Northlane's 'Dante' tour arrived in Adelaide (16 February) at Hindley Street Music Hall.
Boasting a gigantic line-up of hard-hitting metalcore heavyweights, the headliner's production matched, if not exceeded, the bill's seismic impact on the city leaving the masses in awe of the virtuosity and profound impact of Northlane's monumental growth.Opening the show in style were Melburnian outfit Banks Arcade. Channeling a melody-driven brand of metal deeply infused with a R&B influence, atmospheric musicianship met a beachy Ocean Alley-esque coolness, thanks in large part to frontman Joshua O'Donnell's pop-styled vocal lines, albeit with stylish, driving guitar riffing from his tight band.
Next were French metalcore act LANDMVRKS who lit up the stage with pounding breakdowns, emphatic high-kicks and guttural vocals.
Vocalist Florent Salfati spat words in quick syncopated rhythm, almost rap-like, appearing to resonate deeply with the near-capacity audience, many of who appeared highly attuned to the band's output, all the more promising given it is the band's first Australian tour.
LANDMVRKS - image © Michael Lockheart
ERRA, one of the most exciting prospects in modern metal, graced the shores of Australia to feverish anticipation on the 'Dante' tour.
Opening with the bombastic, textured and technical 'Cure', the American five-piece found themselves the receiving end of a rapturously warm welcome, as mosh pits opened seemingly without end for their show.
The band's set, while brief, factored in tracks from each of their releases, delighting those who had made their way to the event with intent for ERRA's set alone.
Tracks like 'Divisionary' and 'Pale Iris' provided an opportunity to indulge in some of the most interesting song structures in modern music, delivering enormous crescendos, climaxing in satisfying epic outros.
ERRA - image © Michael Lockheart
Such huge music rightly deserved a glossy production, which the band and their crew delivered, and then some. While showing some restraint with its visual presentation, ERRA's commitment to form and their focused execution of their music in a live setting was attention grabbing and captivating.
Headliner Northlane had big boots to fill, with ERRA delivering a masterclass in technical progressive metal performance. Living up to their reputation for fiercely engaging and highly futurist live presentation, Northlane delivered this and so much more.
Presenting a set list celebrating the entire history of the band, Northlane brought the hits, the experimental origins and the remarkably melodic new material.
Northlane - image © Michael Lockheart
With highlights of the set including much of their previous two full-length releases 'Obsidian' (2022) and 'Alien' (2019), the Sydney four-piece dazzled with a mind-altering visual feast of glitchy, cyber horror imagery, largely silhouetting the band members.
Despite the lack of frontal spot lighting, charismatic frontman Marcus Bridge shone brightly as a performer seemingly capable of holding the energy of an arena-sized crowd in the palm of his hand, thus leading the Adelaide audience through a trip of powerfully cathartic metal mayhem.
More photos from the concert.
