Live Review: The Getaway Plan, Harbours

Unfortunately, it was not a night where on-time arrivers were rewarded. Openers Harbours were slated for a 9.15 start, but were on stage well and truly early. They put on a good show, sharing impassioned speech about mental health and seeking help if it's needed. They wrapped up their set to a loud cheer and the crowd were clearly ready for The Getaway Plan.

The night was slated as a celebration of ten years since The Getaway Plan released debut album, Other Voices, Other Rooms and judging by the demographic of the crowd, most were teenage fans when the album first came out.

The Getaway Plan hit the stage half an hour earlier than scheduled — bad news for anyone who didn't show up in time to see Harbours. They opened with The Reckoning from 2011's Requiem, before moving onto If The Suspense Doesn't Kill Us, Something Else Will from an early EP. There were a few more songs but still, nothing from Other Voices, Other Rooms and the crowd picked up on the theme.

"So friends, raise your hands if you consider yourself as having listened to this band for a really long time?" asks frontman Matthew Wright, before heading into Opaque. While they were by no means bad musically, the crowd just had no interest outside what they'd come for.

"We're going to play a couple more songs and then we're going to duck off for a bit," said Wright as he encouraged the crowd to drink more in the break. They played a cover of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams, before disappearing for a mid-set intermission — quite long a break, roughly 20-25 minutes, considering most of their crowd is under 30...

The band finally re-emerged and it seemed to be the time for the Other Voices, Other Rooms portion of the show. It's important to note here that by the time the band started their second set, they had only just reached the slated starting time — surely disappointing for anyone walking in five minutes before kickoff. They began with Streetlights and the crowd were immediately enamoured, chanting the words back at the band and bouncing along in unison. They continued to roll through the album, with Medicine, Shadows and A Lover's Complaint.

They charged into hit Where The City Meets The Sea and the crowd joined in for the biggest singalong of the evening. Wright thanked the crowd for being back after ten years before closing out the set with Transmission, the last track from the album.

They disappeared again but it wasn't long before they returned to play "the first song we ever wrote", Strings. It was an odd choice to close, considering it's not off the album they drew the crowd in to celebrate, which was apparent from just how few in the crowd singalong. It begs to ask the question; just how far can nostalgia get you?