SHOW REVIEW: Mariana’s Trench Returns to Phoenix on the Suspending Gravity Tour
SHOW REVIEW: Mariana’s Trench Returns to Phoenix on the Suspending Gravity Tour
Supporting their new album ‘Phantoms,’ the band was joined by DJ George Thoms and The Unlikely Candidates.
By Taylor Gilliam
It’s been four long years since Marianas Trench last took the stage in Phoenix, but their fans didn’t miss a beat. The Canadian pop group is back with Phantoms, a fantastic early 2019 release, as well as a tour featuring DJ George Thoms and The Unlikely Candidates that stopped by the downtown venue The Van Buren on Friday, 9/27.
A scheduling miscommunication put local DJ George Thoms at the start of the evening, but those who came early were not disappointed. Giving the people what they wanted, the producer spun the top pop hits of the last two decades and remixed classics like “Wonderwall” and “California Girls” to warm up the crowd. The singalongs were aplenty as the venue started to fill.
If you blinked at the right time, you would have missed The Unlikely Candidates taking over and launching into “Violence.” The blaze of (fittingly) red light that matched frontman Kyle Morris’ suit left the crowd in an initial collective confusion, but they soon snapped right into action. Each song had the room rapt and nodding in recognition—The Unlikely Candidates are a band that have sneakily been releasing solidly good music (“Follow My Feet,” “Oh My Dear Lord,” “Celebrate”) for almost a decade now– which meant much of the crowd quickly transformed from passively knowing their hits, to becoming avid fans they played those songs live back to back.
Closing with their latest single “Novocaine,” the Texas five-piece ended on a high note that left the crowd wanting more. It’s not every show that the direct support satisfies enough to quell antsy impatience while still building hype for the headliner, but the Suspending Gravity tour struck that delicate balance.
Marianas Trench emerged in blinding white light, shocking the senses into a full-body experience as the blaring harmonies of “Eleonora” hit the audience right in the chest. Josh Ramsay’s falsetto floated up towards the balcony and fell upon the venue like a favorite blanket before the drums and guitar picked up the tempo.
The group’s set drew heavily from Phantoms, but they made sure to mix in classics like “Stutter” and “Who Do You Love” from previous albums. The tears flowed from longtime fans in the crowd as they screamed the words that shaped their youth– as with many underrated bands, their fanbase are wildly dedicated. Ramsay suddenly disappeared from the stage and reappeared in the crowd, who made room to give him the space to be among the people and savor the moment.
He and fellow band members Matt Webb, Mike Ayley, and Ian Casselman kept up that energy through their 20+ song setlist, which is why it flew by in a blur of glitter. With any luck, it reminded Marianas Trench that while their absence may make the heart grow fonder, four years is an awfully long time between dynamic shows such as theirs.
