Saturday August 31st saw the last gig of Trophy Eyes’ headline tour, with support from Towns and Boston Manor. Melbourne’s Forum was packed for the sold-out show, with fans lining up hours in advance.
It was great to see hundreds there early to show their support for Adelaide duo Towns, who in the past have referred to themselves as a “two-piece puzzle”. Despite there only being two of them, they certainly brought the energy. Lead vocalist Aston Valladares had fantastic stage presence, making the most of The Forum’s huge stage while delivering a great vocal performance. Drummer and backing vocalist Daniel Steinert had great banter with Valladares and together the two were a joy to watch.
All the way from Blackpool, England, Boston Manor had the venue packed when they took to the stage. It’s no secret that they’ve always had a close friendship with Trophy Eyes, so this pairing was one that excited fans since the tour announcement earlier this year. Opening with “Container” from their upcoming studio album Sundiver (out this Friday), vibes were off the charts. Lead vocalist Henry Cox delivered such an outstanding vocal performance, with his screams sounding so clear and his clean vocals giving me goosebumps. They brought the energy and had the crowd moving, encouraging them to open up the pit and get rowdy.
They played their latest track “Horses In a Dream” which had a great reception, showing that fans were already across their latest release and keen for the album. Cox sincerely thanked Trophy Eyes for having them on the tour, saying, “Trophy Eyes are my family- they even know my parents.” “Halo” is probably one of the most widely-known tracks they’ve written, so it was no surprise that it went off. Closing the set with “Foxglove” was the cherry on top of an already-perfect performance.
Trophy Eyes took to the stage as Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma played, with the band making their dramatic appearance at the crescendo. Opening with “Sydney”, the opening track from their latest album Suicide and Sunshine, their set was off to a huge and energetic start. It moved quickly, going straight into track after track. Though I’ve seen them play some much smaller venues, frontman John Floreani absolutely thrives on the big stage, soaking up the energy from the crowd. A huge standout for me was “People Like You”- another track from their latest record. This one is just so high-energy and ridiculously fun, I’d been eager to hear it live the moment I first listened to the album, and it didn’t let me down at all.
Their latest release, a standalone single titled “Enmore” was fantastic to hear live, and made the track grow on me more after witnessing that. “OMW” is another insanely fun track which had everyone up and moving. Before going into “Epilogue”, Floreani took a moment to share a heartfelt message. During Covid, Trophy Eyes were ready to call it quits, and decided that Suicide and Sunshine would be their last body of work, however they’ve (thankfully) since had a change of heart and are here to stay a little longer.
“Epilogue” is a beautiful love letter to their fans, new and old, and those who have been on the journey with them. Hearing him point out familiar faces in the audience and sincerely thank their dedicated followers for years of support was such a heartwarming moment. The song itself was gorgeous as always, heightened by the palpable energy in the room. Closing with their biggest hit “Chlorine” the show ended on a huge high. Boston Manor and Towns came back out and the three bands took a photo together before thanking the crowd and heading off.
This was a phenomenal show. Each performance was incredible and it was amazing to see so many pack out The Forum and buy merch to support their favourites. I’ll never turn down a chance to see Trophy Eyes, but this one was something special!
