The Return of Forever Ends Here at Oxford Art Factory (July 7th)
Tour: The Return of Forever Ends Here at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory
Date: July 7th 2023
Bands / Artists featured: Belle Haven, Those Who Dream, Forever Ends Here
From: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
The Return of Forever Ends Here was such a special night to be a part of. Featuring an incredible lineup, the show brought everyone back together for a night full of laughter and extra special happy tears.
Belle Haven are a heavy rock band from Melbourne made up of vocalist David De La Hoz, guitarist Daniel Marinakis, bassist Tom Mitchell. Originally formed in 2010, the band write songs that push the audience, and themselves, to confront the heavier parts of life. They’ve been releasing quite a few things this year, their latest being their single entitled “Hard Stare, Soft Touch”.
Those Who Dream are a story-driven, heavily DIY, pop/punk duo from Perth who continue to put out some of the most interesting music and visuals. Made up of siblings Josh and Hazel, the pair have played national tours with bands like Short Stack and Mayday Parade, as well as being a part of Good Things Festival last year. Through every area of Those Who Dream, the band have created their own surreal fantasy world that has touched a large fanbase around the world.
Forever Ends Here probably don’t need an introduction, but! They are a pop/punk band from Sydney made up of vocalist/guitarist Luke McChesney, bassist Maverick Burnett, and drummer Kane McChesney, who have toured with bands like Neck Deep, State Champs, Short Stack, Simple Plan, and more. Following their breakup in 2018, the band have now reunited to begin a new era that will surely be just as strong and exciting as the legacy they left behind the first time around.
Setlist: 100 Times Over / Chapters / Feel It / Cherry Chapstick / 6 Impossible Things / Toxic Melody / Home Sweet Home / Somewhere Somehow (/ Everything We Love) / Remember December (ft. Mikaila Delgado) / Yours Sincerely / Starships (Nicki Minaj cover) / Send Me Crazy / Search The Night / Collide / Oceans Away
To start the night, Belle Haven took the stage. They’re a band I didn’t really know anything about prior to this show so I was very excited to see what they had in store. They were a tad heavier than I expected — this feeling like a mostly nostalgic pop/punk lineup at first glance— but they added a bit of variety to the sets that I really enjoyed. They absolutely owned the stage, with an incredible amount of energy and vibes. Their strong vocals stuck with me long after the show as did their wonderful ability to interact with each other and the audience. I definitely need to listen to their stuff outside of this show bc they really blew me away.
Those Who Dream absolutely outdid any expectation I had of seeing them live. They are a band I've been hoping to watch for a while so seeing them on this lineup was super special. Despite Josh’s sore throat (which later turned out to be laryngitis), the band had an incredible amount of energy throughout their entire set. It was super special to get to see songs I love come to life on stage. They did their little handshake moment, and drum solo bit that,,, if you know you know,,,, and it was so cool to finally see those silly bits live and out of social media. Their set was all sorts of fun from start to finish and it was such a wonderful introduction to their personality and their music for people who hadn’t heard of them before. I can’t wait to see them do a headliner with more props and set elements to fully immerse the audience into their music’s storylines.
You could sense the anticipation in the air as everyone got ready for Forever Ends Here to take the stage. Excited whispers took over the audience as the band finished setting up behind the closed curtains and a thick layer of haze. Then, the band’s intro began — every possible variation of “the boys are back” and equivalent tracks REALLY hyped up the audience and the band alike. And pretty soon, the room was filled with happy tears and joyous smiles.
It was so cool to see old fans and new fans alike coming together to celebrate the band’s reunion. I can’t imagine what it must’ve felt like from the stage to see everyone coming back to sing every word to every single song after all these years. The band played what felt like such a lon, intimate set in the best way possible. Covering as many bits and pieces of their whole discography as they could. They truly made sure to make the night special with little surprises like getting Mikaila Delgado of Yours Truly on stage to play “Remember December” (something high school me would’ve absolutely loved to see). They also played their cover of Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” which was honestly one of my favorite parts of the night. It was so special to see the band come together with such massive smiles on their faces to put on one of the most wholesome shows I’ve gotten to be a part of. They made me so excited to see what’s coming next — their energy live was honestly something I wasn’t expecting. They killed it and I am so glad they’re back, I’m so hyped to see how they’ll reinvent themselves.
→ Honestly, one big thing was seeing how long the line was to get into the venue! I didn’t expect there to be that many people excited to attend from that early on in the night.
→ Seeing so many friends I wasn’t expecting to see throughout the night was so wonderful and added to that homecoming feeling the band planned for.
→ Everyone’s merch was so much fun, that was definitely a highlight! (Especially mid-Those Who Dream set when they threw some of their own merch into the crowd.)
→ Lastly, seeing Forever Ends Here come back with such massive smiles on their faces, that in itself was a highlight.
Thank you to Bigmouth PR for having me, Friday was a super fun and incredibly special challenge. Also thank you to the bands for putting on such incredible sets and having such wonderful energy throughout the night. Thank you all so much for reading and supporting all the wonderful bands and creatives I get to work with and whose stories I have the pleasure of sharing!
Catch Those Who Dream and Belle Haven on Saturday in the Gold Coast — tickets here
You can also catch Forever Ends Here playing in Sydney at the Landsdowne on August 10th with Yours Truly, Headstrong, Bellwether, and more. tickets here
Find Belle Haven over on:
Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Youtube / Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / Triple J Unearthed
Stay up to date with Those Who Dream over on:
Website / Tik Tok / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Youtube / Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / Triple J Unearthed
Find Forever Ends Here over on:
Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Youtube / Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / Triple J Unearthed
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