Spacey Jane storms their biggest UK Headline show at Brixton's O2 Academy

Matt Wellham

After years of photographing and filming the London music scene, Matt’s now based in Sydney, Australia. A lover of the post-punk and alternative movement, he can usually be found in the grassroots venues, camera in one hand and a beer in the other.

Spacey Jane return to the O2 Brixton with a sold-out show blending fan favourites and bold new material

Over the past nine years as a band, Spacey Jane have established themselves as one of Australia’s favourite acts. Earlier this year, they released their third record ‘If That Makes Sense’ to critical acclaim, earning the number two spot on the Australian charts. Now, after a long run of North American shows, Spacey Jane play their biggest headline show outside of Australia at Brixton’s O2 Academy.

As the sloped floor of the ex-cinema began to fill with London’s very own Australian community, Mia Wray stepped out to open the night. The Australian singer-songwriter kicked into ‘Nice to Meet You’, a catchy indie-pop track that perfectly showcased the singer’s powerful, Adele-esque vocals. Mia’s lyrics tackle themes of vulnerability and self-discovery, which she lays over cinematic choruses and hooks that soon find themselves stuck in your head. She closed out with ‘The Way She Moves’, a powerful ballad that she brought to an anthemic crescendo. She’s playing another London date at The Lower Third on 4 November, if you’re a fan of Maggie Rogers or Florence Welch, we’d highly recommend checking her out.

At 9 p.m., the walls were buzzing with anticipation from the crowd, who, just past the hour, were greeted by a beaming Spacey Jane walking out onto the stage.

Launching straight into ‘Through My Teeth’, lead singer Caleb Harper instantly set the classic Spacey Jane tone we know and love – bittersweet lyrics paired with a nostalgic haze and swooning guitar parts. His vocals have that perfect amount of raw grit, giving every line an intense and emotional resonance.

Behind Harper, guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu raised the energy levels to the max. I genuinely reckon he spent more time in the air than he did on the ground during the entire set. Whatever Ashton’s leg routine is, I need to know it, either that, or he’s got springs in his calves. He raced around the stage, leaping from the raised drum platform and throwing karate kicks as he smashed out heavy strums and smooth, infectious solos.

On the other side of the stage, bassist Peppa Lane was just as fun to watch. She played cat and mouse with Hardman-Le Cornu as the pair sprinted across the stage, throwing her own kicks and jumps into the mix. The band were an absolute joy to watch; the energy and fun they had on stage soon seeped into the crowd as glowing smiles spread far and wide.

While the visuals were transfixing, so was the music. Spacey Jane weren’t here to mess about, they delivered stone-cold banger after banger. ‘Skin’ appeared just three songs in, before ‘All the Noise’ and ‘Sawteeth’ were mixed in among several tracks from ‘If That Makes Sense’.

My personal favourite, ‘Feeding the Family’, arrived mid-set. As soon as the intro riff began, the crowd screamed with joy. This song was a prime example of what a Spacey Jane show becomes – one massive singalong. The crowd were so loud that the outro lyrics “If it’s all the same, I’ll just waste away. Can’t fill my brain, I’m just feeding the family” almost completely overpowered the sound from the stage. As Hardman-Le Cornu shredded the final solo and the band moshed around on stage, I can only imagine what that must have meant to them.

But as the crowd found their voice, Spacey Jane were ready to push them to their limits with the next run of massive singles – ‘Good for You’, ‘Hardlight’, ‘Booster Seat’, before an encore of ‘So Much Taller’ and ‘Lots of Nothing’. It really felt like Spacey Jane didn’t leave anything out, as the strobes and lights blazed above and the group brought that Australian enthusiasm to the crowd below.

I totally get why Spacey Jane have come so far in the past nine years to become Australia’s sweethearts. Their shows are pure, unfiltered joy. I saw individuals cry, couples make out, and friends soak themselves in pints, and through all of that, almost every single person knew every single lyric. This show brought together an entire community, one that came to share in the chemistry created by the band on stage.If you’re able to catch one of Spacey Jane’s final shows on this UK & EU tour, get that ticket booked. Otherwise, it’s a very expensive flight to see them in their hometown, though, saying that… they might just be worth it.