Thursday night saw Australian pop-punk quartet Trophy Eyes closing out the UK leg of their tour at London’s jam-packed and intimate O2 Academy Islington.
Following the release of their emotional, contemplative 2023 album Suicide and Sunshine, it was apparent why the band created the music they did as the crowd joined their voices to the chorus, converting melancholy into intense passion and energy.
Opening first was UK-based punk band Out of Love, who kicked off a night filled with upbeat tracks. Their sound was gritty, reminiscent of Trophy Eyes’ older music in its harsher vocals and instrumentals.
Next was the Scottish band happydaze, who brought incredible energy, especially their guitarist Rory Gault-Gordon, who spun and jumped across the stage. Their music leaned closer to catchy, modern pop-punk, and they successfully got the crowd moving right before the headliner.
When Trophy Eyes finally took the stage, launching right in with the intensely wounded song “Blue-Eyed Boy,” there was immediate enthusiasm as the audience joined their voice to frontman John Floreani’s. Following a slight slump with their mellow, poppier singles “27 Club” and “Figure 8,” even despite Floreani’s brief crowd-surfing stunt, the difference was jarringly noticeable when the band launched in “Heaven Sent,” a classic, heavier track for the band’s discography off of their 2015 album Chemical Miracle. The intimate venue was filled with cheers, and waves of crowd surfers started going over the barricade. For each one, Floreani made an effort to high-five them even as security ushered them away.
Over the length of the setlist, there was something for everyone, regardless of era. Unsurprisingly, the older Chemical Miracle tracks met a lot of love, as did Mend, Move On’s “Choke.” 2018’s The American Dream, where the band started leaning toward poppier influences, received a good reception from “Something Bigger Than This” and the iconic “You Can Count On Me”–and it was particularly fun to call out the lyrics “thanks to everyone who bought tickets to my shows / I put all the money that you spent right up my nose” with a room full of people including the vocalist.
On top of all that, there was abundant love and familiarity with Trophy Eyes’ newest music, with fans singing “What Hurts the Most” and “Kill” at the top of their lungs. The only complaint could be that the set seemed too short, and, aside from the excitement level, the band felt a little less like the headliners than they should have.
At one point during the night, Floreani referred to tragedies at the foundation of the band’s music. It was transparent through many of their lyrics that the art was born from both the emotional and mental suffering of losing loved ones; because of this, it was all the more impressive for these musicians to have turned their pain into a performance of unity, the darkness giving way to light. Hearing the room call back angsty lyrics must have been among the most cathartic ways to channel the pain because Floreani could not refrain from dancing and smiling, a joyfully magnetic presence.
Trophy Eyes closed out their tour firmly with a career-spanning set showcasing their consistent quality as one of the most promising growing bands in the scene. Over the next few months, they’ll perform throughout Europe before hitting the road in the United States. You can check out their tour dates here.
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