The typical heavy metal aesthetic is an easy one to dismiss as it’s usually generic and unintuitive, a factor that Tasmania’s Thrall indicated to most audience members. However, the four-piece threw the crowd a curveball when they started playing a combination of thrash and black metal that was surprisingly technically proficient, despite the unwavering dad metal vibes.
The band let themselves down when it came to onstage presentation, often mumbling to one another and confirming whether they were okay to carry on. “We good? Ready?” Despite a few of these hiccups, the band performed very well. While their sound might not be the most original, it certainly was engaging.
A collection of The Smiths songs flooded the PA as Whitehorse casually emerged on stage during a sound check. Ten minutes earlier than anticipated, vocalist Pete Hyde announced that they were okay to start “as soon as Morrissey fucks off”, to which the crowd laughed at his blunt lack of value for the musician.
Whitehorse held nothing back during their set. Everyone headbanged along at a slow, trudging pace to the crushing doom riffs and Hyde’s beastly growls. After an hour-long set or so, the band left as aloof as they had entered, the audience applauding their dark performance.
Sunbather was a staple record of 2013. The calculated effort from the San Francisco quintet became one of the year’s most talked about albums for most, regardless of genre preference (similar to what Swans did with The Seer in 2012). Gaining critical acclaim inside the metal community and, perhaps more surprisingly, widespread recognition from outside of this realm as well, it was hard to deny the impact that Deafheaven made with their genre-blending second album.
Despite the typical downbeat sound common in black metal, Sunbather carried with it a sort of weightless optimism that made the record not only a warming listen, but also sincerely moving. Now, a disclaimer: reviewing a performance such as this might be entirely void of a point, because there’s no string of adjectives that could properly describe how completely and utterly phenomenal it was to witness Deafheaven play the entirety of Sunbather live. Okay? Okay.
The curtains were drawn and the band took to the stage. As soon as Kerry McCoy let loose on his guitar for the opening of ‘Dream House’, the tune battled audibleness against the wall of applause that echoed from the crowd. The rest of the group followed suit, playing their respective instruments at a blistering pace as vocalist George Clarke unleashed his shrill and dynamic screams.
The group moved with a kind of steadfast energy, Clarke’s mien in particular rendering himself as a man possessed. It was never too rambunctious or fleeting, with every movement seemingly rehearsed and containing purpose. Interludes divided the main songs, giving the crowd and band a moment of reprieve before catapulting into the next big movement to thunderous applause. The title track and ‘Vertigo’ were especially received very warmly.
More often than not, the frontman leant over the barrier and practically merged with the crowd, an army of outstretched arms grappling at him as he stood there in an almost meditative state.
Interestingly enough, for all the energy and power behind his vocals, Clarke is a man of few words. “We are Deafheaven from San Francisco, California. Thank you for being with us tonight.”
The group then proceeded to segue into the monolithic closer of ‘The Pecan Tree’, the colossal 11-minute track rounding out their set. The live environment put a dynamic new spin on the Sunbather album.
While most were already satisfied, the crowd still yearned for more after the finish. The five-piece returned with a little extra something for veteran fans, performing ‘Unrequited’ off of their 2011 album, Roads To Judah.
Seldom do you leave a show with no proper way to articulate or express what just happened and, as a result, sit in silence as you drive all the way home. For Deafheaven’s first time in Australia, they completely knocked it out of the park.
Setlist
Dream House
Irresistible
Sunbather
Please Remember
Vertigo
Windows
The Pecan Tree
Encore:
Unrequited
