Wither - Gig Review 23rd August @ Northcote Social, Melbourne VIC

Wither
Northcote Social, Melbourne VIC
August 23rd, 2019
Supports: Vatic, Forsaker and Diamond Construct

Wither has been going from strength to strength since their inception, with this show being a clear demonstration of just how far they come in such a short amount of time. They continue to win over the hearts of heavy music fans nationwide with their incredible catalogue of songs, with their latest offering 'Use Me' being no different.

Vatic was the first act of the night, and they did a fantastic job at warming up the crowd, Vocalist Matt Payne did a terrific job at interacting with the crowd. Instrumentally the band performed well as a group, collaborating together to deliver the band's staple metalcore sound. They also announced that they would be releasing their debut record next month so keep your eyes peeled.

Forsaker took to the stage next to demonstrate their hard-hitting deathcore sound. Vocalist Brodie Servin's stage presence was strong and confronting as he delivered his hard-hitting vocals on top of the bands heavy sound. Although this band played their music with confidence and conveyed it seemingly perfectly, they struggled to interact with the crowd, which was their biggest downfall.

It was then time for Diamond Construct to take to the stage, playing songs from their most recent self titled album (our review here), this band was the first of the night to produce a mosh pit. Playing their music with complete conviction, vocalist Kynan Groundwater did a stellar job at connecting with the crowd and encouraging sing-alongs. They also performed their song 'Gloom' for the first time in a live setting which gathered momentum with the punters. Executing their songs with precise detail and timing is a craft that this act seems to have mastered, which never seems to fail when it comes to engaging an audience.

It was then time for Wither to take to the stage. The curtains were closed while they prepared and as they opened up frontman David De La Hoz kicked things off by saying to the audience "we don't have a lot of time here, so I don't want anybody fucking around, get involved." which added to the anticipation and energy left behind from the previous bands. As they started playing the biggest mosh pit of the night erupted from the crowd and managed to maintain its size for the entirety of the forty-minute set. This act had an admirable amount of enthusiasm throughout the duration of their set. Fans also got excited when the band played a brand new, unreleased song, which was a pleasant surprise.

Wither don't seem to be slowing down by any means as they are currently in the writing process for new material. They have achieved so much in such little time; they are an act to watch out for as they slowly take over the scene we know and love.

Gig Review by Adam Rice @adamrice1994