The fifth stop on their 11-show takeover of Australia, Kublai Khan TX returned for a triumphant headline tour across the nation including Melbourne's The Prince Bandroom on Saturday (24 August).
Although their first headline tour of Australia, this is Kublai Khan fifth visit of Australia resulting in a number of sold-out gigs; the lack of a barricade was also a warm welcome.Not a ticket had gone to waste, as at 8pm the room was already full; people were already being redirected from the main bar due to crowding. You were lucky to get a good view of the stage as the crowd packed in for the local openers.
Following on from Newcastle legends Splinter, Manchester hardcore band Guilt Trip brought a non-stop set to amp things up another notch. During popular track 'Eyes Wide Shut', vocalist Jay Valentine urged the crowd to get up onstage. Fans familiar with their work pushed forward closer to the stage, grabbing the mic when offered. Guilt Trip's set was a perfect set up for what was to come.
Continuing the incredible array of international talent accompanying the tour, Terror summed up their Mach-10 set in four perfect words: "More f...ing stage dives!"
The LA-based hardcore band, fronted by the charismatic Scott Vogel did nothing but go hard for their entire set, with effectively no down time between songs. The room was instantly hit with a wave of bodies flying off the stage into the sea of people.
It soon became a competition of who could get the highest, or most ridiculous dive. It was as enjoyable to watch the energy from afar as it would've been to be a part of it. Keeping the spirit of hardcore well and truly alive, Vogel stopped the set only once to make sure the crowd knew what was up: "If you're here to hurt someone, now's the time to leave!"
Bringing true headliner energy to their show, Terror had the crowd eating out of their palms. The synergy created between the band and the fans was perfect and anything was allowed. The immense and unrelenting energy made the perfect segue into. . . Kublai Khan TX.
For those fans joining the Kublai train after their recent TikTok virality, where their track 'Theory Of Mind' took over many music fans' socials with its accompanying dance, the Texas band are acclaimed for their fast, heavy and fun shows.
Opening with said track, the sing-along was an instant crowd pleaser, with those lurking at the back of the venue activating like sleeper agents, pushing their way into the chaos. Terror's stream of stage divers had turned into a whirlwind of two-steps amongst the crowd, with the mouth of the pit opening wide.
During the track 'Resentment', there was an open space from side to side of the venue, collapsing into chaos upon the drop. Bodies were flying everything, full of smiling faces and menacing grins. A few punters launched onto the stage to grab a spare microphone, joining in on the belching lyrics of the track.
Frontman Matt Honeycutt made the show just as enjoyable to watch and listen to as it was to participate in the melee. From funny quips to all-too-Texan pronunciation of things you wouldn't usually hear a Texan say, (eg. "Yeah baby!" or calling fans "pretty boy") Matt made sure the energy stayed at an all time high through the 45-minute set. A personal favourite quote, which may have been slightly misheard was: "Open your father's trophy case, 'cause we're having dinner tonight!"
Towards the final two songs of the set, Honeycutt announced (as he has apparently done at every other show, and will continue to do so), there would be no encore. Wanting all the crowds energy through the last two tracks, the crowd responded appropriately.
Both tracks, 'The Hammer' and 'Antpile', saw multiple crowd participants onstage snatching the mics and bouncing. It was the perfect energy to round out the night, as the close of the last track saw fans rushing the stage to grab a photo with the moustached frontman.
