Review: Jack Price
Photography: Carlie Tanithskye
Brisbane‘s home of emo, The Brightside is packed this evening with the return of British hard rock legends, Caskets, who have been blowing since their last shows in Aus, renown for their catchy tunes, uplifting yet broody lyrics and outstanding live shows, after an all-but-sold out tour down under. Accompanied by the funk-infused US pop rock quartet The Home Team, local metalcore boys Stepson and southerners from Melbourne, Bad/Love. Tonight’s show is teeing up to be a banger, despite the looming storm moving up from the coast. The excitement of the ever-growing, black-clad crowd adds to the electrifying atmosphere. Being the end of the run, the merch tables are looking a bit scarce of Caskets gear, but that doesn’t stop punters from adoring their brand new garments to support the headliners, or their support acts.
Taking their job personally, Bad/Love open with a roar of “Brisbane how the fuck are we doing?” as guitarist Lachlan Monty steps up to the mic, producing a cheer from the crowd. As Bad/Love take to the stage, the crowd draws closer, enticed with the bands funky grooves, pop-esc harmonics and gravelly screams. From the first track, the Melbourne boys have the crowd clapping along and moving like they are the headliners. Their standout track of Social Suicide, originally performed with Crossfaith, with the boys pop-punk-meets-metalcore stylings melding perfectly. Vocalist Landon Kirk swaps seamlessly from poppy cleans to brutal screams, backed by guitarist Monty to really emphasize their lyrical messages. The band are polished and a perfect opening act, Bad/Love delivered a hell of a set for the Brisbane punters to devour.
The Brisbane boys of Stepson, (which I’m sure there is a backstory to that name) are next to charge the stage. Greeting the crowd, frontman Brock Alan Conry seems to like what he sees, replying with “That’s what I’m talking about, you’re all beautiful”. The band kicked it into gear, wowing fans, both old and new alike with their melodic sound, switching from face meltingly brutal hardcore, to straight up punk, back to melodic that borders on emo. Eraser is a crowd pleaser with its almost Dance, Gavin, Dance/Tides Of Man stylings, with Conroy displaying his vocal prowess while his bandmates’ performance is polished and perfected. Moving into their new track Discover Lonely, the evolution of the band is evident.
“This is where we’re from, this is where we play the most shows. So we’re gonna play you a new song ” spouts the frontman after addressing their hometown crowd, showing their love for their roots and dedication to the scene. Their set turns the crowd into an absolute mosh fest, splitting the crowd down the middle at one point to kick off a wall of death-turned-circle pit. Playing a currently unreleased track which they debuted at their recent gigs, Venom is fucking brutal. Brock’s vocals are aggressive and nothing like anything the band has produced thus far in their set, edging closer to deathcore than the punk roots the band has. Eager to show the band’s progression, the Brissy boys included their 2016 track This Is How It Feelsfrom the EP Echos In An Empty Room, which truly demonstrated their growth as a band and as people. With their last track, Come With Me, opening the pit up once more, the frontman calls “if you love circle pits, you’re gonna love this song. Spin that shit like a fucking Beyblade.” And spin the punters do! With a set that spans the band’s entire career, the difference is polarising in the growth the Stepson boys have undergone. Their powerful set shows they are a fantastic choice for support.
The stage lights dimmed as the crowd welcomed the US band, new to our shores, The Home Team, to the stage with a choir of screams and applause. The energetic 4 piece burst to life, awakening the cold crowd after the lengthy wait. Kicking into gear with Watching All Your Friends Get Rich, the US group are funky and sharp, energetic and charismatic, with everyone from frontman Brian Butcher with his operatic voice and dramatic dance moves, to bassist Ryan Olson‘s and guitarist John Baran‘s kicks and spins and general onstage antics, to drummer Daniel Matson‘s tempo switches and percussive demonstration while switching genres mid track.
The Home Team add a layer of sexiness to the evening’s festivities (I’m 90% sure at least one person got pregnant because of tonight’s show) with tracks like Slow Bloom and Loud, with their seductive composition and cheeky lyrical content, like a pop-punk version rock having a definite heaviness to it, with Baran‘s guitar tones and a decent amount of meaty chugs thrown in the mix of jazzy flourishes. Their set is a delight to the ears and eyes, as the US lads jive and generally enjoy their time on stage.
