Hot, sticky and with the sun beaming, Brisbane was living up to its 'sunshine state' reputation as the debut Halloween Hysteria festival (27 October) at the Jubilee Hotel began to unfold.
Upon entrance, ghouls, corpses and all kinds of morbid monstrosities welcomed punters into the familiar confides of the Jube's multi-stage facility.With air-conditioning belting through the VIP section and the Kick Out the Jams upstairs stage, my heart went out to the crew and workers unlucky enough to be assigned to quarters braving the heat; although mist-spray fans throughout provided some well-sought refuge.
Click here for more photos from 2018 Halloween Hysteria.
Having been around the traps, my day was pre-scheduled, full to the brim with local talent, alongside some of the finest alternate acts on a national level.
DisKust - image © Dan Ramsay
Upon arrival, bearings were found and several songs of DisKust were caught upstairs. If this was to be a precursor for the day as a whole, we were all in for a treat.
Being a Brisbane local, I have had ample opportunity to see Apate through the local scene. They lived up to expectations, delivering their signature down-tuned mosh and slam-inspired big beats.
While the crowd was apprehensive to move (maybe the heat, maybe they were still warming up), they were well received and performed to a level deserving of being a part of this festival debut.
Apate - image © Dan Ramsay
From Crisis To Collapse were one of the first of many bands I would see a song or two in between rendezvous with friends or having a beer – with a line-up of this calibre, planning was crucial and a break here and there essential to enjoying (and surviving) a 12-hour festival.
From Crisis To Collapse - image © Dan Ramsay
My first 'drawcard band' of the day was Adelaide's Falcifer. I have been a fan of this band over the last year or so and with this being my first opportunity to see them live, I was champing at the bit.
Falcifer did not disappoint. The female fronted, self-proclaimed 'heavy'-genre band built upon the foundations laid by Apate, and had the arms, legs and hair of punters flying.
Notably, bassist Kym was not in attendance due to a perforated eardrum which prevented her from flying (ouch), however the band lost little to no intensity, and covered their low frequencies through clever (and tastefully executed) backing tracks.
Falcifer - image © Dan Ramsay
I will continue to prop this band and bring their name up in any conversation surrounding women in music – Falcifer slaps. Hard.
In high spirits from a stellar performance from Falcifer, it was over to the scenestr Deckbar for another personal favourite of mine - Brisbane (by way of Melbourne)-based Driven Fear.
I've had the opportunity to perform alongside this band multiple times and would be lying to say I'm not biased in favour of their upbeat punk/ hardcore vibes, reminiscent of an Australian Stick To Your Guns.
Driven Fear - image © Dan Ramsay
Anthemic choruses such as 'Crisis's chants of self love and proclamation of inclusion and beauty in all left me leaving the stage smiling from ear to ear. If you've got even the slightest inclination towards punk-rock anthems, Driven Fear are a band that are deserving of your attention. Well done boys.
I feel like I may become a broken record by the end of this, as once again I have been graced with the luxury of reviewing another band comprised of friends met through performing. This time, it was Earth Caller.
For the uninitiated, Earth Caller are a Melbourne-based hardcore/ metal/ mish-mash of all things delightfully heavy.
The four-piece deliver a brand of high-energy metalcore, with frontman Josh Collard displaying a charismatic and engaging persona akin to acts with much larger reputations.
I swear these fellas are in Brisbane as much as I am and definitely deserve your support, be it as a support act of a larger tour package or as a headlining act in themselves. They'll no doubt be back soon.
Bare Bones - image © Dan Ramsay
If you've seen a headline tour in the last 12 months, you've probably seen my good friends in Bare Bones. The Sydney five-piece riffing, rock & roll band have performed in support of acts such as Rise Against, Stone Sour, and please oh please, Nickelback.
And for good reason – their riffs are infectious, their grooves are funky, and their energy just straight-up makes you wanna dance.
As the sun slowly began to set across the skyline of the Valley and wash across the Young Henry's Carpark stage, Bare Bones were not only a precursor for the talent yet to grace this fortuitous venue, but also set a (very high) benchmark of expectation for the latter half of the evening.
Next up, Resist The Thought. I read the timetable incorrectly and completely missed their set. I'm still kicking myself as I write this. Better luck next time, Kerry. You Desmond.
Outright - image © Dan Ramsay
I'd never witnessed Outright before Halloween Hysteria and let me tell you, the local hype surrounding this up-and-coming act is very well deserved.
As another one of several female-fronted outfits performing on the day, any festival searching for opportunity to fairly represent gender cohorts really have no excuse when bands like Outright are tearing at the jugular. Good sh.t. Outright, you won me over today.
This next act had me very curious – emotional hardcore band Stepson were performing on the impressive outdoor Young Henry's Carpark stage.
Why curious you may ask? Well unlike Bare Bones, who are no strangers to stadiums, festival venues and all-in-all 'rockstar' venues, I've only ever witnessed Stepson in smaller, more intimate venues where they have proven to flourish.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a shot at the Brisbane band favoured by the youth, but solely an observation. Catching up with bassist/ vocalist Jayden Ridley after the set over a refreshing lager, he expressed the band's desire to continue to grow and thus perform on these larger stages – power to ya dudes.
While hampered by some unfortunate technical difficulties, Stepson showed their own brand of stardom as vocalist Brock Conroy climbed the barrier into the stage to be met by dozens of delighted punters, happy to scream his lyrics back at him.
Word on the street is that there may be some new material on the way from the Stepson camp too – but you didn't hear that from me.
The evening had well and truly set in now, offering an appreciated reprieve from the day's heat. Taking full advantage of the evening's pleasantness, punters seemed to come out of the woodwork for Alpha Wolf's set. The Victorian nu metal/ core band punished the eardrums of their fans with their vicious sound.
Void Of Vision - image © Dan Ramsay
It's been almost 12 months since having last seen Void Of Vision (at Unify Gathering 2018) and their unique flavour of hardcore was as raw and rambunctious as I remember.
Sporting Power Rangers attire, this lively act bounced and bounded across the stage projecting an energy and liveliness that undeniably struck a chord (pun intended) with the crowd as they jumped, pushed, flailed and danced in all manner uniquely, while in unison.
I'm not gonna lie, by now I was pooped. I'm 27 going on 60, and as dehydration set in, my weary legs were being beckoned by a cozy recliner and Red Dead II. Alas, with co-headliners The Bennies and King Parrot remaining the party wasn't quite over.
King Parrot - image © Dan Ramsay
While both bands have VERY different styles of music to offer, it is easy to see why they were invited to perform the converted spot/s of headlining this debutant festival.
The Bennies had the masses bouncing and singing along to their delectable, self-proclaimed brand of 'psychedelic reggae ska doom metal punk rock from hell' (though I think punk rock would suffice). While King Parrot delivered their grindcore tunes as subtle as a chainsaw to the leg.
In conclusion, Halloween Hysteria was a great success truly showcasing a plethora of talent. The sense of unity and community displayed at Halloween Hysteria is always such a breath of fresh air in a climate where exclusion and prejudices are all to common.
Kudos Halloween Hysteria – you made some big promises and unanimously delivered. See you next year. Cheers.
