Review: Jack Price
Photography: Luke Petty
Ah, The Triffid. It’s live room looking like it’d been lifted straight off of a private hanger with its curved roof/walls and wood paneled floor, outfitted to suit its clientele with black painted brickwork. It is indeed one of Brisbane‘s best hotspots for heavy music, regardless of the band. Proof of this is plastered across the foyer walls and bathrooms. Posters of previous gigs plaster in a patchwork of alternative music memorabilia.
Sydney’s Inertia were first to take to the stage, their electronica fuel post-hardcore rife with heavy dream state-like effects layered with fret tapping guitar. The boys were well placed on the bill, being the perfect openers for the evening. Julian Latouche’s vocals are high and crisp through the stale air, before letting loose some mighty screams throughout the set.
Inertia treated the crowd to an unnamed, unreleased track that is to be included in their upcoming album, one the boys have been working on for the last year and a half, as stated by Latouche. They gave props to the rest of the bill and closed off their set, clearly pleasing the show-goers as they opened the middle of the room in a circle pit.
Hailing from Melbourne, the duo (plus touring drummer and bassist) Wayside open to a heavy riff and bass drum, silencing the crowd immediately. As the standout act of the night as their styling is slightly different to the other bands on the bill, the Melbourne boys add a refreshing calm to the night.
A man of few words, Thomas Davenport introduced their recent single Proud Of You, a catchy, poppy emo track with rhythmical drum work and simple guitars, relying on the bass to carry the verse. The rest of the set is flavoured with Nu-Metal and Alt Rock inspirations, drawn from the likes of Deftones and other bands from the era, as shown in Davenport’s crooning smooth vocals, and Josh Ehmer’s gloomy goodness emitting from the guitar. Ending their set with the track Shine (On To Me), the crowd well and truly warmed up for the next band.
No strangers to Brisbane, having recently supported Windwaker, Adelaide‘s ALT. are a local crowd pleaser, filling in the live room well before their set began. The house PA sprung to life with an operatic intro as the boys took to the stage, with frontman Daniel Cullen-Richards calling “What is up, Brisbane? Let’s start this shit!”, as the band sprang into action.
WRAITH has almost every single person moving, Cullen-Richards nailing the wailing chorus with bassist Oscar Harding lending his deep growls, rounding the performance out perfectly. The ALT. boys offered up some tasty morsels for the Brisbane crowd to eat up, including A.D.D. which had the crowd form a wall of death which continued as the final chorus lightened up, having everyone in the mosh pit bouncing to the track, and the heavy bass riffed Chasing Safety.
The band also treated the crowd to FRIENDINTHEDARK, a track Daniel claims they had yet to perform live. Considering it was the first time for the track to enter the ears of fans in person, they absolutely killed it.
After following on with ABEYANCE, the frontman proclaimed their set was coming to an end, “We’ve got fucking two songs left Brisbane” as the band kicked off Insubordinate, demanding hands to be in the air and bodies moving, which is exactly what they got. Following up with arguably one of the band’s heaviest tracks to finish the set, APEP opens up a circle pit, sucking people in like a whirlpool. Joining ALT. on stage to lend some growls for the bridge, Julian Latouche of Inertia leaps into action, throwing more energy at the crowd who lap up every ounce of the performance.
The roar of the patiently waiting masses is deafening in the lead up to Dream On Dreamer‘s set. As the house lights dimmed, more and more punters piled in, the air thick with anticipation.
Opening with the title track to the 2013 album, Loveless, phones rise from the crowd to capture the moment. In complete unison to the drop, the crowd moves as one, jumping and moshing while the atmospheric synth backing track compliments the contrast of musical style from the band. Despite the hiatus, Dream On Dreamer sound like they’d never stopped touring. They sound polished and primed, ready to continue the legacy and legion of loyal fans they’ve already amassed. Frontman Marcel Gadacz has Brisbane’s crowd by the balls and when he says move, the fucking move. When he calls, they answer in a thunderous chorus.
After addressing the crowd and thanking them for sticking out while the band went through “kind of a breakup stage”, Gadacz introduces the next track Don’t Lose Your Heart from 2018’s It Comes And Goes, an absolute smash with tonight’s crowd as they sing back every word, screaming the hook with all they can muster.
The band takes the fans on a trip through their discography with tracks like Let It In from It Comes And Goes, Hear Me Out and Neverlove from 2013’s Loveless, and Downfall from the bands 2011 album Heartbound filling in the setlist. During the Heartbound track Come Home True Love, ALT.’s Daniel Cullen-Richards was once again brought to the stage to help close off the song, the pair of vocalists combining their voices to create a powerful climactic ending, before closing the set with Ambitions, from 2010’s Hope EP.
After the onslaught the crowd had just witnessed, it’s not hard to imagine why they cried for one last song. The Dream On Dreamer boys obliged by giving them a two-song encore lead with Stay and Runaway, both from It Comes And Goes.
As the encore ended, Marcel promised to the crowd cheering at him, “See you all soon, have a good fucking night, be safe!” It’s clear that both the band and their fans are ecstatic to have Dream On Dreamer back from their sabbatical, ready to do what they do best in creating powerful and memorable music, moments and fans around Australia once again.
