Two years ago I stood in the Hordern Pavilion watching Wallows, and they delivered a strong live show that was all about the musicianship which their audience ate up every moment. Fast forward to December 2024 and the Los Angeles alternative-rock trio are back in Sydney playing to a sold out Hordern Pavilion in support of their third studio album “Model”. Walking into the packed venue I was really excited to see how they were going to elevate the live show, and elevate they certainly did. They took their strong musicianship roots from the last show, and have since worked on their showmanship and added some theatrical elements to bring it into an “arena-ready” realm. 

With a black curtain that said “Wallows” draped across the stage, it dropped to unveil a white curtain with lights flashing on it to reveal shadows of the band while they were performing “Do Not Wait”. With that curtain dropping following the opening riff of “Your Apartment”, the crowd reacted with high pitch screaming and loud exclaiming as lead-vocalist Dylan Minnette ran across the stage smiling. “Hello Sydney, how are you?”, he politely asks before rolling straight into songs like “Anytime, Always”, “Scrawny”, “Quarterback”, “Bad Dream”, “These Days”, “You (Show Me Where My Days Went)” and “At The End Of The Day”.  

The stage was simply set up with some risers, and a black curtain behind them that lit up with fairy lights during “A Warning”. As they performed “She’s And Actress” Dylan walked through the crowd singing the song until he reached the B-stage at the back of the venue. Theatrically turning on some lamps that were surrounding the living room aesthetic of the b-stage set-up, fellow band members Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston joined him. Performing stripped back versions of “Pictures Of Girls”, “1980s Horror Film” and “OK”, they gave the audience a different perspective of their artistry as musicians. As Dylan and Cole made their way back to the main stage, Braeden ran around the venue’s seated bleachers sections singing “Worlds Apart”. 

As the full band took to the main stage again, the black curtain that was at the back of the stage dropped to reveal a giant “WALLOWS” LED sign. Going into “Pleaser”, “Calling After Me”, “Remember When” and “I Don’t Want To Talk”, the singalong’s peaked in this really euphoric and climatic way. Returning to the stage for an encore they allowed the crowd to choose between “Sun Tan” and “I’m Full” (which they chose “I’m Full”), before closing the show out with the obvious “Are You Bored Yet?”. 

This show was an exceptional example of how to level up a live show and add elements to grow something that already felt quite strong. It felt like Wallows were really coming into themselves as performers after mastering their musicianship. And with this show teasing what they will do once they enter arenas, I am so excited to see exactly where it can go. 

Check out the full gallery captured by Gabrielle Clement BELOW:

Photos by Gabrielle Clement