Entrance Leagues Club
Saturday August 10, 2013 :
It can be an unfortunate situation when a band can be summed up by a single song. In their prime, there may have been numerous Top 10 singles and chart topping albums, but as the years have passed and the teenage fans of the band age, it’s that one song that instantly comes to mind. Heaven help them if 20 years later someone does a cover of said song and it goes to number one. From that point on, the next generation of music fans won’t even know it is your song.
The reason for this long winded intro is Australian band Moving Pictures and their performance at the Entrance Leagues Club. During this 90 minute, 16 song nostalgia trip, there were three distinct moments that were not expected.
The Songs
‘What About Me’ may have become an iconic Australian song and instantly recognisable to the next generation thanks to Shannon Noll, but what surprised me tonight was just how many songs I knew. As would be expected, their debut album, Days of Innocence, was played in it’s near entirety, with B-sides, live staples from back in the day, and the best from their sophomore release, Matinee, fleshing out the set. There was even a cover of Van Morrison’s, ‘Wavelength’, included in the encore.
The Performance
No offence to the rest of the band but all eyes were on vocalist Alex Smith. He is a charismatic frontman with a powerful voice who engaged with the crowd throughout the night. Smith’s emotional performance was worthy of an Arena stage rather than the Entrance Leagues, and I believe he would display the same theatrics at the local pub. It was wonderful to watch and totally over the top, to the point where I could not help but laugh when he stood centre stage, arms extended in a crucifix pose as the crowd sung the chorus of ‘What About Me’.
The Crowd
The room may have been only half filled but the mostly ageing crowd were totally into the show. I have been to shows with three times as many punters and have not heard the roar like these guys produced. There was plenty of room to dance, to raise hands in the air, to sing, and the crowd made full use of the freedom.
Overall, I really enjoyed reliving my teenage years tonight. The Days of Innocence album was such an important release for me during my Year 12, and to hear these songs played live, and played with so much enthusiasm again, was a thrill. Let’s hope the band don’t simply tread the nostalgia path as these are fine songs, and they are wonderful songwriters. Looking forward to some new material.
Reviewer and Photographer: Kevin Bull
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