Thursday night was miserable weather wise and unfortunately the crowd reciprocated the mood. The turn-out was in fact morbid; with ticket sales down many were offered free entry to fill numbers. Upon entering The Factory Theatre you could see the pages and pages which were the “guest list” and by looking around the crowd resembled that of a local gig rather than an international Sidewave.
Due to the fact everyone was there just because they could be the vibe was draining. People stood in the crowd with arms crossed like it was a chore to be there. For those who bothered to make it down early they were greeted with the aggressive punk-rock come rock and roll sound of Uk’s The Smoking Hearts. The small crowd did not bother the band who threw themselves into their music with sheer energy and passion; they played to the small crowd as if it was a sold out venue. Vocalist Ben Mills not only bounced around the stage but threw himself into the crowd trying to liven up the mood. Members of the crowd begin to get the hint with the vibe increasing and movement forming.
Melbourne’s post-hardcore six piece Dream On, Dreamer hit the stage next bringing with them majority of the crowd. When watching them it’s easier to forget that this band only formed three year age, they look and play the part incredibly well. With their unbelievable stage presence and energy, there is no wonder UNFD snatched them up mid-way last year.
With multiple overseas tours under their belt you could tell that the band was stoked to be in their home country. Although every member plays their part extremely well, drummer Aaron Fiocca steals the spotlight with his twirling of the drum sticks and other tricks all while not missing a beat. You could tell that the crowd loved them and they loved being in front of the crowd. Bands like Dream On, Dreamer make you proud to be Australian; they ooze passion and ambition making them an unstoppable force in the Australian music scene.
Underoath have been around since 1997 and by the looks of it are losing the punch that they used to have. This can be seen in the lack of ticket sales as well as the lack of movement in the crowd. Underoath were once a band who had the crowd moving and singing along but these days seem to be long gone, their appeal is slowly fading and even the band members sound tired and drained.
Although front man Spencer Chamberlain encouraged crowd participation the crowd barely interacted, in songs were usually hundreds of people would clap there was only a handful. This lack of energy was seen throughout the night.
The older songs saved the show, with crowd singing and dancing around. “A Boy Brushed Red. Living In Black And White” was an excellent choice as the last song. This song not only increased the vibe but packed the energy that the whole night was missing. This song possibly saved them with the whole crowd shouting for an encore. Underoath came back out to please, playing “Reinventing Your Exit” and “Writing On The Walls”.
Upon leaving the crowd were in much higher spirits; Underoath saved the night by playing their older songs. Chamberlain mentioned they might not be back for a while, which is a shame because the crowd’s reaction was so positive in the end, even more so if Underoath promise to play a mixture of songs only from They’re Only Chasing Safety and Define the Great Line.
– Marissa Hanson
