Two years ago, Destroy All Lines put together their first Destroy Music Tour featuring a mostly Aussie bill including The Amity Affliction, Deez Nuts and a recently re-united I Killed the Prom Queen. All three of the aforementioned acts have featured The Ghost Inside as a support act on their own headline tours, and after creating nearly as much moshpit chaos and earning as just as much respect as their top-of-the-bill counterparts, The Ghost Inside played their very first headline show in Melbourne on Saturday night.
The Hi-Fi Bar played host to the 2013 edition of Destroy music, and while the venue’s bass-heavy set up has hindered some metal bands in the past, it was quite fitting for the dropped guitars and breakdown-heavy riffage of the four hardcore acts on the bill.
It was great to see a relatively full room early on in the night as Australian up-and-comers Hand Of Mercy and New Zealand’s Antagonist AD both made the most of their relatively short timeslots, leaving little to waste in provoking the usual moshpit antics and making their mark on the crowd. Both bands have been rising through the local hardcore ranks and both are on the verge of being something really special. The new material from each act is particularly impressive and well received.
Emmure are the next band to the stage, and while the New Yorkers hold a tight set, the fact that their singer is a complete and utter stain on humanity unfortunately detracts from the live experience. Frankie Palmeri is notorious for his negative, nonsensical rants, but even coming into the show with an open mind, it’s hard not to be turned off by his on-stage comments.
Utilising choice quotes such as “your parents are all faggots, you were born because they fucked each other up the arse”, the singer does well in dividing a crowd that would otherwise probably try and enjoy the music. For every person jumping around in the pit, there was someone at the other end of the room shaking their head and leaving the venue. Props go to the Hi-Fi Bar for allowing pass-outs.
When The Ghost Inside take to the stage, the atmosphere is simply incredible. The first notes of anthemic opener “Dark Horse” have an eager crowd jumping in unison, and the response to the pop-happy chorus is deafening.
Powering through a selection of songs from each of their three albums, The Ghost Inside are received by undying energy in the Hi-Fi’s sunken pit in front of the stage. The band outlay crushing grooves and breakdowns as vocalist Jonathon Vigil bounces around the stage and screams down the mic, which he shares with successful crowdsurfers who make it over the barrier.
Long-time fans go mental for Fury And The Fallen Ones classic “Faith Or Forgiveness” and Returners favourites such as “Between The Lines” and “Chrono” also create havoc. However it’s the offerings the band’s latest effort Get What You Give that translate most strongly in a live setting.
With “This Is What I Know About Sacrifice”, Vigil portrays a message to sweep aside naysayers and to pursue your dreams whole-heartedly. Banter from Vigil was quite common in between songs, but the messages delivered were so heartfelt and genuine that everybody shuts up and listens in respect of what the always-positive singer has to say. Before “Deceiver”, he explains that the song is about bands that use microphones to spread negativity, hate and violence. Emmure must be thrilled.
The band closes their set with hard-hitting Get What You Give number “Engine 45”, and after the previous song “White Light” is emotionally dedicated to Vigil’s deceased younger brother Ryan, the love throughout the crowd is as thick as it gets. Fans pile on top of eachother to get a hand on the singer as he leans over the barrier and leads an inspiring chant at the tail-end of the song, which is easily the most memorable moment of the night.
Rather than leaving the stage, Vigil descends into the crowd to meet the fans, which is hugely appreciated by all. Thirty minutes later, he is still shaking hands, taking photos and having personal conversations with a healthy stream of people, and he makes no effort to escape until everyone is satisfied. Leaving the gig, it’s near impossible to find a face without a smile on it. When you’ve just basked in the music of one of the most positive, uplifting and inspiring bands on the planet, it’s hard not to be happy.
