Void Of Vision – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 22nd February @ Crowbar, Brisbane QLD

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Cait Mac

Void Of Vision
Crowbar, Brisbane QLD
February 22nd, 2020
Support: Diamond Construct and UNI/VS

How do you feel about shows where the band plays an album in full? I love them. It is often the case that when I listen to an album all the time and then hear songs in isolation, my brain immediately starts playing the first refrains of the next song. I like the way albums are put together, and I like knowing what is coming next. There’s no better feeling than knowing your favourite song on the album is up next. Many bands put a lot of thought into album order, and each song builds on the last, so hearing it played live that way is such a pleasure. Since seeing Void Of Vision, when they supported Northlane on the Alien tour, I’ve been super into them and knew I had to get along to their Hyperdaze tour.

First up was UNI/VS who drew the largest crowd I’ve seen for an opening band at Crowbar, before their set the room was already crowded, sweaty and excited energy was in the air. This set got the night off to a ferocious start, and there was a pit from very early on. This band has supported some big names and are heading out to tour their very newly released EP Hellhound for a few East Coast dates, and everyone should get along!

Next up was Diamond Construct, a band that I have heard people talk about a fair bit but hadn’t yet checked out and man, do I regret that now! This set was so furious and fun, and they kept the frantic energy rising. The energy never waived, especially vocalist Kynan Groundwater who barely stopped jumping and moving during the set. His stage presence is fantastic, he cracks jokes in between songs and even had to adlib for a few minutes while the band overcame some backing track issues. There were pits and even a wall of death! I am sorry I’ve slept on this band, but I will definitely be making up for it and heading along to see them any time I can.

Just when it felt like Crowbar couldn’t get any more packed and sweaty, more people started squishing in- Void Of Vision sure does draw a crowd. There were Void Of Vision shirts everywhere and barely room to move. This was my third VOV show so I knew how wild it would be down the front and I was very ok with watching from the safety of the higher level. The stage went black, and Crowbar was lit up by purple dots of light while the band came out to ‘Overture’ and then straight into the heaviness of ‘Year Of The Rat’. The crowd was pumped from the second they started, and the endurance of the people in the pit through the entire show was awe-inspiring. There were a lot of ripped shirts and people looking a bit worse for wear when the set finally finished but not one of the audience would have minded- they all looked like they had a fantastic time.

I saw a tweet not too long ago that I can’t remember the exact wording of, but it was something to the effect of Jack Bergin being the best live frontman in Australia at the moment and holy goodness, I agree with that so much! I was captivated by his energy and the anger in his performance from the first second of their Northlane support set, and each time I have seen VOV since, Bergin has consistently left me speechless. He demands so much from the fans, never letting them stay still for a moment and they feed off his frenetic energy, never wanting to stop. The rest of the band were the same, each of them rocking out the whole time, and their playing was so tight and polished. These guys have been touring extensively for the past few months but did not show any signs of fatigue and James McKendrick’s clean vocals were on point. There were absolutely no low moments in the set, but personally, my favourite songs on the album are ‘Babylon’ and ‘If Only’, the latter of which had an insane circle pit, so I loved seeing these songs. Another cool moment was the electro interlude ‘Adrenaline’ which Bergin prefaced with the warning “This song is not heavy at all”. While it isn’t the style of the rest of the songs, it was a fun dance moment with the lights going down and green spots lighting the venue. The crowd clapped and danced and we were transported to Stereosonic for a minute and a half. It was fun, gave the crowd a chance to catch their breath and didn’t feel weird or out of place at all. The band also threw in a couple of old favourites once the Hyperdaze songs had been played.

I have nothing else left to say other than this was an energetic gig from all three bands and that Void Of Vision yet again had me throwing down and smiling the entire time. Surely no one is still sleeping on these guys but if you are, sort it out!

Review by Caitlin MacDonald (@cait_2tone)

Photo Gallery courtesy of Mike Rankin Insta: @mike.rankin50
Please credit Wall of Sound and Mike Rankin if you repost.

UNI/VS