The hard hitting drums, shredding guitar solos and roaring vocals could be heard from miles away as the Unibar was turned inside out by several hard hitting bands.
Adelaide heroes, Mere Theory, launched their second album to date, Walking in Storms, last Saturday night, treating gig goers to a huge night of local and interstate music.
Since their conception, Mere Theory have not only been gaining a legion of fans, they have also played shows interstate and toured with international acts such as Alexisonfire and Rufio. Little wonder then that the release of their second album comes with much anticipation from both consumers and critics.
The Unibar has almost no lighting during the evening, creating an ominous atmosphere; the stage is filled with fog, and Jack Daniels Whiskey seems to be the popular drink of choice amongst punters. It became quite clear that it was going to be a very big night as punters kept pouring in and filling the venue.
With the lights dim and the drinks flowing, the first band took the stage. Local boys, Before the Aftermath, grasped the stage with a strum of some chunky guitar chords reminiscent of 80s heavy metal. Front man Luke Ryan, in a school boy tie and wielding a Gibson SG, immediately won the audience over with his intense vocals, and belted out some amazing guitar work.
The group played through a short set of their repertoire, the opening track alone being almost ten minutes in length. The audio mix for the group was seemingly perfect, allowing those who had never before heard the group to get a good handle of their sound. It would be nice to see a full set from this group as they seem to have much energy, begging to be released.
Before the Aftermath set a great mood for the rest of the evening to follow suit and Melbourne-via-Adelaide three piece, Secrets in Scale, took the stage with a very enthusiastic response from the crowd. They had a dynamic sound for a three piece, creating an almost cosmic resonance. After a couple of tracks, it was clear why the group has received so much praise from critics and fans alike.
Secrets in Scale played a very progressive set of what could be described as space rock. Each song expanded on their unique style – the guitar playing becoming more and more incredible and often holding songs together, the bass beautifully supporting the guitar and the drums building the density of each song. Secrets in Scale certainly do not disappoint.
Having had a taste of two very strong acts in a long night of musical mayhem, the crowd was ready for Adelaide hard hitting punk outfit: Paper Arms. Immediately upon walking onstage, the group had a very strong presence, demanding a certain respect from the crowd. The group’s music in itself flitted between various dynamics – a very strong combination of grunge fused rhythm guitar accompanied by a lead guitar playing sharp melodies, not to mention the howling vocals of Josh Mann to add emotion to each song. Aside from a strong stage presence and impressive musical collaborations, the band often took time out to chat with the crowd, and encouraged everyone to clap along at times.
The night progressed quickly and a strong crowd had gathered awaiting the Grenadiers to start their performance. Over the span of a few years, Grenadiers have built a very strong local following as well as having received airplay on Triple J, amongst other successes.
In a thud of heavy distorted guitar, the Adelaide trio had begun their set and the crowd was most definitely pleased to see them. The head banging moshpit was in full force as the group played, the crowd reacting to the band’s high level of energy. The group’s charisma and resilience was made quite evident when front man Jesse Coulter’s guitar stopped working half way through their performance, and he simply took the microphone to address the issue: ‘Well this is embarrassing’. Finishing their set with a new track, ‘You Bum Me Out’, The Grenadiers gave a hard hitting performance which sat very well with the crowd.
The crowd had grown to full force and the night was heading towards its conclusion, meaning that it was finally time for Mere Theory to make their grand entrance and finish the show. The Adelaide veterans graced the stage and their unique brand of rock ‘n’ roll had the crowd immediately infatuated, with a moshpit quickly breaking out at the front of the stage, while the rest of the crowd were head banging or nodding along; some audience members even crowd surfed.
Chris Mellow’s vocals are nothing short of astounding and add a definite level of intensity to each song. Guitarist Nigel Black also shows that he is a force to be reckoned with, displaying his sensational abilities with catchy riffs and some striking lead guitar work.
The group played many songs from their back catalogue including crowd favourite, ‘Eye for an Eye’, as well as playing a variety of songs from their new album. Often interacting with the crowd, it was interesting how modest the band was, especially taking time out to thank their manager, parents and of course the crowd; it isn’t very often you witness a group who are so honest. The show was finished by the group inviting Before the Aftermath’s Nathan Dalton (formerly a member of Mere Theory) to join the group on stage and help conclude the show.
Mere Theory demonstrated exactly why they are such a force in Australian music. The release of their new album went down quite well with the crowd and it is now just a matter of waiting to see what the band does next.
– Matthew Mercieca
