My first encounter with Taylor Acorn was her support slot for Bowling For Soup as a part of The Good Things 2024 sideshows. It should have been my second, but that’s a story for another day. Tonight is Acorn’s first Melbourne headline show at the iconic 170 Russell.
That first time seeing Acorn at The Corner Hotel I must admit I didn’t know what to expect from her. In all honesty Bowling For Soup was the reason I attended that show. Sure, I had heard her name but i never really took it beyond that. Until that December evening. For me an important part of being a music journalist is I like to check out the opening artists whether I am familiar with them or not and over the years I have come across some of my favourite bands through simply turning up early and being open and curious.
Acorn’s infectious brand of pop-punk instantly grabbed me and from that point I was hooked and the dive into her work began. As an artist the collaborations and covers Acorn has released are impressive on their own, but her body of work is simply feel-good infectious fun with a great message behind it all.
With her new album “Poster Child” having just dropped in February. Acorn is armed with an arsenal of new material and without a doubt the hits and fan favourites will all be here.
Kicking off tonight’s proceedings is Arrows In Action a band that I wasn’t familiar with until the drive in for tonight’s show. I like being surprised by opening artists in general and I have to say I’m excited to about what I am about to see and hear. They share the same indie pop/pop punk sensibilities as Taylor Acorn. Arrows In Action are possibly a little more pop but nonetheless less I’m keen to see what they bring live.
2000’s rock blasted through the PA; Sum-41, Papa Roach, Buckcherry and Nickelback (who had the loudest singalong) ….. I think you get the idea and the crowd was already singing along which is a great sign.
Arrows In Action take to the stage to a louder than I expected response. It appears as though they have quite the fan base judging by the screams of joy. My initial impression is one that’s a little well …. different.
Arrows In Action are a three-piece consisting of Victor Viramontes-Pattison (vocals/guitars), Matthew Fowler (guitars) and Jesse Frimmel (drums). Yep, that’s it ….. no bass player, no keys and I’m not sure how I feel about it. However, having said that the music does loan itself to that level of production and AIA have only ever advertised themselves as a three piece so it probably shouldn’t have been such a surprise.
Once I calibrated the set up for the AIA set and settled into it I found the band to be a ton of fun. It’s pop music that dare I say it leant into boyband territory with a modern edge. Their fans in the front row were passionate singing every word with the band and might I say they have a broad fan base; ages went from eighteen through dare I say it my age, in their fifties. Fans were consistently scattered through the crowd too, all singing along and engaging with the band and then there were the new fans too. You could see AIA winning over this audience and I absolutely love seeing this stuff. This is the power of live music working its magic.
Frontman Victor Viramontes-Pattison played guitar for a few songs but seemed most at home being a frontman and vocalist. It allowed him the freedom to let his natural stage craft and charm shine though. So much so that before long he let his hair down literally and metaphorically. Guitarist Matthew Fowler is a ball of smiles and energy, while a little low in the mix is a solid player and has a huge presence on stage.
Drummer Jesse Frimmel certainly loves what he does on stage and is a solid drummer. Frimmel is not afraid to head out from behind the drum kit as he shared vocals on ‘Head In The Clouds’ with Viramontes-Pattison. Let’s face it this show is quite a bit of fun. I must admit that as the energy built in the room, the crowds engagement lifted song by song I got pulled into the performance and almost forgot that a lot of the music I was hearing came from tracks.
‘Stop Talking’ is a new track from the band and went over well, mind you at this stage AIA could sell ice to eskimo’s, they truly did have 170 Russell in the palm of their hands. A guest appearance from Miss Acorn for ‘Uncomfortably Numb’ received a loud reception and Acorn joining AIA is a fantastic pairing. No wonder these two artists have decided to come to the other end of the world together. With my knowledge of Arrows In Action being quite limited I quickly fell into the fact that they write great pop songs. Infectious, instant and fun.
