Almost ten years ago, Melbourne alternative rockers The Getaway Plan released their debut album 'Other Voices, Other Rooms'.
It was an album that set the group on a steep trajectory to widespread popularity and critical acclaim.
To celebrate the milestone, The Getaway Plan will be heading out on tour to play 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' in full as well as a second set of hits and classics. “That's the intention,” lead vocalist Matthew Wright says.
“We're also doing another set of random songs from other releases here and there. We thought it was important to mix it up a bit, both for people and ourselves to give them the full experience whilst also getting that full record.”
The tour isn't just marking the passage of time since the album's release, it also acknowledges the profound impact it had on the band in terms of launching their national and international career, as Matthew explains. “We have to accredit the majority of the success and the amazing things that were made possible because of that record,” he says.
{youtube}rbkmnkIfgIo{/youtube}
“The shows are very much for the fans but also for us; we really enjoy going back and getting nostalgic with old stuff.”
For all the success it brought the band, their debut record proved to be a source of strain and tension upon the band that resulted in a break-up and hiatus between 2009 and 2010, not long after it came out. The album's unexpected popularity took the band by surprise and Matthew admits they weren't equipped with the emotional tools to comprehend what was happening at the time.
“It's hard to accept sometimes,” Matthew says, “but it's been so long and the fact we broke up and came back and people still supported us as much as they did in the early days, it's huge for us and we don't take it for granted. We have learnt to balance life and the band a lot better; not having those skills in the beginning is what led us to break up in the first place.
“Just not letting it envelop your life completely and being able to look after yourself as well as the band, because it can be very easy to forget you're a human being sometimes and just go into robot mode and that inevitably leads to you crashing and burning in the end.”
{youtube}eRRFejMmohM{/youtube}
From the flames and the wreckage rose a new version of The Getaway Plan, stronger and more determined to weather the challenges of being in a band. “The break-up was what made that possible, it gave us clarity and gave us some perspective,” Matthew says.
“We never really took it in properly. It's not that we didn't appreciate it, but we weren't really aware of how good we had it. Whereas after breaking up and seeing the other side of things, that was a massive lesson for us.”
The addition of some new faces and talent into the band line-up – the Maio brothers Dan and Mike on drums and bass respectively – also motivated Matthew and fellow founding member Clint Ellis (lead guitar) to re-evaluate the importance of being in The Getaway Plan. “They've brought mainly a fresh mindset to the table,” Matthew says of Dan and Mike.
“Clint and I have been doing it for a very long time and having those guys come in when they did was hugely beneficial, just for the energy in the band. Clint and I can be pretty jaded on some things, like touring, and those guys appreciate it way more than we do and were able to show us some light in that regard.”
The Getaway Plan Shows
Fri 1 Sep - Rosemount Hotel (Perth)9-10 Sep - Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
Thu 14 Sep - The Triffid (Brisbane)
Fri 15 Sep - Metro Theatre (Sydney)
Fri 22 Sep - The Gov (Adelaide)
