The Getaway Plan Tickets

THE GETAWAY PLAN – REQUIEM
BIOGRAPHY

On February 25th, 2009, The Getaway Plan shocked the Australian music industry with a statement online announcing that just one year after the release of their breakthrough album, "Other Voices, Other Rooms", the band had reached the end of their path.

"There comes a point in everyone's lives where they must sit back and assess if everything is working the way it should be. We have come to a decision that The Getaway Plan will no longer continue to make music together."

With the four members - vocalist Matthew Wright, guitarist Clint Owen Ellis, bassist Dave Anderson and drummer Aaron Barnett - barely in their 20s, and coming off a year which included every type of achievement and accolade, the announcement was a massive disappointment to people that had seen the band set themselves up for what appeared to be a long and successful career.

But as vocalist Wright explains, it was the same success and attention that had driven the band to their decision.

"We were just kids, thrown in to a world that we were in no way ready for. Things were simply moving too fast and we couldn't keep up. As far as I see it, we had no other option".

That success included three sold out headline tours, slots on Big Day out, Pyramid and Homebake, and massive radio success for the singles "Where The City Meets the Sea" and "Shadows" - the former of which peaked at #29 on the ARIA singles charts and #59 on triple j's Hottest 100.

The band concluded what was to be their Finale with six sold out nights at The Hifi in Melbourne.

On November 19th, 2010, The Getaway Plan announced to their fans their intention to continue making music together. The members had found success playing in band like The Amity Affliction, Deez Nuts and Young Heretics, but after doing a reunion show for charity in September 2010, found that without the outside pressure they were happier playing music together than ever.

"There's no denying that we have something special between the 4 us - and it's something that became quite apparent when venturing out in to other projects" says Ellis. "Nothing felt the same, because nothing was".

It’s something all the members can relate to. Bassist Anderson had stopped playing music because the idea of playing with anyone else was not something he could fathom just yet. “I always wanted to keep playing music, but the thought of trying to rebuild the repose I had with the other three guys, and the friendship and trust – it just seemed too daunting for me to tackle just yet.” says Anderson. “I think once we got back together we all felt the same thing – we knew this was what we wanted.”

This unity amongst the members ignited a surge of song writing as the band members got together to write some of the most inspired songs they had ever written. With members touring around the world, they managed to keep writing and collaborating - effectively becoming closer and closer despite their physical distance.

But they weren't the only people who took notice, as world renowned super-producer David Bottril, whose work with Muse, Silverchair, Tool and Circa Survive had caught the

bands attention, responded immediately to the tracks and agreed to produce the band's comeback album.

"We have always taken an overly ambitious approach to things. When contacting David Bottrill, we honestly didn't even expect a response," remembers Wright. "To know that someone of such great fame believes in our music is an honour to say the least. Working with David was the best thing we've ever done".

The four members continued to refine their songs, stopping to tour on their Reclamation tour in February, in which they played new material to adoring crowds all over Australia.

On April 19th, 2011, The Getaway Plan arrived in Toronto for their first substantial amount of time jamming in 8 months. Members had finished touring the world with their respective bands and were ready to knuckle down to put the finishing touches on the album that had crowded their creative headspace in all corners of the globe.

The reunion of its members was a special time for the collective, and the spark was instantly there in every sense of the word. As they settled into 100 year old house in Danforth area of Toronto - a house they spend over three months in - the band could not have felt more at home.

"Finally all being together for an extended amount of time was like a revelation,” remembers drummer Aaron Barnett. “Clint had been away on tour since November, and we only saw him briefly in February. It was the best feeling to be back creating in the same room.”

Spending a month refining the songs both alone and with Bottril, the band practiced into the early mornings, often talking out all the issues that had made them disband in the first place. It was through these discussions that they set the mantra of the album and for their career moving forward - that they old Getaway Plan was dead, and that from now on everything they do would be on their own terms and with their own motives as the centre of their art.

"Not many bands get a second chance like this." says Wright. “This time we are doing things right. We are a reborn band and we are doing this our way in every aspect.”

Bringing a Grammy award winning producer into the fold proved vital in the band simultaneously defining and refining who they are. With the pop sensibilities of their songs, the band was conscious of making a record that focused to much on that particular element. It was important to keep to raw emotion, darkness and energy to the sound - something which Bottril was vital in retaining.

"The first half of the album is what happens when we get back together – it’s like we picked up from where we were at before we broke up." Says Anderson. “The second half of the album is what happened when really started experimenting with where we want to go and what we want to achieve.”

“We will always have pop elements to our music” says Barnett. “But we never write songs for radio or TV. We just make the music we want to hear. Any extra mainstream support is just a bonus.”

The final result of Requiem both accentuates the "signature" sound of The Getaway Plan sound, while expanding the bands sound in a way that leaves you knowing the band has the space to move in whatever direction they please. Instead of pooling everything in to make an album that gets the band right back on the path they were headed, Requiem is the first stop of a band ready to spend a career writing music the way they feel it.