Reviewed onThursday January 28
Since 6am, a queue of some 700 fans has steadily formed around the block. They’re decked out in the blackest of black, braving the heat and humidity of this sticky Sydney day. This swarm of people, the majority of them teenagers, has come to witness the talent of a musician whose career has proven pivotal in 21st century rock.
The hype is real; one group of girls, the youngest only 14 years old, flew in from Brisbane at 3am to ensure they’d get into this exclusive acoustic performance by their hero, Frank Iero. Though he’s best known as the former lead guitarist for world-renowned emo band My Chemical Romance, in the time since their split Iero has worked hard to establish himself as a solo artist, incorporating elements of classic punk rock in to his arsenal of relatable ballads and angsty anthems.
In the basement room of Utopia Records, there’s nowhere for the screams to resonate. As Iero takes to the makeshift stage, there are tears in the eyes of many of the young girls surrounding him; the ones closet to the stage are sat cross-legged gazing up in awe at their icon. As he opens with a gently picked riff to ‘Weighted’, the excellent set-up by the Utopia team generates a clear sound that complements not only Iero, but the gentle lull of voices that accompany him.
Iero’s songs are written in a universal tongue, a language made for the alternative clans. His most popular tracks ‘Weighted’ and ‘Joyriding’ are typical anthemic numbers, harnessing an anxiety that appeals to the new generation of fans and those that remember his work from a decade ago.
You’ve never seen a more humble and considerate musician; as Iero closes his set, he makes his exit toward the garage door of the shop, setting himself up to play for those fans still left outside. The doors roll up and more screaming ensues, crowds on the street squeezing around a nine-foot opening to hear the catchiest two songs of his indoor performance.
In his determination to come to Australia and perform (in spite of the cancellation of a certain festival), Iero has not only given his new wave of fans a great performance, but he’s proved through such a simple set-up to be a fantastic frontman in his own right. Steadily and successfully, he’s paving a way for a new kind of sound in the punk rock arsenal of alternative music.
