ONE OK ROCK - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 7th March @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW
ONE OK ROCK
Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW
March 7th, 2020
Supports: Set It Off and Stateside
As a big fan of J-Rock, any chance I have to see Japanese bands that make their way down to Australia, I’ll take. In this case, I had the awesome experience of catching the legendary ONE OK ROCK on their third tour of Australia, this time in support of their ninth studio album, Eye Of The Storm.
A sold-out crowd, combined with a bucketload of rain suddenly dropping over Newtown meant getting into The Enmore Theatre took a little longer for everyone, which meant I got in shortly after Brisbane support act Stateside began their set. But the band were clearly stoked to be there, with vocalist Erin Reus wasting no time in getting an already pumped up crowd involved with some sing-alongs, along with giving us a taste of a few songs from their upcoming album. Stateside are one of the next Australian alt-rock bands to watch, with a great energy and the ability get a crowd going.
Clearly there was an equal fanbase for US band Set It Off in the room, with the band making their first trek to Australia to great enthusiasm amongst the Sydney crowd. Delivering a brand of electronic pop-rock with a tinge of emo, as a first timer to the band I thought Set It Off really knocked it out of the park, with a good blend of audience interaction and a powerful stage presence. Frontman Cody Carson even got into the crowd a few times, and in one moment attempted a standing crowd surf, much to the delight of Sydney fans. With some strong pop hooks and a positive dance vibe, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of Set It Off here in Australia as time goes on.
The night belonged, however, to ONE OK ROCK, who took to the stage with an amazing light show for their opening song 'Eye Of The Storm'. What followed for the night was a setlist filled with epic singalongs to some incredible fan favourites, including 'We Are', 'I Was King', and 'The Beginning'. Vocalist Takahiro Moriuchi had the crowd involved with every moment as the band visited some tracks from Eye Of The Storm including 'Grow Old Die Young' and 'Change'.
Some great musicianship between drummer Tomoya Kanki, guitarist Toru Yamashita and bassist Ryota Kohama resulted in some incredible jam moments, including a killer bass solo and a massive drum sound that gave weight to some epic sounding songs.
The highlight for me, however, would be when ONE OK ROCK launched into probably my favourite from their new album, Stand Out Fit In, a song that the entire crowd not only sang along to, but at one point made the Enmore shake with the crowd jumping at once!
Sending the Sydney crowd out into the night with an amazing encore, I can’t help but feel regretful that I didn’t check this band out earlier. ONE OK ROCK are an amazing live act, and I can’t wait to catch the band on their next trip to Australia (or, maybe, one day catch them in their home country of Japan, along with a growing list of other fantastic J-Rock bands I’ve become enamoured with.)
Gig Review By Simon Valentine
Revisit our interview with Set It Off's Cody Carson right here
Photo Gallery by Corey Nathan. Insta: @CoreyNathanPhoto
Please credit Wall of Sound and Corey Nathan if you repost.
Stateside
Set It Off
ONE OK ROCK
One OK Rock Australian Tour
With Set It Off & Stateside
Tuesday 10 March – Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, LIC AA
