Sadly I only caught the last two songs of Pagan’s set but as I was walking into the arena, it was clear that they’re a band destined to headline these kinds of venues in the future. Huge kudos to vocalist Nikki Brumen for her relentless and captivating energy. They’ve had a huge year and I have a feeling that there’s much more to come from their camp.
I want you to imagine a metalcore cover of The Prodigy’s 2009 banger ‘Omen’. That’s essentially how I would describe Crossfaith. Bouncy, infectious and uncompromising, their blend of metallic riffs, blast beats and synth hooks had the audience off their feet for their entire set. I’ve seen them a few times over the last couple of years and they’re consistently stellar. It’s easy to understand why their Australian fanbase grows more and more with every visit.
I’m just going to be completely honest and say that Underoath are on a completely other level when it comes to their live show. As a unit, they perform incredibly but the true magic comes from realising that every one of their six members is constantly working their ass off from the first measure to give it their all. Their set was essentially the perfect blend of new and old material, with five songs from latest album Erase Me intertwined with a slew of classic and timeless cuts like ‘Writing On The Walls’ and ‘It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door’. Drummer/Vocalist Aaron Gillespie stole the show with his immaculate vocal performance whilst absolutely pummelling his drum kit like it stole his lunch money. It’s clear that Underoath truly are back and still hungry to prove themselves as a world class act.
The Amity Affliction are excellent performers and it’s easy to understand why the band has only gotten bigger and bigger since their inception in 2003. Joel Birch has this uncanny way of connecting with the audience and from the moment the band took the stage, he had every person in the crowd in the palm of his hand. Their set included a healthy span of tracks from throughout their career, but a huge highlight had to be the brand spanking new track ‘All My Friends Are Dead’ which truly showed how much flair new drummer Joe Longobardi has behind the kit.
Wrapping things up with ‘Deaths Hand’, ‘Chasing Ghosts’, ‘Don’t Lean On Me’ and ‘Pittsburgh’ before the encore of ‘All Fucked Up’, The Amity Affliction absolutely made up for their lack of Australian touring with a spectacular show to be remembered for years to come.