“This is our very first time playing in your city and this is fucking rad.” the frontman declares, clearly impressed with the crowd’s performance. He compliments their time here in Australia, wishing for three more weeks of touring and claims “The United States kinda fucking sucks in comparison”, a sweet sentiment met with laughs from the crowd. Butcher‘s engagement with the crowd is incredible, stating that the tour has been an awesome experience. Continuing their set, with an older track for their OG fans, She’s Quiet, and their most recent single from the upcoming album titled Crystal Boulevard, Overtime. The set comes to an end with Scary Movies and Right Through Me, the crowd well and truly hyped for the main event echo the charisma of the band. Despite their sunny and uplifting songs, their energy is perfect to be supporting Caskets. Hopefully we can see The Home Team supported with some local talent for their own shows in Australia in the future.
The time has come, friends, for the Brits to once again honour the Brightside outdoor stage. The lighting drops and rises with broody blue hues, as James Lazenby lays down some dramatic rhythmic percussion while guitarists/bassists Benji Wilson and Craig Robinson (who swap instruments periodically throughout the set) join shortly after, before being joined by frontman Matt Flood. An echoing scream of “Brisbane!” emits from the vocalist which is returned by cheers for the crowd, as they blast into Drowned In Emotionfrom 2021’s debut album Lost Souls. The crowd are almost able to overpower the band with their singing, with every word being sung back at the boys from Leeds. Flood asks “Brisbane, how the fuck are you doing?” to which the screams of the crowd echo from concrete wall to concrete wall of the venue.
Moving into their Reflections album, Believe is up next with its vocal fronted intro and sudden onslaught of guitars and drums. Being the first track off the tour album, the performance is full of energy and angst, charged only by that of the fans. Both Matt and Craig deliver heavier vocals during the set than that of the record, once again showing just how heavy Caskets can play, as explained by Benji in our interview last year during the Windwaker tour. Hold Me Now follows which creates a false calm with it’s soft intro before devastating punters as the chorus is belted out at them, chased with In The Silence from last year’s Reflections. Taking it back to the bands EP, Ghost In You sounds incredible with the heightened experience the boys have now from touring and writing since its conception, again with backing vocals provided by Robinson.
The set is less about showcasing the new album and more about the band’s repertoire, as a road map of their experiences as a whole. The selection of tracks travel back and forth through their albums and EP. The boys are met on stage by Stepson bassist Jayden Ridley to take the place of Craig as he delivers the guttural vocals on More Than Misery, a track that serves as a catalyst for negativity bestowed by others to make one feel less than worthy and unloved. In true Caskets fashion, there is meaning behind every word sung, every scream, every note, if you look for it. Crowd favourite and first single off Reflections, Guiding Light, is as perfect now as the first time it was heard. If anything, seeing it performed live gives it more meaning as, for a lot of the fans, I’m sure, Caskets‘ songs have and will continue to be just that, a guiding light that helps to disperse their unwanted and negative feelings.
Lost In Echoes is another track that resonates the same cathartic energy as the aforementioned track, but this time showing the audience a direction in which to travel. A song of self discovery and pushing through to greener pastures, if persevered. The perfect lead up to the bands most revered track, Glass Heart. “I guess this is the song you’ve all been waiting for?” announces Matt, a sense of cheekiness in his tone, the echoing intro playing behind his words. Again, the crowd lends a hand in singing the Lost Souls single along with the frontman, showing signs now of a well performed tour in his voice. With one more track to go, Flood is determined to finish the set. The last being one of the band’s most powerful tracks – Better Way Out, the final single from Reflections. The emotional delivery of the final chorus is heartbreaking as Matt‘s voice warbles, adding the first verse’s “Leave your demons at the door” to the outro, a reminder to all attending that the weight of the struggles they carry isn’t worth the burden in order to move forward and grow. There is always a better way out. (Suicide Prevention Hotline 131114)
The rollercoaster of emotions felt from tonight‘s show worked in symmetric chaos, from the angsty anger driven material from Stepson, or the pop infused stylings of Bad/Love, the sexy funky tunes from The Home Team (seriously, come back again soon. That was too much fun), to the emotionally charged messages of Caskets. On all accounts, it was an outstanding performance from both the homegrown and international artists. There are so many people in the world right now that need inspiration to take a step back from the ledge, to believe in themselves and be their own Guiding Light. Leading that charge will no doubt be Caskets, sharing their own tales of self discovery and resilience from the darkness of the world.
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