Closing out their set with ‘Over it’ that dove into them covering a verse and chorus from Jesse McCartney’s ‘Beautiful Soul’ possibly gives you the best indication of the bands style and how I sit them in more of a pop styling. It is the final song of the night ‘Cheekbones’ that seems to have the biggest response from the crowd. In full voice, most of them grooving along as well, the crowd at 170 Russell were well and truly engaged with Arrows In Action. For a first-time appearance in Australia they certainly kept their fans happy and undoubtedly walked away with a such of new fans.
Setlist: Empty Canvas, Light Like You, Put You Through Me, High, Head In The Clouds, Stop Talking, Uncomfortably Numb, All The Ways I Could Die, Over It/Beautiful Soul, Cheekbones.
Arrows in Action Gallery
Taylor Acorn made such a strong impression upon me the first time I saw her. There was a magic about her set and at the first time I saw her the set was very different to tonight’s. The main reason for that is her new album “Poster Child”. Tonight was a showcase of no less than eight of the twelve songs from the album. For me “Poster Child” is a record of growth and playfully dipping her toes into the styles of other artists sounds while still being herself. “Poster Child” fells like it’s quite a personal record lyrically and thematically. It’s vulnerable, honest and almost like a dose of therapy for her.
Opening with the title track ‘Poster Child’ Acorn bounced onto the stage with her infectious energy and everything from that first time seeing her rushed back. The smile, the presence and of course that voice. 170 Russell were completely in tune singing along with every word. Hearing and seeing the engagement is enough to make the hairs on my arms stand up. This continued through ‘People Pleaser’ and it’s now completely obvious that Acorns fans have simply consumed her new music and have connected with it. With that we are taken back to ‘I Think I’m In Love’ from the 2023 album “Certified Depressant”, another song that has arms waving and a crowd in full voice.
Taking a moment Acorn asks us to give it up for her best friends in the whole wide world Arrows In Action. Acorn goes on to say “The very first tour I didn’t in this genre pop-punk/pop-rock, we don’t really know what it is honestly, sometimes it’s a country, we don’t know what it is. But the very first tour I ever did was with Arrows In Action and they were so kind, they came and played as my band for that first tour. They would play, come off stage, I would go on and they would come on as my band. It’s pretty cool to bring them out here with me and to see you guys because you guys are the best and we love it out here”
‘Coma’ has everyone singing again. It’s just insane see how well Melbourne has embraced Taylor Acorn. I love seeing this organic connection. Acorns lyrics and delivery are so full of feeling, so emotive and you feel the anger and hurt within this song. It really is one of those things you have to experience live.
‘Blood On Your Hands’ takes us back into the “Poster Child” album. This song is amazing and was the first song from the album that hooked me. As with every song the audience were just completely in and as one with Acorn.
What I have begun to notice in the set is that as with Arrows In Action it’s a three-piece band using backing tracks. Where this seems to affect Acorn is that the live drums, guitars and vocals seem to be controlled by these tracks. What I mean by that is that the song endings seem cut or clipped by the tracks and leave songs feeling very sterile. All of the energy seems to stop and doesn’t allow for improvisation or a truly live feel. When the track stops so does some of that live magic. This really is the only criticism I have of the show. Working with this formula can make moving into the next song a little rough and it feels like the tracks really do hold back some of the live magic and spontaneity.
Having said that when they do work it right, the little drum solo Eathan Hart does leading into ‘Goodby Good Riddance’ is perfect. Hart hits with intent, he is a heavy hitter who simply kicks this set of songs along. Of course there is Acorns partner in crime and right-hand Ricky Jab who is quite simply has the energy of the Tasmanian Devil from the cartoons. Spinning, kicking, throwing his guitar around his body, Jab is exhausting to just watch. There is a magic about Jab that caught me the first time I saw him perform.
Again, it is this energy and the perfect delivery of the music that makes me question how many layers of guitar there may be in the tracks. It’s an unfortunate rabbit hole that is easy to slip into once you start to look at and begin to analyse it.
