Some people say Newcastle's King Street looks like a brutalist nightclub inspired by the movie 'Thirteen Ghosts', but I don't know.
When they hosted The Wonder Years, along with friends Joyce Manor and local support Suzi, last Friday (28 March) it seemed more beautiful and complex (but also that).I don't mean to be rude, sorry King Street, sorry Bert. It's my first review and. . . I'm a little anxious. These are my favourite bands, who play all my favourite songs, and this scene, this kind of music pretty much shaped my entire personality. Oh, Bert, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
I think Suzi knows. Or maybe she doesn't, we don't know each other. Although, when she plays, it feels like you do. To me, that's one of the greatest qualities a band can have, to make people comfortable in a crowd, to make someone watching feel like they're a part of it, like they're in on the joke.
Suzi kicked off the night in style with 'Canberra' and you felt it instantly. It's in the unfiltered, pure honesty of the lyrics, in the tongue-in-cheek nature of her wordplay, but it's also something embodied. You feel it purely by way of their presence. An easy calm that's genuine and warm, like maybe they're going to help you figure it out.
Suzi at The Tivoli (Brisbane) - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The set maintained a balance of new and forthcoming material, as well as fan favourites from her 2023 EP 'I Hope You Can Hear Me Now'. Once they jumped into 'Everyone I've Met Hates Me', the crowd seriously got moving.
It was right then, I found myself thinking, 'I am so dumb, I totally know this band'; and that's my bad, but at that moment, it sounded different to me. It might be the fact they're on tour with the likes of Joyce Manor, or that my memory is that of a bag of potting soil, but in the ten minutes prior, I had them pegged alongside legendary power-pop acts like Go Sailor and That Dog', and who at any moment, might drop into a Shivvers cover.
As the songs kept coming, the energy wouldn't let up for even a second. Anthemic hooks and a rhythm section dialled in with such precision, that each chorus hits you a little harder than the one before.
As Suzi closed out the set with 'Centrelink Summer', fans who had begun the night quietly and politely mouthing along to the lyrics, so as to not disturb the people around them, were fired up and ready to set it off. I genuinely saw that, and it was very sweet.
I don't have that kind of restraint, plus I'm pretty sure I can only sing at one volume (very loud). No doubt, I've ruined my fair share of intimate moments that way, but this wouldn't be one of them. Maybe I should learn to split the difference, like Suzi, with feelings just as sincere on each side.
Next to hit the stage, Torrence's own Joyce Manor. First off, I'm a massive Joyce Manor fan, but now that I'm a journalist, I have to keep my objectivity in check. I also needed a journal.
Joyce Manor were setting up the MicroKorg, and I was watching from the mezzanine, holding my journal against a brick wall in the corner of a dark room, my other hand, searching desperately through my bag for a pen. Then, I threw the journal off the mezzanine. I didn't need it anyway; this is Joyce Manor', and even though I have the memory of a bag of potting soil, at least I have a journal.
Joyce Manor at The Tivoli (Brisbane) - image © Clea-marie Thorne
A Joyce Manor show can pass you by pretty fast, even when there are 20 songs in the set, but I remember how the room felt like it exploded when they opened the set with 'NBTSA'. Mostly, I remember the sound; it's like if you were a large speaker and someone punched you in the face/cone.
It was clear from the get-go, this was a set for the fans. Leaning heavily into material from their self-titled 2011 album and the iconic 'Never Hungover Again' album (2016), they know which songs you want to sing-along to the loudest.
Honestly, they could have played anything in their entire catalogue and it would have been just as special. It's not that any particular songs sound alike, but Joyce Manor always sounds like Joyce Manor. They're kind of eternal like that.
I don't know what 'Schley' is, but I'm super happy they played 'Schley'. I love 'Schley'. Especially that lead that comes in towards the end. I don't know what a lot of Joyce Manor songs are about. I know what I think about when I listen to them.
Vocalist-guitarist Barry Johnson's lyrics come across as raw and deeply personal, but at the same time, also like when you have a big packet of letter magnets and you re-arrange all the words to say crazy stuff. I wonder if that’s how Stephen Malkmus does it. Either way, the choice has always felt intentional.
'Catalina Fight Song' was a clear crowd favourite. The way the song kicks in, it's impossible to fight the urge to rush forward and sing along. For a second, I almost forgot about the mezzanine.
'Constant Headache' was last on the set list, but that's often a given. I don't think it feels as dark and brooding as it used to. This time, it sounded more like a well-loved football anthem. The kind that when people shout the words together, makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. In the moment, it felt right.
Then, like a rare bird that you're not sure if you'll ever see again, Barry and Joyce Manor were gone. It was time for The Wonder Years to bring it home, and boy, they 'Came Out Swinging'.
The first thing you'll notice about The Wonder Years, is how damn hard drummer Mike Kennedy works, my goodness. The second thing is how much all of this means to them. Not only the music, but the fact you're here tonight, in this with them.
The Wonder Years at The Tivoli (Brisbane) - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The Wonder Years have consistently been one of the hardest working bands in North America, and put every part of themselves into what they do. With nearly two decades of touring under their belt and a catalogue of releases that helped to shape the modern genre, you can't understate the impact of The Wonder Years.
However, they aren't here just to play the hits, they play what they want you to hear. Maybe you haven't checked in with them in awhile, maybe they wanted to let you know what's been going on.
The set was largely a blend of material from their 2022 album 'The Hum Goes On Forever' and beloved fan favourite, 2013 album 'The Greatest Generation'.
I'm sure some fans in attendance were more familiar with their 'burrito' era, but even if they were, when singer Soupy talks, people listen, they focus in and give it the full attention their songs deserve. From where I stood, I could see a room full of people who really needed to be in a room full of people.
- written by Ruairi Burns
