Another night, another gig and this one at the behest of our photographer, Angela. Four bands on the bill and hand on heart I knew nothing about any of them prior to the show. As ever, I’m open to a new band or two. Or three. Or four.
Openers Cane Hill did well, the venue maybe a quarter full when they took to the stage and a few people around me already definitely fans. While they didn’t generate any circle pits or encourage surfing, they had the attention of most who were there and played a decent set. Half an hour for an opening band with three acts to follow is quite generous (I’ve seen some get as little as 15 minutes) and they made the most of it.
Their seven-song setlist didn’t seem to drag at all, and they engaged well with the audience through songs like “Drowning Therapy”, “Fade” and “The Midnight Sun”. If metalcore is your bag then give them a listen. With a bit of a push I could see these guys coming back stronger and further up a bill.
Also gifted a full half hour, Saosin have been on the go for twenty years (minus a brief hiatus) and again had the audience watching while they stormed the stage. Their style of post-hardcore went down well and, again, the time passed quickly enough. “Bury Your Head” and “Seven Years” were my picks of an enjoyable set. There was a ton of energy up there and it was really starting to filter down into the growing audience.
Currents were given 45 minutes to sell their music wares to the crowd and made the most of every minute. Unfortunately for them the usual Academy issue of “turn up the volume and screw the sound up” started to creep into their set, but they managed to ride that out with some great tunes and a very tight show.
The crowd were definitely up for them, and there was an obvious buzz as they took to the stage and really got everyone warmed up. “Living in Tragedy” flowed into “Rise & Fall” but it was the belters like “Making Circles” which really got the crowd going. The mixture of heavy tunes and calm, melodic vocals alongside the harsher stuff is a good combination. As stated, the sound at the gig did them no favours but I heard enough to want to check them out when I got home.
If you liked the show then start eyeballing Slam Dunk tickets for next year. They’re on the bill.
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The lights dropped for The Plot In You at 9:30pm prompt and a great atmospheric intro tape kicked in. The lighting was bright and colourful and the audience very much ready and waiting for the first notes of “Don’t Look Away” to kick in… before losing their collective shit. Within seconds the first crowd surfers were being flung aloft by a member of the Pit Troll Tribe. A decent sized circle pit opened up and the night immediately became rowdier.
Plot played for an hour and rammed 15 songs into their set, with never a dull moment. Some songs were obviously crowd favourites due to the reaction when they were named or that first riff kicked in. Again, their sound mixed harsh and clean vocals with some wonderful heavy overtones… and again they suffered from poor sound. Any time the bass really kicked in, those on the dance floor couldn’t hear anything more than rumble with everything else washed out. I have had this issue so many times at the Academy that I’ve come to expect it now and it has ruined many a show for me.
Regardless, those who’d been waiting for this show didn’t seem to let it spoil their enjoyment (they knew the songs after all, and were there to rage) and the carnage was non-stop until their allotted hour was up. I lost count of the number of people I helped crawl their way overhead, the number of people I bashed into, and the number of complete strangers I had a great time with.
I spent the majority of the set with my back to the band, and I hope they don’t take that as a sign of disrespect! So many people wanted to “go up”, it was almost non-stop. A huge “thank you” as always to the venue security who handled everything so well, while ensuring everyone was safe and well watered.
So. Another band to add to my “pleasantly surprised and wondering why I’d not heard of them before” list!
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Photos by Skull Lens Photography
Honestly I mostly agree, sound was off, it was definitely worse in the back than in the front though. However my main complaint is the crowd surfing, it was fine at the start ; but near the end, it was atrocious. I spent the last 4 to 5 songs with one of my hands up and my back turned away from the band just trying to not have anyone fall onto the people around me. Some dudes were 2 times the weight of the people underneath them and I was desperate to not let them fall ; other than that,… Read more »
Hey Néo, thanks for the reply. It was a shame about the sound, and I think the main issue with the crowdsurfing was that it did continue when there was barely anyone at the front – quite a few people had sidestepped which put a lot of pressure on those who remained :(