When Brisbane progressive heavy rockers Dead Letter Circus released their debut album This is the Warning a few weeks ago, it became apparent that this band was suddenly a very big deal. Shows on the album launch tour began to sell out quickly, and when the official ARIA charts for the week were released, This is the Warning debuted at NUMBER TWO. An astonishing achievement for a band that has remained a relatively underground force over the past four years, steadily amassing a loyal legion of fans through word of mouth and a pair of quality EPs. The album launch tour kicked off with a bang in Melbourne, to a sold out crowd at the Hi Fi Bar and Ballroom, and backed by two Melbourne scene favourites, Sydonia and Bellusira.
Bellusira had the unfortunate situation of opening the night at 8:30, meaning that most punters were content to just stand up the back at the bar - and that's only the ones who had even bothered to turn up yet. It was a shame for the band, because I know they had really been looking forward to playing the show and were hoping to get people turning up early to see them play. And they do deserve a good crowd, because they're really something to watch. The band name appropriately means "beautiful anger", which is a good way to describe their combination of aggressive riff-driven rock and strong female vocals courtesy of the ever-wonderful Crystal Ignite. Over the last month or so I've seen the band do a few rare acoustic sets in support of good friends The Ox and the Fury, so tonight it was good to see them doing what they do best - rocking the hell out! Despite the almost-empty floor in front of them, there were a few of the band's regular passionate fans up the front, many sporting Bellusira t-shirts, and the band still put all their trademark energy and fire into their short half-hour set. I have noticed their stage presence improve greatly since the first time I saw them early last year. They only had time for seven songs, but they made them brilliant, especially when Ezekiel Ox joined them onstage for a rendition of Change from their recent Enigmatic EP. After this show, they will be playing a farewell of sorts at Trash Nightclub Hawthorn in a few weeks, before they knuckle down to record what I'm sure is a long-awaited debut album for many.
SETLIST
Effect
One Second
(New)
Rolling Tide
Change (with Ezekiel Ox)
Wide Awake
(New)
Up next was something a little more intense, Melbourne's favourite percussion-heavy rockers Sydonia. The first time I saw this band was in this very room, supporting Mammal's sold-out single launch in 2008, but I really wasn't sure whether I liked them or not back then. But after a few more shows since and becoming a bit more familiar with their material, my doubts are gone, and tonight I was really looking forward to seeing them play. They opened with one of their more mellow numbers, No Woman's Land, but quickly got right into gear, following it up with the crushing 3 Tongues sending the metalheads in the room into a frenzy! The set certainly had its moments, but I found some of the newer songs to be a bit boring. The highlight of course was the ever amazing percussion jam Bateria, in which guitarist Sam Haycroft and bassist Adam Murray put down their instruments to bang some drums, while they were also joined by Dead Letter Circus's Luke Williams and Stewart Hill, as well as their merch guy (I think) making a hell of a racket, while frontman Dana Roskvist and Black Devil Yard Boss (and ex-Mammal) guitarist Pete Williamson made some feedback out the front! After that, the rest of the set seemed a bit dull in comparison, but of course the new track Sinner sounded amazing as ever, and Incoming at the end ensured that nobody left the venue without their neck hurting! (Geddit Sydonia fans?) A fundraiser gig for the band's second album is apparently in the works, and I will most certainly be there!
SETLIST
No Woman's Land
3 Tongues
Drag You Out (new)
Ocean of Storms (new)
Bateria (drums: Sean Bailey (Sydonia); percussion: Sam Haycroft, Adam Murray (Sydonia), Luke Williams, Stewart Hill (Dead Letter Circus), and "merch guy?"; guitars: Dana Roskvist (Sydonia) and Pete Williamson (Black Devil Yard Boss)
Enemy (new (this one was particularly fucking awesome!))
Serve the Dead (new)
Sinner (new)
INCOMING! :)
At around 10:45, the restless fans finally had their moment, when the Brisbane four-piece made their way onstage to a heroes' welcome, and interestingly enough, their set opened with The Drum. As one of the more experimental pieces on This is the Warning, it was always going to be interesting to see how this and some of the other songs translated to the live stage, but they pulled it off remarkably. Then again, it wasn't really hard to satisfy the crowd tonight; all DLC really needed to do was turn up, the atmosphere was that intense! There weren't many holes in the setlist either - every song off TitW bar one was played, interspersed with favourites from the still-amazing Dead Letter Circus EP, which the crowd absolutely loved. I've heard a lot of criticism for vocalist Kim Benzie's live abilities, but there was no faulting his performance on the night. As noted already, the more experimental/electronic moments for the band worked out very well in the live scenario - This Long Hour and especially Cage sounded absolutely fantastic. The fans' enthusiasm for the band was incredible - singing along to EVERY SINGLE LINE, even from the album that had only been out a couple of weeks prior, and on the floor, this riotous devotion lead to a moshpit so intense that I decided to seek some refuge on the step during the brief reprieve of The Design! The main set concluded with the title track from This is the Warning, and naturally, Sam and Adam from Sydonia made their way onstage to lend their percussive talents to the song. Heeding some very enthusiastic requests for an encore, the band made their way back out soon enough but unfortunately it wasn't Alien that was played, but rather the old favourite Lines. Still, nobody was really complaining, as the band had delivered all of what was expected of them, and left a very satisfied crowd at the end of the night. Truly deserving of the recent success that has finally found them, Dead Letter Circus can only go up from here! Best Australian gig of the year.
SETLIST
The Drum
This Long Hour
Big
The Mile
Are We Closer?
Reaction
Cage
One Step
Here We Divide
The Design
Disconnect and Apply
Next in Line
The Space on the Wall
This is the Warning (with Sam Haycroft and Adam Murray (Sydonia))
---Encore---
Lines
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