| Soundwave Festival 2011 - THERE FOR TOMORROW and I SEE STARS |
| Written by Sarah Mudgway |
| Sunday, 20 March 2011 19:38 |
 The best part about the side-by-side layout of Stages 5A and 5B was the chance to catch parts of the sets of bands you may not have otherwise seen, while waiting for your intended act to start. Before watching THERE FOR TOMORROW, I caught the last couple of songs of I SEE STARS. Post-hardcore with some synth to boot, I See Stars definitely brought a bunch of energy to the stage with vocalist Devin Oliver getting up close and personal with fans, while synth-player Zach Johnson was reminiscent of Underoath’s Chris Dudley in terms of stage presence. As a young band, I’m excited to see where they go to from here... some more experience will really help them come into their own and separate them from their peers. However, it was Florida’s There For Tomorrow that I was there to see, and as they took to the stage, their level of experience compared with I See Stars really shone through. Able to exude energy without over-exaggeration, vocalist Maiki Maile pulled out many a classic ‘rock star’ pose with his guitar, all whilst sounding nearly identical to his recorded voice.  Opening with ‘No More Room To Breathe’, the band (who had never played in Australia before) offered up a set-list which covered all bases, pleasing older fans with ‘Wrong Way To Hide’ and ‘Pages’ from their 2007 EP, before launching into their new single ‘Hunt Hunt Hunt’ which was released a couple of days after the event. I must offer up kudos to the people working the sound desk of these stages in particular - every band I experienced on that stage had great sound, which for a festival is a rare treat. All in all, There For Tomorrow offered up a great performance, however I can’t help but wonder if the transference of energy from stage to audience would have been better in an intimate indoor club setting. |
