Live Review
Trophy Eyes @ Crowbar
Trophy Eyes are an up-and-coming pop punk band from Newcastle who hit hard and bring the mosh like nobody’s business. Having cut their teeth on the Vans Warped Tour in the United States and supporting acts such as Neck Deep and Anti-Flag in the UK, no one can argue their punk credibility. Returning to Australia for a pre-Australia Day gig at Brisbane’s esteemed Crowbar, the stage was set for a night full of beer and rejoicing mosh-anthems.
Trophy Eyes didn’t let up once, the set was just one hell of a ride from start to finish. Speaking of which, they were onstage until just after midnight, ringing in Australia Day with the sort of reckless abandon. Lead singer John Floreani towered over the crowd like a giant, commanding everybody to rush to the front of the stage. He conducted the crowd like a seasoned professional, with various pile-ons and mosh pits appearing at his whim. The rest of the band were no slouches either, guitarists Andrew Hallett and Kevin Cross acted as a twin-pronged attack onstage while drummer Callum Cramp may very well have been a sprinter in another lifetime, as he was drumming faster than the crowd could handle, though they were in very festive spirits, which made perfect sense given they had the day off tomorrow and could sleep away their hangovers in peace.
Trophy Eyes displayed the kind of intensity most metal and hardcore bands could dream of. Despite their set clocking in just over a brisk 35 minutes, they had the entire crowd eating out of the palm out of their hand. Various cuts from their album Mend, Move On permeated their setlist, however the band also decided to highlight some old favourites from their debut EP Everything Goes Away. Fan favourites such as May 24th and Bandaid got the crowd screaming and shouting along with the band, clearly elated at their performance. For a pre-Australia day drink-up, you couldn’t have gone wrong with Trophy Eyes, they most certainly gave it their all. The fact that these guys aren’t absolutely huge is just mind boggling to me.
- Patrick Connors