Live Review: The Getaway Plan, Gatherer

Ex-New Zealanders Gatherer took advantage of the mint sound equipment Newtown Social has on offer to bring us a solid set of heavy alternative rock. Crunchy, distortion-driven guitar riffs, hard-hitting drumming and great harmonies were on offer, the band’s delivery as tight as each of the members’ pants. 

On the cusp of releasing a new album, The Getaway Plan seemed intent on reminding us of the sheer span of their career, offering a set that traversed through their album history. Launching into Sleep Spindles proved an effective way to wake the audience up and get them head banging, before airing the theatrical Phantoms and then harking back to ‘really old’ track If The Suspense Doesn’t Kill Us, Something Else Will, the trio of songs acting as something of a tactical approach to demonstrate that despite recent line-up changes, they’re still the band fans have always known and loved. 

Shadows resulted in a full-blown singalong and acted as a sweetener for some new material in the form of Battleships, which saw the band travel down a heavier, exciting path. Matthew Wright isn’t much of a talker but shared that ‘half cover, half new song’ Lost In The Woods would probably never see the light of day on a record, but boy were we glad that they shared it with us tonight. 

Powerful track, Red Flag showed off the band’s pure talent and range; from delicate piano riffs and falsetto to full-blown, screeching breakdowns, it really allowed Wright’s vocal range to shine. 

They ended their eclectic set with Flying Colours and Where The City Meets The Sea, which of course every damn person in the room knew the words to. Shortly after hearing the ‘one more song’ chant, the boys assembled on stage to perform the first song they ever wrote, Strings, a fitting end to a faultless set.