"Last time I was in Brisbane, this venue didn't exist," said RUN frontman Lochlan Watt from the stage of Brisbane's Soapbox Beer (25 May).
It's been a depressing time for Brisbane's live music community. The announcement of legendary venue The Zoo's closure after 32 years and reports of many others on the verge of collapse has cast a dark pall over the city.However, a beacon has come in the shape of new venue Soapbox Beer. It's appropriate that this city's new hope should host UK band Svalbard, a band who dredge through the darkness of metal to find hope.
Since forming in 2011, the Bristol band have released four albums mixing the sonic brutality of black metal with the rising hope of post-rock, including last year's album 'The Weight Of This Mask'. On their debut Australian tour, Svalbard added their light to a fantastic line-up of talented heavy bands.
The snare drum shook between the legs of drummer Reuben Dance as his legs sprinted on his kick pedals. His pummelling opened the set for local skramz trio Dream, Inertia.
Despite having the smallest number of members of the night, Dream, Inertia made a mighty noise. Guitarist Tarkan Pasin's fingers stretched far across his fretboard, conjuring a metallic dissonance coated in reverb, the sound like an approaching swarm. Bassist Alex Russell rocked backwards and forwards, as he and Tarkan traded rasped yelps between them.
By the second song of Melbourne post-metalcore band RUN's set, vocalist Lochlan Watt leapt from the stage and on to the floor. He stalked his new ground, gripping his mic and shouting in the faces of the crowd. His performance drew the crowd closer, where they felt the assault of Adrian Horsman's kick drums through the wooden floorboards and in their chests.
Watt is an Australian metal lifer, playing an especially important role as the host of triple j's metal show 'The Racket'. Onstage, Watt proved himself as formidable a frontman as those he gives airtime, backed by a band that matched his own energy, from bassist Benn Gaylor's high kicks to Horsman having to borrow drumsticks after destroying all of his own.
The band have an EP coming soon and will be much anticipated based on their performance.
The speakers crackled when they were overwhelmed by Blind Girls' frontperson Sharni Brouwer's harrowing shriek. Clutching the mic with both hands, she howled until her voice broke into a whimper, collapsing on to her knees and possessed by bouts of thrashing on the stage.
The crowd gathered close to the chaos, and Sharni leapt down on the floor and violently raged against herself in front of them. Her black hair tangled itself with the microphone in her fists, the cable of which tethered her to the stage like a rabid dog.
Above her, the band tore through riffs as jagged as razor wire, cutting deeper until the speakers heaved feedback, with guitarist Julian Currie punching his instrument for good measure.
The Gold Coast skramz band have built a reputation for intense live performances, and this support set was no exception. Their set featured new material from their forthcoming second album, which means more shows are in the pipeline. Do not miss seeing them wreak havoc.
A melodic guitar lead roared within the tremolo riffing of Svalbard's opening tune, 'Disparity'. As Mark Lilley's drums galloped, guitarist/ vocalist Serena Cherry and bassist Matt Francis windmilled their long manes.
Serena approached the mic with a raised fist, emitting a burly growl that duetted with guitarist Liam Phelan's raspy yelp. "How are you doing out there, Brisbane?" Serena asked the crowd in a cheery West Country accent.
A small group joyfully pushed and shoved each other in their own circle pit. Most fans, however, stood wide-eyed in the crowd, overwhelmed by the crushing weight of the music.
Serena's lyrics are incredibly vulnerable, revealing between songs their themes of depression and its effects on a person's well-being. It's on 'Throw Your Heart Away' when her vulnerability really comes to the fore.
After spending most of the set riffing and growling, the music falls away, a void filled by Liam's gentle atmospheric strum. Dropping her growl, Serena whispered: "I am perched on the edge of your knife. I am lost on the outskirts of your life." It's an unexpected moment in a night of ferocious heaviness, revealing the beauty behind the black clouds.
Svalbard closed their set with 'Eternal Spirits', their ode to the heavy metal heroes who have since passed. As the song built to Serena's final growl, she raised her guitar high, carrying it like a flaming torch lighting the way through the gloom.