Acorn goes on to address that it’s summer here and her allergies are off the rails and she can feel her voice going and asks if we could sing so loud with her, to which we do. For me Acorn’s voice is amazing even with the effects of allergies. She is definitely live as you can hear little live differences to the pre-recorded harmonies.
‘Burning House’ from “Survival In Motion” feels like the most live track tonight. Deep heartfelt and a little raw, all the hallmarks of great live energy and sees Acorn pick up a guitar. Again 170 Russell is again in fine voice and the connected energy.
Acorn tells us of how they are all in such a strange personal time space having just been in Europe and then back in America and now here in Australia. Their body clocks are all kind of messed up, admitting that they do love it here and could live here, the climate is perfect for Acorn.
‘Home Video’s’ is that little bit of country she spoke of before. Acorn plays an acoustic and the crowd is harmonious with her words. This feels magical, raw and completely live. In this song I realise just how incredible a stripped back acoustic show from Acorn would be. Catching that storyteller side, hearing the songs as they would have been written would be simply sublime.
‘Crashing Out’ picks up the pace again and highlights yet another side to Acorn on her most recent release. I love this song and the chorus is an ear worm. It’s a little grittier and dives into territories that suit her so well.
‘Hangman’ is the last song from “Poster Child” in tonight’s set and again takes you to a place that uses that grit that I love. There is space and power here and that really does aid the delivery. Where it really could take off seems to be controlled again by tracks taking away some of that live magic.
‘Greener’ and ‘Birds Still Sing’ take me back to the songs that grabbed me the first time live. The big hook in ‘Greener’ hits as it should and there does seem to be some improvised spaces in this song which feels great. ‘Birds Still Sing’ is that folky, country infused lighters (or phone light) in the air feeling, beauty in simplicity, power full in delivery. Again, I find myself wanting to see a solo acoustic show by Acorn more than before.
Acorn goes on to thank us all for turning up, listening to her songs and helping her save her own life. Her application is raw and heartfelt and when you put it into context with her lyrics and songs this is therapy for her and it is clearly something much bigger for each of us that have engaged and let her music into our worlds as I am sure she has saved hundreds of lives with her music and words. This is the beauty in music that I do love.
The encore consists of two of Acorns biggest songs ‘Shapeshifting’ and ‘Psycho’. ‘Shapeshifting’ has 170 Russell sing the first half of the verse pretty much on their own and by the time the chorus hits everybody is all in and loud. Acorn works damn hard live; she knows how to work a room and how to work a stage and I guess that’s advantage of having quite a sparse stage.
‘Psycho’ has the room bouncing and sees Jab just find his performance space leaving no trick or move unused. Seeing every pair of hands clapping and voices at their loudest does give this finale something very special.
In summary what a show, what a performer. I cannot wait to see what Acorn has in store for us next. I will be back again. While I do miss seeing amps on stage, I miss hearing stage sound, and having my ears roared at by a guitar and bass amp in the photo pit. For me amps are the soul and life of a live performance, they add atmosphere too. A sterile stage with nothing but modelling amps that look like pedal boards feels empty. But when it comes to touring these days it makes sense, minimal gear to lug and arrange at shows, easier to travel with too.
Maybe, just maybe next time we will get to see Acorn with a full band, that would be perfect. To see how she and a full band feed off live energy and really dive into these songs and arrangements. Seeing those stage interactions and moments would be perfect and I think necessary to elevate her to the next level as a touring artist.
Setlist: Poster Child, People Pleaser, I Think I’m In Love, Coma, Blood On Your Hands, Cheap Dopamine, Goodbye Good Riddance, Burning House, Home Videos, Crashing Out, Hangman, Greener, Birds Still Sing
Encore: Shapeshifting, Psycho
With thanks to Tiana from Dallas Does PR & Destroy All Lines for the media access.
Photos by Shot By Slaidins Photography
Taylor Acorn Gallery
