This was the first stop for the Destroy Music tour featuring first-time headliners LA’s The Ghost Inside and New York’s Emmure. Supporting this huge bill was New Zealand’s hardcore outfit Antagonist A.D. Unfortunately locals Hand Of Mercy couldn’t make it for the Perth leg of the tour.
There was no messing around at Amplifier Bar as Antagonist A.D. hit the stage only minutes after doors opened. Band hoodies and hand-knitted floppy beanies encompassed the crowd. About half the venue was filled at this stage; not a bad turn out for the first act. The band introduced themselves as they got underway and launched into some heavy bass-dropping tunes which really warmed up the crowd. The mosh pit was already erupting at the front of the bar. True to the ‘hardcore’ culture, vocalist Sam Crocker preached towards the end of the set regarding ambitions and individuality. The band played ‘12/22’ which received a strong reception from the crowd who clapped them off the stage.
By the time deathcore metalers Emmure came on stage, the venue would have been closed to a complete sell-out. The crowd waited in anticipation for the controversial musicians to hit the stage. As they did, they blew some minds. Vocalist Frankie Palmeri jumped on stage joining his cronies in a black beanie, shorts and a t-shirt which read ‘smash your enemies’.
They wasted no time getting started with ‘4 Poisons 3 Words’, the first of a collection from their record Speaker Of The Dead. The crowd was responding wildly to the explosive nature performance with circle pits and stage dives throughout. Emmure took the crowd on a journey jumping back and forth through their back catalogue with tracks like ‘R2DEEPTHROAT’ and ‘Sunday Bacon’ off Felony as well as throwing a few of the newer tracks in from their latest album.
It was songs like ‘Drug Dealer Friend’ and ‘Children of Cybertron’ that stood out in the setlist, having the crowd transform the venue into a room of flying limbs. The band moshed along with their fans, which influenced the strong connection Palmeri made with the crowd in that 50 minute space. The acoustics were perfect which led to a flawless delivery. Emmure stole the show and closed with their new record favourite ‘MDMA’ and thanked the crowd for coming out.
The revved up crowd took a moment for a pint and a fag in the beer garden before securing an ideal spot for melodic hardcore headliners The Ghost Inside. The popular Australian outfit joined the stage prepared to play a good mix of material as well as favourites off their latest album Get What You Give. Vocalist Jonathan Vigil came on stage embedded in the hardcore culture wearing a crewneck and snapback sitting just above his eyes. The band released a lot of built-up energy and was driven by the reception of the crowd, head banging, moshing and stage diving throughout the set. The stand-out tracks off Get What You Give included ‘The Great Unknown’ and ‘This Is What I Know About Sacrifice’ with crisp growls, pounding bass and volume turned up to 11.
The vocalist added a go-pro head-cam for what is imagined to be footage for a tour diary. He extended the speech from Antagonist A.D. earlier on, telling the crowd that he learnt “more from headphones than at any desk in a classroom” emphasising the power of metal, hardcore and punk music. The crowd responded with ongoing cheers with their beers in the air. The Ghost Inside then launched into ‘Thirty Three’.
Mark Bawden from Perth’s broken up band Break Even joined the band on stage to perform ‘White Light’ after Vigil shared an emotional experienced him and Bawden shared after the passing of Break Even’s guitarist Rowan Willounghby. This surprise guest appearance contributed to the atmosphere of unity and was clearly cathartic for Vigil. The Ghost Inside left the stage and returned with an encore to play the one track everyone had been waiting for: ‘Engine 45’.
True to the community atmosphere of the genre, the bands were standing by the merch desk hoping to meet as many fans and as they possibly could. No one left that venue disappointed after the Destroy Music tour.
