The iconic Melbourne bands that rose during the MySpace era
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20.08.2020

The iconic Melbourne bands that rose during the MySpace era

The Getaway Plan
Words by Tammy Walters

Remember MySpace?

As the number one social media platform between 2005 and 2008, the holy grail that was MySpace was a music lovers’ dream. Not only could you keep up to date with your favourite bands, you could list them in your top ten friends and customise your entire profile with your mad coding skills. From your background wallpaper to embedding YouTube videos and having a page song, MySpace was more than a social networking platform – it was an extension of the music community.

Bands also benefited from having MySpace pages and an entire genre of music was birthed through the platform. Emo and pop punk hearts were filled with bands like Paramore, Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is… and All Time Low exploding through the platform onto Vanns Warped Tour lineups.

UK heavyweights Bring Me The Horizon launched their career through MySpace (writers note: I won tickets to their Geelong show through a MySpace competition), Short Stack racked up over four million song plays through the platform and their fellow Sydney alternative rockers, Sick Puppies’ ‘Free Hugs’ campaign ignited a world movement thanks to MySpace.

To celebrate the Melbourne bands who thrived during the MySpace era, we’ve unpacked eight memorable outfits that sat alongside Tom in your top friends.

The Getaway Plan

The Getaway Plan were the epitome of the MySpace band donning side-fringes and playing into the emo aesthetic. Putting out their debut commercial release in 2006 with EP, Hold Conversation, they quickly became a household name with triple j quickly picking up their track ‘If The Suspense Doesn’t Kill You, Something Else Will’.

Other Voices, Other Rooms followed catapulting them from MySpace into the commercial rat race, earning them support slots with My Chemical Romance and The Used.

By March 2008, following the release of ‘Where The City Meets The Sea’, the band were on fire, performing live nationally on Rove and receiving the Best Independent Single/EP at the annual AIR Awards.

The Getaway Plan not only launched their career on MySpace, they also ended it on the platform announcing their dissolution. That only lasted one year however – the band reforming and subsequently releasing Requiem in 2011 and ARIA chart-topper Dark Horses in 2015. The Getaway Plan are still active today.

Closure in Moscow

Similar to The Getaway Plan, Closure in Moscow emerged as part of the MySpace emo establishment and their 2008 EP, The Penance and The Patience (which saw them quit their jobs and sell their cars to recruit American producer Kris Crummett), and debut album, 2009’s First Temple, are embedded in many Melbourne  music folklore.

From playing SXSW, supporting Emery in 2009 and being the only Australian band to play the entire Soundwave circuit for 2010, Closure in Moscow have a rich live performance history.

In 2018, the boys announced they were working on album number three and as of March 2020, the teasing continued on their Facebook page.

The Vasco Era

Away from the heavy heroes on this list, The Vasco Era were sat on the blues table. Originally from Apollo Bay, The Vasco Era were soon claimed by the big city thanks to their electric live shows.

The band have three albums and two EPs to their name including the mammoth Oh We Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside as assisted by Jeff Saltzman (producer of The Killers’ Hot Fuss and former Green Day manager), which was nominated for Australian Album of the Year at the 2007 J Awards. Supporting the likes of Gomez, The Black Keys, Violent Femmes and Wolfmother, The Vasco Era were an undeniable force in the MySpace age.

House vs. Hurricane

House vs. Hurricane were residents of the hardcore scene. Forming in 2006 and gaining a massive following on their MySpace page, this band were quick to get their debut EP, Forfeiture, out in the world in 2008.

Two years later they revealed their stellar debut album, Perspectives. The record set the boys alight, gaining them gigs at the No Sleep Til festival, Soundwave’s Melbourne leg in 2009, and slots supporting The Devil Wears Prada and Bullet For My Valentine.

Since the release of their 2013 album, Crooked Teeth, the boys have broken up and reunited twice, putting out Filth in 2017. They are currently still active.

Deez Nuts

Deez Nuts merch was a staple of the early 2000s – the huge smiley face, mild profanity and bold band name lettering established Deez Nuts a cult following. Having released six albums and an EP, the hardcore soldiers are continually paving the way for heavy music in Australia.

Touring with Bring Me The Horizon, Parkway Drive, Architects, The Amity Affliction and playing the Vans Warped Tour in 2018, Deez Nuts may have had a humble MySpace beginning but they’ve certainly catapulted since then.

Behind Crimson Eyes

Behind Crimson Eyes got their start in 2004. True to the metalcore and emo genres, Behind Crimson Eyes quite literally used MySpace as their launchpad, releasing their album A Revelation For Despair directly via the page.

The album saw the boys break into the ARIA Chart top 50 and quickly saw them jump onto the Taste of Chaos lineup for 2005. Three albums, two EPs, and a rich resume of shows to their name, Behind Crimson Eyes were one of the biggest MySpace band successes from Melbourne.

Little Red

We all know the 2010 hit ‘Rock It’ but Melbourne rockers Little Red were around long before the track came about, floating through veins of MySpace. Forming in 2005, Little Red were first noticed entering a triple j Unearthed competition and in 2008 they won the Australia-wide Garage to V competition run by Virgin Mobile.

‘Waiting’, ‘Coca-Cola’ and ‘Witch Doctor’ all set the tone for the five-piece to take off. Unfortunately, Little Red called it a day in 2012 after two studio albums and a single EP.

Keen on another nostalgic read? From ‘So Fresh’ to ‘Ministry of Sound’, here are the compilation albums that changed music forever.

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