Spacey Jane’s stardom is hardly a mystery, fluttering on Hordern Pavillion’s stage with tenacity. The enigmatic 4-piece band is made up of lead vocalist Caleb Harper, lead guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu, bassist Peppa Lane and drummer Kieran Lama. Hailing from Fremantle, Spacey Jane performed with a playful boldness, selling out all 3 nights in the Hordern Pavillion.
Coming hot off their third studio album release, If That Makes Sense, a sun-kissed record cataloguing the band’s fascination with the gritty elements of garage rock and indie. Spacey Jane’s sound mixes various elements, varying from 2000s indie rock powerhouses The Strokes, The Pixies and Arctic Monkeys, to Dreampop and Shoegaze. However, elements of However, their earlier catalogue plays with elements of psychedelic rock such as Santana and Funkadelic as the guitar inputs are distorted beyond recognition. In live performances, lead guitarist Ashton uses inversion chords, its distortion and gritty sounds straight out of Mk. Gee’s record Two Star and The Dream Police.
I had heard of Spacey Jane from their debut EP No Way to Treat an Animal, an authentic retrospect of upbringing set under a rebellious, grungy sound. I paid closer attention to Spacey Jane with the release of their debut album Sunlight, a delicate mix of 2000’s alternative rock and hazy guitar riffs. It became clear why this release had been received with lauded praise, a reflective journey of self-discovery born out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Booster Seat, Spacey Jane’s infamous song that had a chokehold on Triple J and every bar in Byron.
After the release of their sophomore album, Here Comes Everybody, my growing expectation for their records dropped as Spacey’s ostentatious sound was watered down compared to Sunlight. Taking a break from touring in 2024, their third album release and subsequent tour selling out Hordern over multiple days did not surprise me. Leading up to the gig, chatter filled the air as hordes of young Australians poured in` the venue. Many were starry-eyed teenagers enjoying their first gig and the older crowd that have seen in all. Hordern’s floor was so full you could barely muster a wiggle through the crowds. As the lights dimmed, screams filled the room as glimmering lights were strobing across the stage, we stood in anticipation to witness the beating heart of Australia’s rock scene. Shouts of wonder beamed as lead vocalist Caleb’s voice echoed in the venue and their energy magnetic. The light show was simply a spectacle, technicoloured and representative of the band’s high energy during the night.
The first thing I noticed was Caleb’s exceptional range throughout the performance. Although I did not doubt his vocals were rich, his vocal range from airy falsettos to deep bellowing was something to behold. However, Hordern’s sound design is left to be
desired as the acoustics could not capture all the nuanced vocal delivery. Ashton and Peppa contrasted Caleb’s vocals with groovy bass riffs and raw chord progressions, all with a driving beat by Kieran maintaining the crowd’s tempo as the night continued. The 19-song track list blended their new release with classics from prior works, melding into a single sound as each song transitioned seamlessly.
Skin’s leading guitar riffs caused a frenzy as the audience began chanting the lyrics. The song has a notable place on my heart as the album was constantly on rotation as my friends. Growing up with my mates, exploring countless waterholes and beaches across Northern NSW. In some sense, we were finding ourselves across the unique part of the world we called home. It was all underpinned with this song and a flood of nostalgia washed over me as I remember watching sundown on the headland. Another track off their debut album, Head Cold took me back into memories of unrequited love. The dizzying guitar melody riding along a syncopated drumbeat was beautiful to see live and reminded me of the soft murmur of the Wilson River during springtime.
The new tracks off the album play with their sound by adding synth leads, mixing influences of indie rock and synthpop. Whateverrr begins with sweet guitar leads onto airy vocals, which contrasts with Dep Leppard like guitar leads and Caleb’s almost strained pleas for unreciprocated love. Through My Teeth plays with shoegaze sounds with washed out guitar chords, complementing Caleb’s soft and melancholic tone throughout the album. It was during this song a young girl began asking me a question, which I couldn’t hear initially. She comes up to me asking to go on my shoulders, which I hesitantly agree to, not wanting to drop the poor girl. Once she got up, we were dancing together, and the gig began to feel livelier for me. It’s these strange but beautiful moments between strangers, all from different backgrounds coming together for good music.
As the night began to end, Booster Seat’s soft pads began ringing out of Hordern as drilling strumming sets the song’s cadence. Caleb’s wiry vocals move the crowd as lyrics speak on reminiscing on love long gone, an anthem for Australia’s youth for the past few years. Peppa’s airy harmonisation with blares of dreamy guitar riffs was surreal to see live. Although the song had been overplayed to death on radio stations, you cannot help but appreciate the band’s commitment to alternative sounds to contrast its melancholic lyricism. Spacey Jane is a dynamic band conscience of its place in Australia’s rock scene, highlighting the brash and bold sounds underpinning your 20s in the sunburnt country.
