A quite different mix of bands were bundled together for this Soundwave sideshow and the crowd certainly represented that, with quite a mixture of different sub-cultures in attendance.
Rockers, punks, hipsters, and hardcore fans all turned out to witness one of the more interesting shows that coincided with Australia’s leading heavy music festival.
The Dear Hunter started off the night playing a very generic sounding style of melodic post-rock. Not the most original band but they still entertained and had a few decent tunes.
They also announced that their new album, Migrant, will be released on an Australian label but didn’t actually specify which one. Regardless, they paved the way for what was coming next.
O’Brother came on stage to a curious crowd. Knowing they had to win over a bunch of new fans, rather than build up to a climax, O’Brother decided to just give it all from the first beat with an extremely deafening volume of sludge meets drone.
Think SUNN O))) meets Kyuss crossed with Torche. It was loud, intense and brutal.
Each song was more in your face than the last and by the time they were done, the audience seemed hypnotised by the ear damaging noise they had just witnessed. These guys were incredible and brought something different and completely unique to the table. Definitely a band to keep an ear out for in future as they are sure to go on to bigger things.
There is probably no name more perfect than Fucked Up for the chaotic blend of melody, hardcore and punk that these Canadians do so well.
Attending a FU show in an intimate venue such as the Prince of Wales is really the only way to see them in all their glory.
Opening with the anthemic ‘Let Her Rest / Queen of Hearts’, the band were firing on all cylinders, quickly whipping the crowd into a frenzy with stage diving, moshing and the occasional wrestling move by vocalist, Pink Eyes (aka Damian Abraham).
The band sounded tight (well, as tight as a band with three guitars that each play something different can be) and in full force bursting through songs from their entire catalogue and even showcasing new material which sounded strong and quite promising.
FU are a band everyone should witness at least once. They have built a strong following here in Australia now having toured here numerous times before including support to the Foo Fighters on their last tour.
All up, this Sidewave was a great show of the nice, the loud and the chaotic and was well worth every cent and the hearing damage that punters were no doubt left with.
