It’s 2004. You’re navigating your way through high school and the stressful bullshit that comes with it. You’ve just had a fight with your boyfriend or girlfriend and rather than communicating like a normal person, you’re sitting on MSN stewing over the perfect emo song lyrics for your display name to truly convey how upset you are. Story of the Year chimes in on your Limewire playlist and voila! The display name choices are endless with the plethora of material from their Page Avenue album.
Adding to the list of bands and artists making me feel old are emo rockers, Story of the Year, who are currently touring the world to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Page Avenue. Thursday night was like any other as I traipsed through ye olde Melbourne town toward the Forum and on my approach, it was a sight to behold. Tonight’s eager punters were lined up around the block waiting to enter, and the sea of black was a stark contrast to the vivid coloured walls of Hosier Lane where they were waiting. I’m glad my wardrobe choices fit the uniform brief of black Vans (albeit with a splash of leopard print), black jeans and a touch of flannel for good measure. Never has my millennial heart felt more validated wearing black skinny jeans, than amongst this group.
Wandering into the theatre I found a comfortable corner where I was met with the first act of the evening, Melbourne-based metalcore rockers, Behind Crimson Eyes. Their set opened to a raucous reception, as their heavy base lines reverberated throughout the room and made me feel like I had a defibrillator attached to my body. The whole band worked the entire stage as they played through their setlist which included one of their latest killer tracks, Dead Drop Dead. Lead singer, Josh Stuart, nailed his vocals and whilst I understand and appreciate the actual skill and technique it takes to sing ‘screamo’, I can’t help but go out in sympathy and get a sore throat just listening to it. These guys wrapped up a great energetic set, before taking a selfie with the crowd to mark the occasion before they left the stage.
Behind Crimson Eyes Gallery
With the sold-out crowd now well and truly crammed into the theatre, New Jersey locals Senses Fail were next up, and they certainly maintained the energy levels that were buzzing around the place. Their hectic setlist which included Lady in A Blue Dress, Buried A Lie, Bite to Break Skin & Irony of Dying had the crowd amped up with fire in their belly, singing along to their favourites. When lead singer, Buddy Nielsen, asked the crowd how many people had to get babysitters tonight, it was met with laughs and a big cheer from the middle-aged crowd. But the biggest cheer of all came when the next question that was asked was, how many people there were smart enough not to have kids. Just another stark reminder that none of us are youthful teens anymore. The band rounded out their set with a sick medley of covers which included Chop Suey (System of a Down), Down with the Sickness (Disturbed), and Break Stuff (Limp Bizkit).
Senses Fail Gallery
There was a busy and excitable thrum throughout the crowd now as the drinks kept flowing as freely as the conversation. By this point I headed to a safer spot toward the back of the theatre, and GOD DAMN when did an emo crowd get so tall? I’m not that short in the scheme of things and never usually have issues at gigs, but I was surrounded by literal 7-foot giants, which made my viewing extremely restricted even from the elevated viewing area. Never mind, my ears were still functioning(just) so that’s all that really mattered. Once darkness fell again the familiar intro to Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch’s Good Vibrations blasted through the speakers to announce Story of the Year’s arrival to the stage. It was straight into And the Hero Will Drown, in which the crowd were writhing around excitedly forming a heavy mosh pit at the front, straight off the bat. Dive Right In & Divide & Conquer closely followed with singer, Dan Marsala, showing off his vocal chops managing to slip between regular and screamo singing seamlessly. Whilst this music may not be to everyone’s taste, once again you have to appreciate the technique it takes to be able to do this so smoothly.
With the instantly recognisable and haunting guitar intro, it was time for the emo choir to assemble and for the ‘stars to cry their blackest tears tonight’ because it was time to belt out one of my all-time favourites, Anthem of Our Dying Day, which was certainly sung by the crowd with the passion and heart you would sing any kind of anthem – national or otherwise. There was still moshing and crowd surfing galore as security were earning their dollars tonight, whilst the band worked their way through their setlist. It wasn’t long before someone yelled out SHOEY, which brought proceedings to a halt as the band negotiated this with the crowd. Marsala showed his dedication to the cause by showing off his new leg tattoo of, you guessed it. A shoey. There was some back and forth, and when it was suggested that Marsala do the shoey with a White Claw instead of a beer, it was met with boos and pure disgust from the crowd. He finally saw the error of his ways, found a beer and did it with much approval from the most disgusting shoe he could find, then it was back on the with the show.
To bulk up their setlist, SOTY briefly strayed from the Page Avenue album and sang a few songs from their other albums which included War, We Don’t Care Anymore & Real Life. My skin was crawling with goosebumps as the intro to another of my favourites, Swallow the Knife, started and with it’s almost militaristic snare drum beat that kicks in for the pre-chorus, it’s one that gets me – and clearly a lot of others judging by those around me – right in the feels. The more rock-ballad style Sidewalks had the crowd whip out the old phone torches and sway along as they took over the lead vocals for a memorable and moving sing along. By the time the heaving and upbeat In the Shadows played out, the front of the theatre was a confusing tangle of limbs and heads being thrown about as the crowd attempted to surf their way around the room. The energetic and fast-paced Falling Down had the band demanding a circle pit in which the crowed happily complied. As if mosh pits don’t stress me out enough, circle pits are next level and visually look equal parts spectacular and terrifying.
This hectic night was drawing to an end, and we were warned there was only one song left for the night in which everyone knew what was on the cards. We braced ourselves to ‘spill our hearts’ as the band played one of their biggest hits to finish off their show, Until the Day I Die. Once again, the passion and dedication in which the crowd screamed this track out was admirable, and singing “my hands around your throat and I think I hate you”, you just knew everyone there had sung that during a nasty break up at one time or another in their life. The band played this song with all their might, and given there was no encore, this was the perfect way to top off a brilliant night.
This was certainly a memorable gig and Story of the Year were as energetic and tight as ever, blowing everyone away with their skill and dedication to not only their craft, but their fans too. Despite their specific genre of music, their songs with their emotive lyrics have the ability to attract fans that ordinarily wouldn’t usually listen to their style of music. I think it would be fair to assume that the emo elders of the community left with their black hearts happy and full, and even a hint of a smile on their face, after this night of epically awesome music and nostalgia. Rawr XD.
Story of the Year Gallery
Image Credit: Adam Portelli
With thanks to Dallas Does PR & Destroy All Lines for the media access
