The Smith Street Band packed out The Factory Theatre Friday night, their third show on the Death to the Lads tour. Support acts The Nation Blue, Grim Rhythm and Forever joined them for their five sold out shows across Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Along with the release of their new single Death to the Lads, The Smith Street Band have announced that they’re starting their very own record label, Pool House Records. This, along with the sold-out crowd at The Factory Theatre on Friday night fuelled The Smith Street Band’s passionate set, as front man Wil Wagner mentioned he was surviving on a few hours sleep.
Every few songs Wagner took a moment to thank the crowd for supporting not only the band, but live music.
The Smith Street Band absorbed a ration of the crowd’s energy at The Factory Theatre, feeding off the collective enthusiasm and hysteria the fans presented.
Smith Street started with Death to the Lads and led into to Sunshine & Technology, when Wagner again mentioned how thankful the band was to play in front of sold out crowds and how much the crowd’s support means to them, adding that they “are excited to do things off our own back” with their promising new label.
The crowded room was filled with punters’ blood, sweat and tears with a healthy dose of booze to boot. Wagner’s introduction to I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore was probably responsible for the tears – a heart wrenching anecdote about his struggles with mental illness.
Everyone who has been through that situation knows it’s nice to be reminded that we’re not alone. As Wagner kept repeating, “it gets better.”
They played tracks new and old, mixing in a song that hasn’t been released (we’re expecting a new album soon though, so be patient). Young Drunk was played in the middle of their set, a deviation from their usual tradition of ending on that track.
Wagner explained “this is the first tour that we haven’t ended with that song”, instead finishing off their set with I Can’t Feel My Face and The Arrogance of the Drunk Pedestrian, the “2016 version” as Wagner called it, replacing the lyrics “taxi driver” with “Uber driver” and laughing along with the crowd.
The audience quickly dispersed after the last song as Wagner had previously mentioned they weren’t doing an encore “because it’s awkward”.
Every show The Smith Street Band put on, Wagner manages to address important issues. Whether it’s during their songs or the banter in between, the band prove time and time again they know how to connect with any crowd they encounter.
