Though Quicksand was on support duties, they put on a spirited show. The metal group that go back as early as 1990 were all smiles on stage as they performed older songs like ‘Fazer’ and ‘Thorn in my Side’ together with material off their recent album Interiors.
Thursday put on a show with the kind of vigour that’d make you think it was their first gig – impressive for a group that has been around for over 20 years. Frontman Geoff Rickly clearly puts his heart and soul into every track the band performs, launching himself around the stage, not slowing down for even a moment.
The setlist was mainly compiled of older favourites off Full Collapse and War All The Time, with the four remaining songs hand-picked from other albums. Notable tracks ‘Cross Out the Eyes’, ‘Signals Over the Air’ and ‘Understanding In a Car Crash’ were all played to wild applause, as was ‘War All The Time’, which expectedly closed the show through its earlier absence.
The announcement of ‘Paris in Flames’ got a huge reaction from the audience and turned out to be an unexpected hit of the night. Whole omissions of albums Waiting and A City by the Light Divided proved disappointing.
As well as nostalgic trips down memory lane, Rickly also used the stage as a platform to protest the second amendment prior to ‘Steps Ascending’. The track is about a childhood friend of his, who accidentally shot himself with a rifle purchased over the counter at a Walmart.
Thursday’s return to Melbourne was an exciting night of greatest hits. The grown-ups who were once angsty teens in attendance got a lengthy set that was high on value.
Highlight: Thursday’s contagious enthusiasm.
Lowlight: How was this show not sold out?
Crowd Favourite: ‘Paris in Flames’.
