Words by Riah Hill
Photos by Joshua Stroud
Special thank you to Destroy All Lines
It was a bloody beautiful Friday here in Perth and what a way to finish a week – by blessing our ears with the likes of Heists, Headwreck, Gideon (USA) and the UK legends Bury Tomorrow at Magnet House.
Kicking off the night was Heists, the Sydney-based 4 piece. We were graced with a 6-song set, with the highlight being their latest release – Lights Out. When vocalist Chris Zagas drops the gut-wrenching deep growl “bonneessss” in the mid-end of the song, it stirs up the excitement in the room. What a good way to start the night and get the crowd all hyped up for what was to come.
Next up we had the lads all the way from Mars Brisbane, Headwreck. What an out of world experience it was. Easily a third of the crowd were sporting Headwreck merch, and for a good reason – they put on a god damn show. Their 90’s-noughties aesthetic with the nu-metalcore sound is such a pleasure to watch and to listen to. Starting it off with BINGO! The entire crowd were straight into it. The mosh was open for business.
Backed up by Raindrops and Razor, two hugely contrasting songs. Both songs showing off the range of their vocals. Vocalist Connor Hickman carries a large portion of the vocals, but having both bass player Dayne Paix and guitarist Jamo Benadie being able to bring their own perfect, and complimentary vocals, to the table is just unreal. Their sound is so sharp, funky and refreshing. The crowd were sweaty, riled up and creating carnage over this set.
If I were a betting woman, I would bet they could headline at this venue and push max-capacity. They were so effortlessly a headline level act and they are only in their infancy as a band. I’m going to be keeping my eye on these aliens guys.
It was going to be pretty hard to back up what was such an incredible set by Headwreck, and yet it was done with the rootinest, tootinest cowboys Perth has seen in a long while, Gideon.
Country is hot right now, but country themed metal is so much hotter. Gideon pairs up snakeskin boots and oversized belt buckles with in your face breakdowns and brutal mosh pits. Kicking off their set with Wrong One, it took 0.02 seconds for the mosh to explode with that hefty guitar intro rumbling throughout the venue. The lyrics “You can be the biggest, the baddest in the business, only one of us is leaving alive” felt like they described the mosh perfectly at this point. It was pure survival of the fittest.
Songs about trucks totally fit the ‘country hick’ bill, so having both 4×4 and ‘Til the Wheels Fall Off back to back in the lineup felt very fitting. This Alabama based 4-piece has an unmatched amount of stage presence. At no point during their set did the energy dip in the crowd or on stage. Their sound is so solid and high energy from start to finish. “All gas and no breaks” – if you will. Drummer Jake Smelley was probably my favourite drummer of the night, and that is a big call. His control throughout every song was insane.
Gideon have been on my radar for a little while, and finally seeing them live I now have a whole new appreciation for their sound. It is just no bullshit, hard, heavy, IDGAF music. At the end of their set, I had felt like I had just finished the night, as if after Headwreck and now Gideon, that the night could get any better. Although again… I was proven wrong.
Headliners Bury Tomorrow hit the stage at about 9:30pm. By now, the crowd were warmed up and flexible, ready to hear the UK lads give their all on the last night of their headline Australian tour. There is clearly a huge fan-base here in Perth, the mosh pit was absolutely jam packed like sardines to the barriers leading up to the first few minutes of their set.
If you aren’t familiar with Bury Tomorrow, they are stacked with 6 band members; I have been so intrigued to see how a six-piece plays out, how movement across the stage works and how their presence would be. Honestly, it was no issue. Guitarists Kristan Dawson and Ed Hartwell effortlessly move around, sharing the stage with roaming bassist Davyd Winter-Bates. Starting the 15-song set with Choke was a tasty beginning… The entire crowd were on their feet jumping in unison. There wasn’t much floorspace to really do this, but no one cared. We were so ready to take what BT had to offer.
Highlights were Cannibal and What if I Burn, both for different reasons. I would say that Cannibal is quintessential Bury Tomorrow, in the same way a sausage sizzle is to Bunnings. What if I Burn had the crowd humming. This song is very melodic, which manages to slow the room down – without it turning it into a buzzkill.
By far my favourite song of the night was their latest release SX. It’s moody, and the build up is so well done. This is a snippet of BT entering in their new era of being a completely independent band. If this is the quality of the stuff we are set to receive from them, then I am pretty damn excited about what’s coming up.
The crowd then peer-pressured frontman Daniel Winter-Bates into downing hops, and tinea, in the form of a shoey – Australia’s most disgusting past time. I miss the days of just force-feeding tourists vegemite toast. Ah well… The night goes on.
Wrapping up the night with Black Flame, a personal fave’ of mine. The band declined to do an encore because they “are awkward”, opting to end the night with Abandon Us before ironically exiting the stage to well… Abandon us. The venue wide singalong was a perfect demonstration of how much the crowd loves this song, and Bury Tomorrow.
What a night. From the space cadets of Headwreck, the Sydney sweethearts of Heists, ‘Bama’s most eligible hillbilly’s Gideon – to UK’s extremely talented, (and officially independent), metalcore madmen Bury Tomorrow, it was an unforgettable night.
What a bloody way to finish the week…
~
PHOTO GALLERY
HEISTS
HEADWRECK
GIDEON
BURY TOMORROW
