Perth Voice Interactive

“MY favourite is Dark Horses,” Getaway Plan frontman Matthew Wright says, rather appropriately on Melbourne Cup morning.

With a single-minded focus on his music the Melbourne muso had missed the connection with the day, telling the Voice the title song of the album “gels perfectly” with its alternative rock style.

“For me that song is the most classic we have written so far.”

“Dark horse” is a term for someone who comes from nowhere to succeed—a bit like Michelle Payne winning the Cup on a 101 to 1 nag.

“We have been off scene for a few years and still see ourselves as dark horses,” Wright says.

Getaway Plan formed in 2004, the members fresh out of high school and about to make a splash.

They tossed a number of possible band names in a hat, and Getaway came out.

“We don’t have a cool story for the name,” Wright admits.

“After 10 years you’d think we’d come up with something.”

It was a crazy whirlwind back in 2004, when the teens hit the tour circuit, with 20 gigs nationally.

While the others had turned 18, Wright was still under-age, making it tricky playing at pubs and clubs.

Sucked

“It sucked a bit because I was under-age. The one good thing was I didn’t have to drive,” he says.

Their debut studio album Other Voices, Other Room was number 14 on the ARIA chart in 2008. But touring took its toll and the group parted company the following year.

“Just two months after leaving school we were touring for six to eight months, being away from home we didn’t have a chance to lead a normal life,” Wright says.

The guys were getting on fine despite the pressure, “but we wanted to pull the pin before we burned out”.
But mateship bonded on a love of music (everything from black metal to classic rock) brought them back together, and with the national Dark Horses tour set to kick off next week, the future is beckoning brightly, with plans to relocate to Nashville in 2016.

“[And] hopefully the name will make sense,” Wright jokes.

Get in to hear Getaway before they do, as the group rock the walls of The Rosemount, North Perth November 20, and Mojos North Fremantle on the 21st.

by JENNY D’ANGER