20-06-2025
EXCLUSIVE Emotional moment Aussie singer buries his head in his hands while performing iconic track tainted by heartbreaking memory
An Aussie singer bared all on Saturday night as he buried his head in his hands while performing an emotional singalong moment.
Western Australia band Spacey Jane took to the Hordern Pavilion stage over the weekend, bringing their new album If That Makes Sense to Sydney fans, along with an iconic 2020 track that saw the audience go from raving to reminiscing in a matter of seconds.
Booster Seat, released five years ago, is by far Spacey's most successful song - you only have to look at the crying, hand-holding audience to connect those dots, but the 2021 ARIA Award for Best Song gives it away too.
The track's success doesn't rest on the laurels of its catchiness, vulnerability or moving lyrics, but rather is nestled in the nostalgia it conjures up in its listeners - and the band's frontman himself.
Because five years ago, the Spacey fans who are losing themselves on the Hordern Pavilion dancefloor were, in fact, locked in their rooms for months on end as a mysterious illness lingered outside.
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A song telling the woes of anxiety, depression and loss of control, it's no wonder people still resonate with it to this day.
It was also a moment in time that saw up-and-coming band Spacey Jane cancel both Australian and international tour dates just as they were about to make it big.
What's more, frontman Caleb Harper, 28, has previously admitted to LiSTNR that the pandemic saw his anxiety at an all time high, particularly due to the music industry's unpredictable sway during a global lockdown.
Which is why it is no wonder the lead singer got emotional on stage as he performed the song, burying his head in his hands and squeezing his eyes closed as he belted out the lyrics.
As Caleb poured his soul into the microphone, so did the audience reverberate the sentiment, connecting in a way that seemed so difficult back in lockdown days.
The band, who came together as a lump of instruments and gawky teenagers back in 2016, are currently on the Australian leg of their tour, and are soon to be playing shows across Europe and the US.
On Saturday night, they cruised onto the stage to the sound of Intro's strums and synth, jumping into the set with their new single Through My Teeth, from their newly released album If That Makes Sense.
Initially, it seemed like an ambitious move, especially considering the band's third studio album only came out a month ago.
Who would be crazy enough to start with a song that hasn't had time to ruminate in the music sphere?
However, as I waited for the song to land on deaf ears, I was instead met with a thunderous singalong that engulfed the entire venue.
Which led me to another more suitable question: what kind of cult following does a band have if it can elicit a word-for-word citation of songs that are probably younger than the loaf of bread I currently have sitting in my fridge?
The answer: a big one - especially when it comes to the Aussie beach rock mania.
The band graced eager ears with a number of songs from their new album, including Estimated Delivery, Whateverrrr and How To Kill Houseplants, all of which had singers in the crowd.
Of course, nothing quite upped the volume like their older, more iconic tracks, with songs like Lots Of Nothing, Skin and Feeding The Family inciting energy all around.
But even if the band had nothing to show but sombre ballads, dull lighting and woeful looks, I can guarantee that lead guitarist Ashton Le Comu would have been able to ignite a buzz.
The maestro leaped around the stage, parkouring from side to side as he headbanged, kicked and showed great athletic vigour - all while strumming a guitar.
Even if the band had nothing to show but sombre ballads, dull lighting and woeful looks, I can guarantee that lead guitarist Ashton Le Comu (left) would have been able to ignite a buzz.
When it comes to my daily 4pm slump, I want whatever he's having, or - at the very least - his ability to multitask.
The show, which follows a year-long performance break for the band (but you wouldn't know it), was a strong return to the stage, especially one as revered as Hordern Pavilion.
Debuting their banger of a new album on a tour that is making its way around the globe, the band's buzz was similar to that electric feeling you get when crouched down at a start line, awaiting the rush of the whistle.
And as Spacey Jane sits on the precipice of their ten-year milestone, it's clear to see the band's energy, nostalgia and lyric-belting fan base may just see them spitting out tunes for decades to come. In my opinion, the race has just begun.
