24 September 2022 – The Triffid, Brisbane – review by Gabrielle Ross – pictures by Nicole Matthews
The cool September air buzzed as excited metalcore punters lined up outside The Triffid for The Plot In You – Swan Song Tour, with supporting acts ERRA and Deadlights.
First to hit the stage was Brisbane’s own post-hardcore heavy hitters Deadlights. Following the release of their 2021 album Uncanny Valley and recently announcing their Australian co-headlining tour, Ego-Valley with fellow band Mirrors, Brisbane fans were thrilled to show their support in the mosh pit!
A strong riff on the guitar from Tynan Reibelt and heavy unclean vocals from vocalist Dylan Davidson introduced the pit to ‘Born of a Lie’ and headbanging and cheering ensued. Josh O’Callagahan absolutely dominated on the drums with some fast and complex beats, Sean Priors bass was heavy, Davidson was screaming verses at lighting speed and Reibelt was providing some dynamic and melodic clean vocals!
Deadlight’s dynamic talents were on full display tonight as they launched into one of their most popular songs ‘Bathed in Venom’ fans were eager to mosh and mosh they did as Davidson counted them down to a frenzied wall of death with a “ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!!” during the heavy and epic breakdown!!
The energy created by the Brisbane locals was insane and only stoked punters’ excitement for the Deadlights co-headlining tour into overdrive!
There was a noticeable tension in the air as excited punters heard the undoubtedly recognisable electronic hype track for ERRA. It had been five years since the prog metalcore band had last performed in Australia. As the band took their places onstage frontman JT Cavey wasted no time asking “Are you ready Brisbane?” before diving deep into ‘Gungrave’. Heavy rolling drums and guitar kicked the crowd into a frenzy! ERRA continued their melodic assault with ‘Scorpion Hymn’.
Frontman JT Cavey’s energy is unmatched onstage, commanding the punter’s participation and attention as he grooves along to the drums in between perfect screams that showcase his vocal range. Cavey just knows how to whip the crowd into overdrive!
Vocals from both Cavey and Jesse Cash were on point for ‘Sol Absentia’, ‘Eye of God’ and ‘Divisionary’. Jesse Cash’s ethereal and powerful vocals floated hauntingly across the room and held the crowd captive in an endless trance. The dynamic movement, technical riffs and proficiency from Cash and Conor Hesse was absolutely awe inspiring and drummer Alex Ballew had every beat on lock, with hard hits and insane rhythmic drills!
The band launched into their newest heavy hitter ‘Pull From The Ghost’, devoted fans singing along with every word. The set continued, flowing into ‘Nigh to Silence’ then into ‘Breach’. Hardcore fans cheered as ERRA took us back to the album ‘Drift’ with ‘Skyline’ before closing the set with ‘Snowblood’. This is what the fans were waiting for, mosh pit chaos ensued. A powerful end to their set, Cash strikes out with an insane guitar solo, fans could be seen giving Cash spirit fingers in awe of this insane riffage before being thrown back into the ‘feeding frenzy’ that was the mosh pit.
Ending with a powerful blast of sound and Cavey’s screams of ‘This is a waking nightmare’ fading into the night, waiting five years to see this band live was worth every second.
The Plot in You needed no introduction as they made their presence on stage known with the opening melody to ‘Face Me’. Landon Tewers held fans’ ears captive with his powerful emotional vocals before letting out a huge scream of “YOUR FACE WAS SHOWN!” which led into the heavy breakdown. The crowd took on the role of a choir, singing along with Tewers as he belted out each verse.
Continuing into ‘Fall Again’, a heavy hitter from the new album, electronic beats pierced the air, punctuated with an incredible light show and then a hard and fast breakdown with drummer Michael Cooper dominating the kit with skillful fast drills!
A hauntingly melodic intro to ‘Enemy’ began with Tewers again showcasing his beautiful, emotional vocals, smooth bass lines from Ethan Yoder introduced us to a slow rhythm as they reverberated off the Triffid walls. Fans joined in with Tewers, a crescendo of voices in harmony as every single patron in the venue sang “Don’t refuse me now”, before exploding into a writhing pit during the breakdown!
The whole room continued to let loose with ‘Paradigm’, the upbeat and groovy song had the sea of people bouncing around and reciting the chorus. Band members matched the crowd’s energy, with Josh Childress jumping, grooving and headbanging as he blessed fans with skillful riffage. The rest of the set included ‘Rigged’ and ‘Not Just Breathing’ before shifting into ‘The One You Loved’, arms waved in the air as fans belted out the chorus with Tewers and a few crowd surfers appeared in the mosh.
As ‘One Last Time’ starts to play, Tewers creates another emotional moment for fans with his powerful vocals, followed with the song ‘Time Changes Everything’. The lights came up and phone flashes and lighters lit up the room. The crowd swayed side to side along to the lyrics, Tewer’s encouraged everyone to sing along “As loud as you can” and everyone sang “I NEVER FELT SO ALIVE!” Before a beautiful breakdown that led into ‘Take Me Away’.
The band flowed into ‘Both to Blame’ and then ‘Too Heavy’, both tracks from the new album – ‘Swan Song’ that were being played for the first time.‘Too Far Gone’ followed before Tewer’s announced the last two songs for the evening.
The slow emotional-filled rock intro to ‘Disposable Fix’ filled the room and fans screamed the lyrics along with Tewer’s, “GIVE ME A BREAK. I’M ONLY HUMAN” before breaking into a groovy rock beat and then headbanging in time to the beat as Josh Childress expertly played an emotionally smooth guitar solo!
For their last song of the evening ‘The Plot In You’ effortlessly dropped into ‘Feel Nothing’, much to the thrill of their fans! The pit exploded, crowds were surfed, punters climbed on their friends’ shoulders and Tewer’s vocals were almost drowned out as everyone screamed ‘I FEEL NOTHING FOR YOU!’ The pit exploded again, Cooper went furious on the drums and Yoder and Childress got low for the emotional metalcore breakdown!
A more than talented line up dominated The Triffid’s stage tonight, a long anticipated return and a more than stellar performance from ‘The Plot In You’ and ERRA, had metalcore fans more than satisfied but still wanting more! Every band was at the top of their game tonight, delivering a thrilling, theatrical and heavy performance, including local powerhouses ‘Deadlights’. Hopefully another five years won’t pass before these bands return to grace Australian stages and their fan’s ear holes.
