Baroness and supports We Lost The Sea and Lo! at the Metro Theatre, Sydney – Wednesday, December 7
Having had the pleasure of seeing Baroness several times previously, I was primed to see them headline their own show in the intimate surroundings of The Metro, which just happens to be one of my favourite venues.
Opening up was local heavy quartet, Lo!. They pummelled the crowd with their self-styled sludge-metal, playing tracks from releases The Tongueless and Monstrum Historia, including No Contrition, Megafauna, and Orca. Sam Dillon’s vocal delivery was intense, while Adrian Griffin’s drumming was impressive. This was the first time I’ve seen these guys live, and it’s easy to see why they consistently land killer support slots. The crowd saw them off with a generous cheer, and I’m sure, like me, they can’t until the next time.
With the crowd beginning to grow, Sydney instrumental outfit We Lost The Sea took to the stage. It can be difficult for an instrumental band to really engage with the audience, but they pulled us in and took us on a thirty minute trip with their pulverising guitar sound. Each song seemed to build to a mesmerising crescendo, and from the melodic intro of A Gallant Gentleman, to the pounding finale of The Last Dive of David Shaw, they won the crowd over with their crushing riffs and dark, brooding melodies.
With the venue now packed, the riff-masters from Savannah, Georgia were welcomed with a rapturous roar from everyone in the room. From the opening riff of Kerosene, the crowd morphed into a sea of hands, hair and voices, that ebbed and flowed with the tidal waves of beautiful noise that is Baroness. They set the bar high early, with March To The Sea from 2012 release Yellow & Green and Morningstar from last year’s Purple really getting the punters going.
Frontman John Dyer Baizley was at his gargantuan best, and they kept the upbeat tempo going with Grammy-nominated track Shock Me, which was well received by the crowd. But, the best was yet to come, with A Horse Called Golgotha and Try To Disappear taking it to another level. And, just when we thought it couldn’t possibly be cranked up any further, they ripped out The Gnashing. They left the stage to raised fists and loud cheers, but the lads were called back by the punters for a couple of encores, closing with the intoxicating Take My Bones Away, which once again, had the crowd moving and singing en masse.
This was one of those shows where every single song just went off. The punters were here to rock out, and Baroness delivered in spades.
Review by Greg Smith
BARONESS AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
METRO THEATRE, SYDNEY
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 7
THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE
THURSDAY DECEMBER 8
PRINCE BANDROOM, MELBOURNE
FRIDAY DECEMBER 9
THE GOV, ADELAIDE
MONDAY DECEMBER 12
CAPITOL, PERTH
TUESDAY DECEMBER 13
For tour and ticketing details, visit:
https://www.livenation.com.au/artists/baroness
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