Void of Vision – Gig Review 19th March @ Sooki Lounge, Belgrave VIC
Void of Vision
Sooki Lounge, Belgrave, Vic
March 19, 2021
Supports: VATIC and The Motion Below
Admittedly, I had had a pretty rough week on the old emotions and was absolutely pumped to be heading to a gig, especially a gig with a mosh and especially a sold out Void of Vision gig. The drive out to Sooki Lounge in Belgrave was pretty long coming from the other side of the city, driving over mountains and past huge fields it felt as if we were going to wind up at the Unify campgrounds.
We made it to the venue just in time for The Motion Below to begin the opening set for the night. With quite a reasonably sized crowd ready to greet them, it seemed everyone was extremely eager to get the live music going. I had listened to The Motion Below before and really enjoyed their stuff, but I was honestly so blown away by their performance. Vocalist Thomas Katgert left me in shock with his huge screams and high energy, the band’s overall sound was incredible. They did an awesome job at loosening up the crowd, making us all take a huge step in towards the stage before hitting us full force with track ‘Dead Ends’. I was left feeling equally impressed and baffled by the talent of these guys, definitely a band to pay close attention to!
Next up were VATIC, who I had been itching to see for quite some time. Even though Sooki’s stage is one of the smallest I’ve seen, all 5 members of VATIC squished in and by no means let the lack of space kill their energy. With loads of synchronised head banging, impressive fly kicks and brutal screams, these guys did not disappoint. Members of the crowd were linking arms and doing some form of the can-can at one stage, which made me feel giddier again just to be back at a gig and to see people having such a great time after such a difficult last year. Drummer Dylan Houston was a huge stand out and seemed to kill it with such ease and just genuinely seemed to be having so much fun.
After a suspenseful wait it was finally time for the stars of the show, Void of Vision to take the stage. Can we just take a moment to appreciate that butterflies in your stomach feeling you get just as a band is coming out on the stage? I think we’ve all missed that feeling. I would also like to take a moment to appreciate vocalist Jack Bergin’s wardrobe, he’s made me really want to go out and buy a fishnet long sleeve top.
‘Kill All My Friends’ kicked off their set with a gigantic bang, the crowd also wasting no time to get a powerful mosh in full swing. ‘Slave To The Name’ saw Jack stop using the microphone and scream out lyrics ‘so sick of the sound of my own heartbeat’ in unison with the crowd, hyping everyone up even further. Jack took to the floor for an interval dance break to track ‘Adrenaline’ with a hilarious added twist to include Dan Andrews’ infamous ‘Get On the Beers’ quote.
Even though there was nothing for Jack to climb up at Sooki, he definitely made the stage seem much bigger than it was with huge kicks, soaring punches and loads of engagement with the crowd from every angle. ‘Hole In Me’ reminded us that James McKendrick is one of the best vocalists in the biz, his soaring voice giving us all of the feels. With one of their best set lists, there was barely a second to catch your breath. The crowd erupted to track ‘Nightmare’ off the bands very first EP, with multiple bodies hitting the floor amidst the lightning fast circle pit.
Second to last was my favourite track, ‘Ghost in The Machine’. Drummer George Murphy showed no signs of fatigue, crashing down on every beat with such enormous power. Throughout the encore of ‘Splinter’, the crowd used their last bit of energy and expelled it across the entire floor of the venue, leaving most of us happily squished up against the bar giving the crazy windmill moshers more room. Flawless execution as always by guitarist Mitch Fairlie, owning every riff with ease.
As the band said their thank you’s and goodbye’s there was not a quiet person in the room, an enormous wave of roaring applause and high pitched whistling echoed through the venue, leaving me feeling so god damn proud.
After seeing Void of Vision last at Unify 2020, it was great to see them back in a more intimate environment this time. They are easily one of my favourite bands to see live, they are never anything short of astounding with undeniable stage presence and so much contagious energy. If you’ve been silly enough to not see these guys live yet, go and put it as #1 on your to do list!
Gig Review by Rhiannon Porter
