At their sold-out show at Melbourne's 170 Russell (3 March), Nashville-based The Band CAMINO, and their unique blend of alt-pop and indie rock, proved that an Australian tour had been a long time coming.
After the release of 'The Dark' in August 2023, local fans had waited to see if The Band CAMINO would bless the southern hemisphere with their first-ever tour this far from their native home of North America.With the basement venue sold-out, everybody was packed tight as doors opened and the 900-strong crowd filtered downstairs.
As the atmosphere in the room grew thicker with anticipation, 21-year-old Victorian artist KIAN ran onstage to kick off the evening's festivities. By trying out a spate of new songs from his upcoming debut album 'Wake Up', it's clear KIAN has a bright future.
KIAN - image © Dylan Hewitson-Bevis
He established a rapport with the crowd, asking for feedback on songs still being demoed and playing around with guitar lines to see which garnered the best response. It was a delightfully interactive set, and everyone seemed disappointed to see KIAN go.
After a brief intermission, energy in the room reached a fever pitch when the house lights suddenly dimmed as the stage lights started flashing in time with the music playing through the house PA.
It seems The Band CAMINO do things a little differently, showing off their impressive stage production and lighting rig before finally cutting the music and fading in the band's logo on a giant LCD screen.
The four members ran onstage to uproarious applause, launching straight into fan favourite 'Afraid Of The Dark' and getting the show truly underway.
The Band CAMINO - image © Dylan Hewitson-Bevis
Their set list was curated to please both old and new fans, bouncing between singles off 2023's 'The Dark' all the way back to the band's 2016 origins with '2/14'.
Aided by striking visuals, laser effects and the infectious chemistry of the two lead vocalists, Jeffrey Jordan and Spencer Stewart, The Band CAMINO confirmed without a doubt they deserved the sold-out crowd.
Pausing the set briefly, Jordan spoke about the occasional loneliness one can experience on tour, especially being so far from home. He made it clear, though, that playing in a band full of his closest friends and playing to receptive crowds from all over the world abated that loneliness like nothing else can.
He dedicated 'California', a deep cut from the band's 2017 EP 'Heaven', to Stewart and the rest of the band, a wide smile across his face the whole time.
The Band CAMINO - image © Dylan Hewitson-Bevis
Forgoing the tradition of leaving the stage for an encore, the band closed out their show with 'Daphne Blue', receiving the largest cheer of the evening. It was hard to focus on the song as everyone in the room moved, jumped, and danced all over.
If The Band CAMINO learned anything from this first trip down under, it should be that Australia are clearly enamoured with their music and would happily welcome them back as soon as possible.
More photos from the show.
