27 June 2023 – The Tivoli, Brisbane – words by Kai Giovanni – pictures by Bec Harbour
The music lovers, gear heads, and nu enthusiasts of Meanjin had their fill last Tuesday, with Polyphia kicking off the Australian leg of their Remember That You Will Die tour at The Tivoli.
Backed by its thorough and unique multiplatform campaign, 2022’s Remember That You Will Die LP saw the Texan four-piece make new bounds in their non-lyrical nu-metal; 8-string and nylon guitars taking the spotlight over Ibanez tones and overdrive effects. With their instrumental accuracy and hip-hop fusions being fundamental to Polyphia’s iconography, the prospect of live versions and performances of their new repertoire of tracks was one which Australia didn’t expect the opportunity to experience. But, with a trio of Australian shows added to their international album tour – their second visit down under – here we are.
Immediately, with the entrance of none other than two bassists and a drummer sporting sporting the most beautiful mullet you’ve ever seen – Melbourne’s own, The Omnific – the venue’s collection of music aficionados and Aussie punters were quickly fascinated. Then, with their onslaught of rapid percussion and symphonic bass interplay, there was a very clear and universal “Holy shit, Australia have their own Polyphia” which reverberated through The Tivoli. Throughout their set of progressive metal – amalgamating orchestral backing tracks with unique riffs and breakdowns – each member displayed mesmerisingly surgical accuracy, all working as one polyphonic unit.
With the album’s suite of videos and livestreams from the band’s own production room, Remember That You Will Die’s social campaign introduced a new outlet for Polyphia’s international fans to get to know its members online. So, after months and months of closely following online, it felt surreal to finally see Henson, LePage, Gober, and Aeschliman take to the stage. Then, capitalising on the tour’s titular album, instant-hits ‘Genesis’ and ‘Neurotica’ opened the show. Being their second ever visit to Australia, though, the ensuing majority of the setlist brought out Polyphia’s greatest hits and offered the crowd the – more definitive – Polyphia experience; ‘O.D.’, ‘Goose’, ‘40oz’, ‘Icronic’, ‘Champagne’, ‘Drown’, and ‘The Worst’ all making appearances.
Maintaining his mysterious and wizard-like visage, frontman Henson didn’t take to the mic at any point during the night, LePage and Gober instead serving as the show’s hype-men. Understanding their young and gig-inexperienced crowd, these MCs brought up the audience’s gigging spirits by encouraging crowd surfs, walls of death, and uninhibited singalong – an impressive feat in of itself, making guitar lines so iconic that fans could sing along. All this, however, wouldn’t stop the crowd’s hypnotised infatuation with Polyphia’s players; anywhere you looked, crowd members could be seen with their eyes glued to fretboards and unintentionally mimicking Henson’s patented head snaps.
With a return to fan-favourite Remember That You Will Die tracks ‘Reverie’ and ‘The Audacity’ by the end of the show, it was surprising not to hear any vocal tracks off the album – or from their previous discography – make appearances through the assistance of backing track vocal overdubs. Polyphia capped off the night with welcome callbacks, however, playing a ‘G.O.A.T.’ and ‘Euphoria’ double-encore, split up with a seamlessly-transitioned ‘96 Quite Bitter Beings’ (CKY) cover. Comparing the still, nervous audience at the start of the night to the mosh-hungry, crowd surfers by the night’s end, Polyphia have clearly prepared a new generation of Meanjin metal-heads for a future of pits and gigging, who’re be more than ready for Polyphia’s next Australian return
