Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Thursday January 19, 2017 :
The Dirty Nil were first on the lineup and warmed the crowed who came in early before Behind Crimson Eyes, who brought back vivid flashbacks of my awful teenage haircuts and sweaty local gigs. The Getaway Plan reminded me how good they are, singer Matthew Wright’s vocals carried beautifully throughout the venue and the crowd was loving their 2008 single ‘Where The City Meets The Sea’.
The crowd anticipation was stirring when Alexisonfire took the Hordern Pavilion stage, and fists were immediately thrust in the air as the band launched into ‘Drunk, Lovers, Sinners & Saints’. During their farewell tour in 2012, fans could feel the tension between band members on stage, however this was a distant memory at tonight’s gig, where the band were very much enjoying being on stage together again. The vibe was upbeat and the band showed the sense of comradery between the members was one we had all come to know and love so well from Alexisonfire.
They plunged through their catalogued of tracks and no song lulled or was met with anything but a huge roar from fans. Even slower tracks like ‘Rough Hands’ were belted out and clapped along to with the enthusiasm of harder favourites like ‘Accidents’.
Sure a lot of time has passed since the Canadian hardcore bands 2001 beginnings, but you couldn’t fault any member of the band’s performance. Drummer Jordan Hastings is as solid as ever, guitarist Wade McNeil keeps the hardcore punk vibes legit, bassist Chris Steele has so much energy and flair I cannot describe his beauty accurately, George Pettit is a champion front man tearing multiple shirts off himself throughout the night, and finally the vocalist and guitarist Dallas Green is quietly charismatic and mesmerizing with his vocals.
The show was amazing, to say the least; probably the best I have ever seen them play from the total of 5 times I have seen them. I went from casually standing at the back of the room, bopping my head to tearing my way to the front within 5 minutes, and as I looked around me it felt like everyone in the venue was right there with me.
When it was time for the band to leave the stage, we the crowd all begged for more and were rewarded with an epic encore. But we weren’t ending there and kept on wanting more even after Pettit had legitimately crushed and broken his mic and stand and there could actually be no more. If the lights had not come back up, I get the feeling most of the crowd would still be there chanting for one more song.
Reviewer : Amy Heycock