When The Hotelier released their second album Home Like Noplace Is There almost two years ago, they rocketed to the top of the Midwestern emo revival scene. It seemed that everyone at The Rev had spent the past 22 months with the album on repeat, waiting with bated breath to hear it all live.
Taking to the stage with his white tee tucked into denim shorts, lead vocalist and bassist Christian Holden didn’t exactly match the usual Reverence Hotel dress style. However, he stayed true to the band’s punk rock roots by clearly not giving a fuck. In Framing’s opening bars were all the warm-up the crowd needed, kicking off a sing-along that continued right through to the achingly heartfelt Your Deep Rest.
Although some members of The Hotelier have publicly distanced themselves from the band’s first album, they were quick to prove they aren’t just a one album wonder, playing a fuller, much more intricate rendition of It Never Goes Out than the studio version. New track Sun promised good things from their upcoming third studio album, starting off as traditional alt-rock before dismantling half way through, reforming, and building up into a huge payoff at the end.
Showing off their heavier side with album-closing anthem Dendron, the band left the stage only to return and absolutely nail what was the highlight of the night: An Introduction To The Album. Wrapping up the encore with The Scope Of All This Rebuilding, the crowd soon shuffled out of the venue with drenched shirts and empty glasses. But after selling out their debut Melbourne performance, and playing two more local shows across the weekend, The Hotelier will be back here before you know it.
BY MICHAEL CLARK
Photo by Ian Laidlaw
Loved: An Introduction To The Album.
Hated: Phone dying as soon I hit “Send Uber”.
Drank: Beer.
