it ticked over to Thursday morning the band closed their main set with “Division Street”. Within seconds of the song ending Encore chants began.
Without biding any time at all, Thursday emerged through the darkness ready to close out their headlining set for the last time. With the perfect encore of “Jet Black New Year” from their 2002 EP Five Stories Falling and “Turnpike Divides” from No Devolución the band summarized their progression, and even after playing for an hour and twenty minutes both band and crowd gave every second of that encore everything they had. The applause that greeted the end of their set could have blown the roof of Billboard. It was an emotional ending to a fabulous career.
It will sound cliché to say that Thursday played every song as if it were their last, because for a lot of those songs it will be the last time they ever get to play them live, but the energy, emotion and passion displayed by every member of Thursday from the opening chords of “Understanding In A Car Crash” all the way to the final notes of “Turnpike Divides” was unwavering and it was made clear to every member of the audience that this band weren’t bowing out because they didn’t care about their music anymore. If you get the chance, go see a Thursday set at Soundwave. This is a band whose music will live on long after this final string of shows.
– Gloria Brancatisano
