Last Friday I was back at The Tivoli in Brisbane, this time for another communal date with While She Sleeps – who must love it here as this is the second time within twelve months they've come to play to us.
This tour, however, delivers tasty live treats from their latest album 'Self Hell' along with fan favourites no doubt. To help with the tour revelry are US's Stick To Your Guns , homegrown Ocean Sleeper (fast becoming legends in their own right), and another offering from the States who will be breaking their Aussie cherry with us, Boundaries.The Tivoli is packed out to the max, almost from the start (27 September). It's great to see a mixed ages crowd forming up on the mezzanine with young ones frothing for this experience. Down below is a sea of black shirts with bevvies creating a din of chatter as both merch stands are drumming up business for cotton and vinyl.
Starting us off with one hell of a rev are Boundaries, and they have a bunch of fans in the audience evident as they are screaming along to the opening track 'A Pale Light Lingers' as the mosh officially commences the pit!
Giving their Aussie fans the best present – a fine selection of their repertoire including 'Darkness Shared' and 'My Body Is A Cage' that sends fans into a fit just as much as 'Is Survived By'. Inciting more hectic moshing after 'Realize And Rebuild' is their debut monster track 'Turning Hate Into Rage' as they kept that heavy train coming with an equally thrashing big banger, 'Easily Erased'.
Boundaries carried their set with exact precision; they may have just gained a majority following from hundreds of punters here for their set, going by the conversations buzzing during the break.
Boundaries - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Locals Ocean Sleeper continue to amaze us and bust open their set with 'You Kill The Good In Me', which is snapping necks from conversation to full attention on the band onstage. Ocean Sleeper wanted to know who already knew them; the question should have been who'll remember them after tonight!
Playing live with such precision is an art. While I love the real feels when this get ad-libbed because it adds to the authentic vibe of a live show; I admire a tight-ass band! Ocean Sleeper deliver this in spades.
'Forever Sinking' gets a reset after we watch a guitar set free from its strap, flying like an arrow towards the side of the drum kit riser! Only a live act can give you such a moment to witness. Fans are told whoever captured that epic fling to send it out into the interwebs and let that sh.t go viral.
'Heaven' receives even more action in the moshpit. Watching from a less chaotic vantage point, I cannot help but marvel at Ionei Heckenberg's cleans perfectly contrasting with the unclean vocals of Karl Spiessl.
We are gifted with a live debut of an unreleased title track off their forthcoming EP, 'Maybe Death Is All I Need', which hit us before we cop a hammering from the heavy tones of 'Your Love I'll Never Need'.
Keeping the surprises coming, after 'Light In My Dark', Matt McDougal (Boundaries) joins in for 'King Of Nothing', sending fans of both bands berzerk. We get a final song from these talented musos, 'Never The One', that signals for the crowd to cut sick, and they do.
Ocean Sleeper - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Stick To Your Guns must love an Aussie crowd because these guys have made this trip twice within a year. All that's missing is the shots of tequila to go with their intro recording ahead of their first song 'Nobody'. It immediately sends the mosh over the top, literally!
Fans are already surfing hands of their moshpit family to front of stage and keeping security busy. 'What Goes Around' and 'Invisible Rain' feature more crowd surfers, and somewhere in there Jesse Barnett (vocals) informs us Josh James (guitar) is celebrating his birthday tonight. Someone gifted him a bright sombrero, which he wears for a hot minute – so where is that tequila at!?
'Such Pain' comes ahead of 'Married To The Noise'; I am unsure about noise in general, but I sure would consider being married to the music of Stick To Your Guns, that's for sure.
Following killer track 'The Suspend', we get another live debut: 'Severed Forever' from a new album due out early next year, 'Keep Planting Flowers'. It sends the pit into even more chaos; if that is possible. I'm left wondering what else is going to send us bonkers on the forthcoming album?
After 'Amber', they choose to end their unrestrained reign onstage with 'Against Them All', fans singing along to it almost as loud as the band is playing it. I hear our collective voices as clear as a big-ass brass bell, I tell ya!
Stick To Your Guns - image © Clea-marie Thorne
While She Sleeps brings all the punters squishing in together. It's such a cozy affair, that is until arms start flaying and bodies begin bumping – we know it's coming and the tension is high.
'Rainbows' is the chosen lead song. Fans are lapping it up with moderate glee, that is until the chunky breakdown and glorious riff lifts the roof and kicks it all the way to fifth gear in an instant.
On they charge with a furious passion backing up this epic starter with 'Sleeps Society' and 'You Are All You Need'. Loz Taylor (vocals) can't keep away from the energy of the crowd, getting up close and personal every chance he gets, and encouraging surfers to cycle through crashing towards the barrier.
Many are eagerly greeted with a high-five or fist pump here and there by Taylor, including the hands of fans reaching for him when he gets out into the crowd. Tonight, it is all happening – flying guitars and flying lead singers! Taylor took to The Tivoli balcony before crashing the moshpit and losing either a mic lead or ear pieces in the process of getting back to the stage.
While She Sleeps - image © Clea-marie Thorne
'Anti-Social' and 'The Guilty Party' come at us hand over fist; or should I say guitar over drums and bass! 'Self Hell' and 'Brainwashed' come before 'Four Walls' and 'You Are We', which has the whole room united as a screaming choir, but is no match for the notes from Sean Long's axe – he is on fire, skilfully displaying his exquisite guitar chops.
'Fakers Plague' sells itself to any newcomer in the room as a banger you want on your playlist while 'Enlightenment(?)' brings the reflection that 'it's ok to not be ok', and really hits with emotion both lyrically and sonically.
Long shows off more of his expertise during their new song 'To The Flowers', and in all honesty fans are drinking its stunning instrumentation just like a swarm of bees sucking on sweet nectar.
Closing with what I believe to be the best banger from the 'Sleeps Society' album, the crushing industrial-infused sonic cracker 'Systematic', it is heavy and unyielding with a riff that hooks you in.
While She Sleeps - image © Clea-marie Thorne
I have no idea where this band pulls their energy from; it must be a supernatural source because they have been unwavering and relentless in their energy and enthusiasm throughout the whole set. Let me give you some context, this show is being performed after travelling for 50 hours to get to Australia.
Brisbane fans are also giving their all with one last tsunami of crowd surfers crashing toward the barrier showing the band they too have the means to stay with them right to the very end.
While I smell a mix of sweat and beer-soaked shirts as punters pass me, begrudgingly leaving now the stage is empty and the music ceased, I can feel the infectious high that fans will float home on, and I reckon it will linger for a few days yet.
While She Sleeps - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Just saying. . . While She Sleeps could visit us three times in a year and I'd be at every gig! Three? Yes, I said three and I hope they heard me too.
More photos from the gig.
