Canadian post-hardcore outfit Silverstein have made the 38 hour journey to our shores just one year after their previous visit, in support of their positively received new concept album This Is How The Wind Shifts. They bring with them new guitarist, Paul Marc Rousseau, who has served to reinvigorate the band. While the new album is unlikely to return the band to its zenith of 34 on the Billboard Charts, they retain a passionate and loyal following that responded enthusiastically to a set list containing a large proportion of new music. The new single, Massachusetts was a crowd favourite. The band peppered the set list with old favourites, such as Your Sword vs My Dagger, Smash You To Pieces and American Dream. The latter saw the first emergence of cigarette lighters, held aloft and waved by the punters. During the four song encore, lead vocalist Shane Told emerged to commence some songs solo, with the remaining band members joining mid-song. The band satisfied the crowd by playing their biggest hit, My Heroine, as well as new album closing track Departures.
Also on the bill were three other post-hardcore bands, but all three were much heavier and metal inspired than the headliners. Each band had their own twist on the genre's sound. Sydney's Sienna Skies are an emerging band that is accompanied with a degree of hype. Their musicianship is tight, and they vary their sound with the incorporation of synths but the clean vocals/scream contrast could have been improved by a better sound mix. Their latest album The Constant Climb has been widely praised, and the band played a large portion of tracks from this with a highlight being Game Change. They closed their set list with the mandatory post-hardcore preach session about "being who you want to be, wear what you want to wear etc". This motivational speaking perhaps went on for a little too long.
Local bands A Ghost Orchestra and Seconds Before Sunrise both did their best to warm up the crowd (even if the circle pit only consisted of a couple of pre-pubescent boys, whom I saw practicing their moves on the street whilst walking to the gig). A Ghost Orchestra were very hardcore, with very little contrast within the vocals. The energy exhibited from the vocalist and bass player in particular, was frenetic. At a couple of points during their set list, the bassist ventured into the circle pit for some audience interaction.
Seconds Before Sunrise were equally high energy, albeit perhaps without the same arsenal of stage tricks as their Adelaide counterparts. The band used a female vocalist to develop contrast within their sound, but Nicola Biagi's vocals were not clear enough in comparison to her male counterparts.
Overall, the evening showcased a wide variety of post-hardcore music, and the crowd left sweaty, bruised and satisfied.
Review by James Murphy
Photos by Luke Cotter. See the full gallery here
Seconds Before Sunrise were equally high energy, albeit perhaps without the same arsenal of stage tricks as their Adelaide counterparts. The band used a female vocalist to develop contrast within their sound, but Nicola Biagi's vocals were not clear enough in comparison to her male counterparts.
Overall, the evening showcased a wide variety of post-hardcore music, and the crowd left sweaty, bruised and satisfied.
Review by James Murphy
Photos by Luke Cotter. See the full gallery here
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