A Day To Remember, The Ghost Inside, I Killed The Prom Queen @ The Forum, Melbourne (27/02/2014)
A Sidewave made in heaven for all the kids who love their hardcore modern and chock-full of breakdowns, recently revived crow-eaters I Killed The Prom Queen kicked off the evening delivering decent enough renditions of mostly new material. It was a bit of a shame that the band’s on stage energy didn’t match that of the songs they were belting out. Recent album Beloved is a modern hardcore masterpiece, and the songs from both it, and IKTPQ’s back catalogue were indeed executed without fault.
Guitarist/ melodic singer/ single remaining original member Jonah Weinhofen was his disarmingly charming self on the couple of occasions when he addressed the band’s adoringly raucous young audience, but front man Jamie Hope seemed a bit glum and distracted. I’m willing to give these dudes the benefit of the doubt, as I know them to be a group of ripper blokes from interviews we’ve done together in the past. Here’s hoping the searing and energetic band all the dedicated kids that came to thrash around to at the top of the bill were just a bit tired from Soundwave’s relentless touring schedule.
The Ghost Inside blew The Forum away with a pearler of a mid-card set. The pit swelled significantly as the roadies set to work between bands, proving how greatly I’d underestimated TGI’s popularity. Beyond a ball-tearer of a show, the guys in band also proved gushingly appreciative of how excited the crowd was to be there, with front man Jonathan Vigil repeatedly thanking the punters from the bottom of his heart between songs. Give What You Get, This I Know About Sacrifice, The Great Unknown, and 33 all got a look in, much to the glee off the seething and expansive circle pit. The highlight had to be Jason Aalon Butler from letlive. nearly turning himself inside out on stage with a short vocal guest in the middle of a particularly shouty song. That dude exuded more energy in ten seconds than some bands do in a twelve year career.
As TGI departed, some tech booth genius had the bright idea to play Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit, and Chop Suey! by System Of A Down over the PA’s. I’m not being sarcastic, it actually was a brilliant choice. The crowd, already at fever pitch awaiting Pop-Metal heavyweights A Day To Remember to grace the stage, promptly lost their shit, moshed, and screamed every word to both songs (and a bunch of other decade old hits this person’s iPod obviously contained). It only further excited the punters before the lights dimmed and ADTR flung themselves from the wings. Good show, random tech person!
A Day To Remember are unarguably one of the most popular heavy bands on the planet today, mainly spurred by the fact that they’re followed by a massive cult-like collective of die hard fans. Not a single kid within twenty metres of the stage missed a lyric or breakdown for the entire length of these Floridian head banger’s roaring set.
In true form, ADTR blasted through their recognizable batch of anthemic and inspiring tunes from their five acclaimed albums without ever unintentionally slowing the pace. The introduction of beach balls and toilet rolls to the crowd at different points during the show was good fun, and certainly solidified that the crowd wouldn’t soon forget their night out with Jeremy, Neil, Alex, Kevin, and Josh. Walking on the crowd in a Zorb ball was probably more fun for vocalist Jeremy than the people he was standing on. I’m sure no one much cared, but those things have come off as self indulgent more and more each time I see them (or maybe just because Diplo was in one not so long ago, and he is a wanker).
…And Their Name Was Treason was performed during a mid-set solo acoustic session with Jeremy; it was both an unexpected and welcomed change of pace that stuck around just long enough to not dissipate the mosh’s heaving mounds of electricity, before the rest of band returned to crank things back to full tilt. It’s also worth noting that drummer Alex Shelnutt had a green, transparent, light up drum kit that kicked ass. Little things like that stand out as memorable and exciting without requiring too much extra work, and more bands should take a leaf from ADTR’s book in that regard. Topping it off in the encore with their stomping, breakout hit The Downfall Of Us All sent everyone in to a frenzy, and that was that. A ripper show from a band who knows how to have fun and play a gig at the same time.
Todd Gingell
@gingerly_done
Guitarist/ melodic singer/ single remaining original member Jonah Weinhofen was his disarmingly charming self on the couple of occasions when he addressed the band’s adoringly raucous young audience, but front man Jamie Hope seemed a bit glum and distracted. I’m willing to give these dudes the benefit of the doubt, as I know them to be a group of ripper blokes from interviews we’ve done together in the past. Here’s hoping the searing and energetic band all the dedicated kids that came to thrash around to at the top of the bill were just a bit tired from Soundwave’s relentless touring schedule.
The Ghost Inside blew The Forum away with a pearler of a mid-card set. The pit swelled significantly as the roadies set to work between bands, proving how greatly I’d underestimated TGI’s popularity. Beyond a ball-tearer of a show, the guys in band also proved gushingly appreciative of how excited the crowd was to be there, with front man Jonathan Vigil repeatedly thanking the punters from the bottom of his heart between songs. Give What You Get, This I Know About Sacrifice, The Great Unknown, and 33 all got a look in, much to the glee off the seething and expansive circle pit. The highlight had to be Jason Aalon Butler from letlive. nearly turning himself inside out on stage with a short vocal guest in the middle of a particularly shouty song. That dude exuded more energy in ten seconds than some bands do in a twelve year career.
As TGI departed, some tech booth genius had the bright idea to play Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit, and Chop Suey! by System Of A Down over the PA’s. I’m not being sarcastic, it actually was a brilliant choice. The crowd, already at fever pitch awaiting Pop-Metal heavyweights A Day To Remember to grace the stage, promptly lost their shit, moshed, and screamed every word to both songs (and a bunch of other decade old hits this person’s iPod obviously contained). It only further excited the punters before the lights dimmed and ADTR flung themselves from the wings. Good show, random tech person!
A Day To Remember are unarguably one of the most popular heavy bands on the planet today, mainly spurred by the fact that they’re followed by a massive cult-like collective of die hard fans. Not a single kid within twenty metres of the stage missed a lyric or breakdown for the entire length of these Floridian head banger’s roaring set.
In true form, ADTR blasted through their recognizable batch of anthemic and inspiring tunes from their five acclaimed albums without ever unintentionally slowing the pace. The introduction of beach balls and toilet rolls to the crowd at different points during the show was good fun, and certainly solidified that the crowd wouldn’t soon forget their night out with Jeremy, Neil, Alex, Kevin, and Josh. Walking on the crowd in a Zorb ball was probably more fun for vocalist Jeremy than the people he was standing on. I’m sure no one much cared, but those things have come off as self indulgent more and more each time I see them (or maybe just because Diplo was in one not so long ago, and he is a wanker).
…And Their Name Was Treason was performed during a mid-set solo acoustic session with Jeremy; it was both an unexpected and welcomed change of pace that stuck around just long enough to not dissipate the mosh’s heaving mounds of electricity, before the rest of band returned to crank things back to full tilt. It’s also worth noting that drummer Alex Shelnutt had a green, transparent, light up drum kit that kicked ass. Little things like that stand out as memorable and exciting without requiring too much extra work, and more bands should take a leaf from ADTR’s book in that regard. Topping it off in the encore with their stomping, breakout hit The Downfall Of Us All sent everyone in to a frenzy, and that was that. A ripper show from a band who knows how to have fun and play a gig at the same time.
Todd Gingell
@gingerly_done