Texas is The Reason @ Corner Hotel
It’s days like this that keep me alive
Words and Photos by Brittney McCarthy of BM Images
Texas Is the Reason are not just a 90s post-hardcore band from New York. They are a specific time in someone’s life, making something unbearable feel a little less lonely. A band that existed briefly, disappeared, and became even more significant in the space they left behind.
The Melbourne show at the Corner Hotel was opened by 90s punk band Average and New Zealand’s Coast Arcade, who played all three Australian shows with them. Both drew a crowd that very clearly adored them. These weren’t filler openers.
AVERAGE
COAST ARCADE
Texas Is The Reason walked on to Do You Know Who You Are?, the title track from their only studio album.
They opened with If It’s Here When We Get Back, It’s Ours, followed by Johnny on the Spot and The Magic Bullet Theory. Immediately, the crowd was pulled in.
Someone yelled out, “You saved my life,” and Garrett replied without hesitation, “Mine too, brother.”
Writing that down, I am aware it could sound corny. Standing there in the room, it wasn’t. Listening to that exchange, I just felt my heart swell for this person, for the band, and for what music does to shape our happiness. A lot of artists would have smiled and moved on.
Garrett didn’t. He met it with immediate sincerity.
Blue Boy was an early standout, helped by the stage washing into blue as the song began. The set moved through When Rock ’n’ Roll Was Just a Baby, There’s No Way I Can Talk Myself Out of This One Tonight, and Something to Forget.
Texas Is The Reason’s songs are built on tension and movement, and live you could hear every shift. Chris Daly’s drumming gave the set its weight without ever feeling overdone, while John Herguth’s ringing guitar carried so much of the ache and lift in the songs.
The cover of Sugar’s Changes brought Bella from Coast Arcade onto the stage. Her voice bright, her energy infectious, and she added a lovely shift in movement as they interacted with each other on stage.
Garrett Klahn commands attention without trying to dominate the room. You want to engage with him because he seems completely present with whoever is in front of him. He treats a room full of people the same as a one on one conversation, which makes his stage presence even more compelling.
From there, the band moved through Nickel Wound, Every Little Girl’s Dream, Dressing Cold, The Day’s Refrain, and A Jack With One Eye. You could see almost everyone mouthing words with their eyes fixed on the stage, absolutely transfixed.
Scott Winegard was incredible to watch, swooping movements, spinning, jumping, and hair moving everywhere, adding a delightful burst of energy against the more restrained presence of the others. His bass was clear in the mix too. I often find bass at live shows muddy or difficult to follow, but this was not the case.
They finished with Antique and Back and to the Left, with no encore. Personally, I find the whole fake-walk-off-and-wait-to-be-called-back thing to be banal, so I appreciated the entirety of the set without interruption and the gimmick of “one more song”.
After the show, they did not vanish backstage. They came out, spoke to people, signed things, took photos, and gave fans the kind of experience you dream about. They did not rush, seeming to understand the need to say hello, to express what the band means, to take a photo and treasure it. Setlists were handed out and signed, small gifts accepted with beaming smiles.
There was no inflated “rockstar energy” in the room. No posturing or ego. Just four people who understood that these songs mean something, and seemed genuinely happy to meet people in that moment.
Nostalgia is too thin a word for what was happening on Friday night. This was not about reliving the past. It was about connection, identity, and feeling the substantial weight of these songs in person.
For many in the room, this was the first chance to experience that weight live, with this tour marking Texas Is The Reason’s first time in Australia.
I went into the night with a camera and a job to do. I left with a deep understanding of why people hold this band so tightly.
For a band with such a small recorded output, it is wild how much weight these songs carry, and how undeniable it is that people will keep finding themselves in them.
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Nostalgia is too thin a word for what was happening on Friday night. This was not about reliving the past. It was about connection, identity, and feeling the substantial weight of these songs in person.