Green Is The New Black Tour- 31st August 2022. The Harvey Road Tavern, Gladstone.
Review and Photos by Brad Fry
If you had to pick a regional town to bring the Green Is The New Black tour to, Gladstone is a great choice. A town centred around its industries, Gladstone is home to an aluminium smelter, a coal terminal, a power station, two alumina refineries (not an extensive list by any means) and a slew of related business/ services whose main income stream comes from these industrial behemoths. Millions of tonnes of product are produced and/ or exported out of Gladstone’s industries every year with a large percentage of the 33,418-population working in or around these industries.
With any type of industry there is obviously the production of pollution. Gone are the days (thankfully) of “big industry” having it all their own way. With climate change and the environmental impacts being felt across the world, all industries have to find a better way of doing what they do… enter In Hearts Wake. The Byron Bay band have taken the lead in producing the first carbon offset album and are currently spreading their environmental message around the country (got solar powered storage batteries to run your lights? These guys do!) Redhook, Pridelands and Banks Arcade have joined In Hearts Wake on this tour which stands to be an epic night of live music no matter where you see it (and see it you must). Rawing in the Pit sent me along for the Gladstone show and here is what went down!
The night kicked off with Banks Arcade. The four piece heavy hitters, originally from New Zealand, came to tear it up and that’s exactly what they did! Front man Joshua O’Donnell came out of the blocks fast and set the tone for the rest of the set and indeed, the whole evening (demanding the Gladstone crowd come closer the stage). Jason Meadows’ guitar work was effortlessly heavy and in conjunction with O’Donnell’s guitar work (on a number of songs) the heads began to bang! Swaying from side to side and moving in syncopation with the beat, bass player Harlan Jones was a joy to watch. His bass tone was something else and when combined with the fantastic drumming of James Feekes, the low end vibe was phenomenal. The Banks Arcade boys seemed at home on the stage and their music and stagecraft speaks volumes for the many hours of gigging and practicing the guys have put into their band. As a side note, after sound check, bass player Harlan told me I look like NRL coach Ivan Cleary……I told him I’d happily take that because I’ve definitely been called worse.
Pridelands are a band like no other I have ever shot before. The six piece band feature dual vocalists Joshua Cory and Mason Bunt. Cory handles the cleaner lyrics while Bunt is charged with the more throaty metal growl type sections. Both singers would also sing together and I loved the combination (as did the crowd). Bookended on the stage by guitarists Liam Fowler and Jamie Marions, the dual guitar attack shredded through the set from first song to last. James Feekes of Banks Arcade leant his considerable drum skills to the boys from Mt Gambier. The Gladstone show saw Pridelands bass player Daniel Lohrey have a real homecoming. Lohrey grew up in Tannum Sands which is only a twenty minute drive from Gladstone. Many locals were there to support him and that fact was not lost on the bassman. Lohrey was fist bumping and hi fiving familiar faces throughout the whole set. While thanking the locals for coming to the show he reminisced about his early years performing at the Gladstone tennis club which used to host live metal shows that spurred on many local musicians. Pridelands are a band stacked with energetic, talented musicians who put everything into their performances. It was a pleasure to see them knock it out of the park.
I feel so lucky to have heard and photographed so many amazing bands this year and witnessed groups performing at the very top of their game. A clear standout for me personally (and I am sure anybody in attendance would say the same) are Redhook. I have been lucky enough to shoot and review them twice for Rawing In The Pit and they are absolute stars. What can you say? Redhook delivered an amazing performance at Gladstone’s Harvey Road Tavern and the crowd loved them! Powerhouse front woman Emmy Mack is a superstar. She owns the stage and delivers dynamic vocals with mesmerising stagecraft and crowd interaction. I watched bass player Ned Jankovic during sound check and he seemed calm and measured with his long hair tied back and glasses on, but once the performance started however, he was transformed into a wild man with long hair whipping around as he interacted with, and barked orders at, the crowd. Alex Powys on drums was equally as lively. Yelling at the crowd, standing up behind the kit as if his enthusiasm wouldn’t keep him grounded. I spoke briefly to Alex after their set and his excitement for this tour was obvious. He said that it was great to get out and perform in places they had never played( or even seen) before. This came across in Redhook’s set from all members of the band. Muti-instrumentalist Craig Wilkinson handled guitar and saxophone duties. While no saxophone circle pit happened at this show sadly, Wikinson’s musical prowess was clear for all to see. The tone coming from his Telecaster made this tele fan smile from the soul out and the ease of his playing was more then evident. Emmy was joined by Pridelands vocalist Mason Bunt for a duet before their set was concluded which was thoroughly enjoyed by Gladdy’s metal faithful. Redhook came, saw and conquered our little town and won many many hearts along the way.
Anticipation built as it neared time for headline artists In Hearts Wake to take the stage. Once the music started the Gladstone crowd went crazy and you knew this set would be something else! The band’s lights that illuminated the stage are run from batteries that they charge with solar power before each show. The stored energy flooded the room with light as did the collective, frenetic energy of the band. For the uninitiated, a show from In Hearts Wake is more of an experience. It ebbs and flows like the ocean and the audience are akin to a surfer. At one stage there are brutal riffs crashing into you like you are being dumped by a huge wave and then the stage is dimly lit with ambient sounds allowing you to catch your breath in the bubbling whitewash. Frontman Jake Taylor stood front and centre on stage and delivered his lyrics with pure power and commitment. Bass (and ukulele) player Kyle Erich also dished out powerful and emotive lyrics throughout the set which were lapped up by the enthusiastic crowd. Guitarists Evan Dall and Ben Nairne traded riffs and stage positions all night long. The riffs were heavy and angelic in exactly the right combination adding to the experience of the performance. Drummer Connor Ward drove the beat like a metronome with deft touch and brutality when required. The band had such great interaction with the crowd and vice versa. With “no music on a dead planet” emblazoned across Taylor’s shirt, the message behind the bands lyrics and show was not lost on the crowd. The crowd wanted more after the guys had finished and they returned to the stage and replied with classic In Hearts Wake force! A band is only as good as the sum of it’s parts and In Hearts Wake are filled to the brim with talented musicians delivering every show with passion. The boys will take you on a journey and leave you feeling exhilarated.
The saying goes that music is the great communicator and the Green is the new black tour was filled with bands who delivered their point to the enth degree. From start to finish the show displayed some of the heavy music worlds best performers, performing at their best. Gladstone loved the fact that bands like this stopped in on their tour and they would be welcomed back in a second. If you haven’t caught the documentary Green is the new black make sure you do. It will give you a greater appreciation for what In Hearts Wake are trying to do and the drive and passion behind their music/ musical life. If we are going to save our environment we need to colour outside the lines…and that colour is green.
Passion, performance and environmental ethics all combined at the Harvey Raod Tavern in Gladstone to produce an amazing night. From the heart of Gladstone music fans, thank you Banks Arcade, Pridelands, Redhook and In Hearts Wake. Big love too must go out to Rawing In The Pit for sending me to such an epic night of music!