On the 17th of January, Spacey Jane surprised their fans with a pop-up gig at the Howler, Brunswick. The event, celebrating their upcoming album If That Makes Sense, sold in minutes. Those unable to obtain tickets camped outside the venue in hopes of hearing the lead vocalist Caleb Harper.

After a year-long hiatus, Spacey has made a comeback to reclaim their indie-rock call to fame. They released their  new single ‘All The Noise’ on January 16.  With its  classic distorted and pulsating guitar noise, it feels  reminiscent of The 1975’s earlier music. The fuzzed-out guitar riffs and Caleb’s raw Australian accent lend a hazy and dream-like quality to the sound. As a huge The 1975 fan, the music deeply resonates.

Spacey Jane’s hiatus left me in a state of withdrawal so it was overwhelming to see them live. It was like being reunited with an old friend.

The opening chords of ‘Feeding The Family’ rang through the venue and the crowd jumped with excitement. Caleb Harper led with this easy-going charm that is matched so perfectly with Kieran Lama’s high energy, Peppa Lane’s giddy enthusiasm and Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu’s luscious locks— all of which had been dearly missed.

The band were able to balance an organic and heart-felt stage presence, whilst still producing an incredibly polished sound. Throughout the set, the Howler reverberated with their lo-fi sound. the venues relatively small size allowed me to witness the reactions of my fellow audience, fostering a unique intimacy which was new for Spacey Jane

They ended the set with an all-time favourite of mine, ‘Booster Seat’, and I felt my shoulders drop, my feet on the floor, my heart thumping in my chest as I closed my eyes and hummed to Caleb’s angelic voice. After the final chords played out, the crowd collectively screamed, “One more song!”, which eventually built up to “10 more songs!”. Despite the crowd’s enthusiastic insistence, Caleb stated apologetically, “That was our last song, we will be back, I promise”.

A Spacey Jane performance is more than just music, it’s a feeling. Seeing them live was beyond cathartic, I was on an invincible high for the following three days. I really had missed Spacey so much. Here is to their new album!

Photography Credit: Cole Barash