Still riding the high from their third studio album TOY, which reached number 1 on the ARIA albums chart, Aussie favourites Dear Seattle are thriving right now. Friday night saw them pack out Melbourne’s Croxton Bandroom for the second show of their TOY album tour, with supporting sets from local indie-rock artist Lucky, pop-punk duo TOWNS and American pop-rockers Heart Attack Man on their first tour Down Under. With a lineup that good, the anticipation was strong and expectations were high- and I’m glad to say they were exceeded.
Lucky took to the stage first to perform in front of a humble but eager audience. An emerging talent, this tour marks Lucky’s second time opening for Dear Seattle, and after the successful recent release of her single “Clover”, she’s an act to keep an eye on. Her set was concise and full of heart, a great way to kick off the evening.
TOWNS were up next, and this duo has quickly cemented themselves as a favourite within the Aussie pop-punk scene. Perhaps one of the most energetic acts I’ve witnessed, TOWNS play every show as if they’re headlining a stadium, and this one was no different. Playing a set mostly consisting of tracks from their debut album Sentimental Slowdown, their performance was incredibly fun.
American pop-rock band Heart Attack Man drew in a big crowd, with hundreds eager to catch them at their first Melbourne show. They played a mixture of older tracks and newer ones from their latest album Joyride The Pale Horse. At this point in the show, people were crowd surfing, a circle pit had opened up and the audience was singing along to every word- a testament to how anticipated this appearance was. Highlights were “Joyride The Pale Horse”, “Like a Kennedy” and their final song “Freak Of Nature”. Each member brought massive energy and looked pleasantly surprised at the audience reception. It was a privilege to catch them at such an intimate show on their first (of many, I’m sure) visit to Australia.
By 10pm, it was finally time for Dear Seattle to take to the stage. By now, the venue was full and every attendee was passionately singing along to Blink 182’s “I Miss You”, doing their best Tom Delonge impression. The band entered and immediately kicked off with “Nothing’s Stopping Me Now”. Though I was aware of TOY’s success, I was surprised at how familiar the audience was with the tracks, with frontman Brae Fisher voicing this after the crowd sang the entire chorus to “Elastic”- this being the second time they’ve ever played it live.
A personal favourite was “idc” which is an insanely fun song, made even more fun by the rowdy crowd. Fisher took a sincere moment to thank their crew, the venue, his bandmates, their supports and of course the audience, sharing that the success of TOY blew them away. The band performed with remarkable cohesion, and Fisher delivered a vigorous vocal performance. Though they are no strangers to playing in Melbourne, you could just feel that this was a special one, and the energy between the band and audience was palpable. “Cut My Hair” seems to be everyone’s favourite track off TOY, and seeing it live definitely confirmed this for me personally.
This show was such a joy, it was a true pleasure to witness such a mix of wonderful artists in this intimate setting. Dear Seattle absolutely poured their hearts into this performance, and with a tour like this straight off the back of a massive record like TOY, their future looks exceptionally promising.
The tour will be hitting Adelaide, Newcastle, Sydney and Brisbane next, with tickets selling fast. You can still snatch yours up HERE.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Reviewer attended 9th May 2025
