Multiple last-minute cancellations, venue issues, and the inevitable timetable clashes aside, AJ Maddah’s long-running Soundwave festival fired out one hell of a day for Melbourne’s music lovers.
Opening the event was Hacktivist, a UK progressive metal band with hip hop and rap vocals, and an act that managed to put on quite a lively performance. The standout was the immaculately covered Kanye West and Jay-Z number ‘Niggas In Paris’ as well as the fan favourite ‘Elevate’, which emitted some serious Enter Shikari vibes (but that could totally be the political lyrics and British accents talking).
August Burns Red then dominated the adjacent stage, opening with the powerhouse ‘Empire’ taken from their 2011 album, Leveler. Jake Luhrs is an incredible frontman and was swinging the microphone around his forearm any time he wasn’t caught bounding about the stage. The group’s newer cuts went down the best, with ‘Provision’ and ‘Fault Line’ in particular letting the two axemen of JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler really shine. The group closed their set with the crowd pleasing ‘White Washed’, Luhrs issuing a wall of death at the apex of the long-winded intro.
The Black Dahlia Murder made their presence known as soon as Five Finger Death Punch packed it in for the day on the adjacent stage. It’s disappointing that the annex to stage four contained noticeably inferior sound quality than its bigger brother, but the Michigan fivesome still managed to capture the audience with their intensity.
Offering new material right off the bat, ‘In Hell Is Where She Waits For Me’ immediately got a mosh pit formed as Trevor Strnad decimated his lungs, fluctuating between his high-pitched menacing screams and weighty growls. ‘Moonlight Equilibrium’ and ‘What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse’ made for some powerful crowd favourites as Strnad pranced shirtless about the stage, enforcing the idea that death metal doesn’t have to be entirely serious. Last but not least, Ryan Knight and Brian Eschbach tore into the opening of the monolithic closer of ‘I Will Return’ from 2009’s Deflorate, ending their set monumentally.
For a band that needs no introduction, punters still cried out for The Living End to grace the stage. The trio dove straight into the likes of ‘Second Solution’, playing the lines back and forth with the eager crowd. ‘Heatwave’ was an appropriately titled song for the day, with Chris Cheney ripping into his guitar as Scott Owen backed him on double bass. Having the Aussie band deliver hit after hit was a sight to behold, and watching Southern Cross-inked fans sing the chorus of the ‘Prisoner Of Society’ on a hot summer day might just have been the most Australian thing ever.
Taking a stopgap between larger acts, it was Gwar’s hilariously over-the-top stage presence that made the Virginia quintet such a treat to watch. Fake blood aside, the group still managed to put on a tight performance – even with the recently decapitated Tony Abbot flailing on stage like a headless chook, coating the audience in even more of the red mess.
As the sun started to falter, Crosses made for one of the true highlights of the day. Chino Moreno is well known for being an exceptional frontman, and he of course was no exception during their set. The singer’s soaring voice carried a lot of the electronic melodies, and the presence of both him and Shaun Lopez contained some much-desired vigor to play up the hypnotic aspect of the likes of ‘Bitches Brew’ and ‘Telepathy’. Three upwards-pointing crosses illuminated the band, further emphasising the club and house vibes that situated itself under the grandiose tent. They ended their set with the slow-burner ‘Option’, which had the crowd transition from a gentle sway to an army of headbangers.
The three-syllabled “Go-ji-ra!” was all that could be heard from the radius of the stage four annex as the French metallers launched into the aptly titled ‘Explosia’. Even the few minor technical glares didn’t slow down the colossal quartet. Mario Duplantier is one heck of a live drummer, hastily piling into his kit with seemingly no effort at all while his brother Joseph violently screamed his lungs out.
Perhaps the undisputed highlight of the day, the New York natives were one of the rare cases of a band starting off with the smallest crowd before evolving into a full house. Daryl Palumbo managed to score every note precisely and with perfect pitch time and time again. The standout pick was ‘(You Think You’re) John Fucking Lennon’, which was unfortunately cut short as Palumbo announced ”Manny’s lost power” while the bassist in question searched to find the root of the problem.
The group managed to get up and running in no time and launched into the one-two punch of ‘Pretty Lush’ and ‘Tip Your Bartender’, once again showcasing Palumbo’s carefree stage presence.
The Dillinger Escape Plan followed with their reckless, devil-may-care live attitude. Greg Puciato screamed the first few lines of ‘Prancer’ before stealing the microphone and javelin-throwing the stand into the back wall, hitting their branded banner and leaving any Dillinger virgins in complete awe.
Each member showcased rambunctious energy, but it was Ben Weinman who didn’t hesitate to jump into the fray and be lifted by the crowd as he violently punished his guitar, overshadowing them all.
There’s no shame in admitting that watching Letlive’s Jason Butler in his underpants while tearing into the chorus of ‘Empty Elvis’ was one of the highlights of the day. Butler is a wild frontman, and when backed by every member, showcases a tremendous liveliness. Butler shared a personal story about his brush with death when he was 19, which acted as a brilliant lyrical segue to ‘27 Club’ before finishing their set with the infectious ‘Renegade 86’.
Rounding out the festival were the homegrown I Killed The Prom Queen, with vocalist Jamie Hope demanding that they “finish this off right” as they vaulted into ‘To The Wolves’. Hope is a very influential frontman, somehow managing to get the worn out festival patrons up and moving even after such a long day.
Every member got into the spirit of things, but Jona Weinhofen was determined to stand out, taking a page out of Puciato’s book and climbing to the top of the rafters as he shredded on his guitar. ‘Brevity’ was a standout hit among the crowd, with both Weinhofen and Ben Coyte lending their voices as Hope issued the crowd to form “the biggest fuckin’ circle pit of the day”.
The metal band closed their set (and the festival) with perhaps the most appropriately titled song of the day in ‘Say Goodbye’. Every Prom Queen fan under the large blue tent was singing along, and those who weren’t privy to its chorus picked it up fairly quickly. It was a fun and lively performance to bookend the festival, which gave the exhausted attendees a much-needed burst of energy in order to make it home safe and sound.
