The Plot In You - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 20th September @ Magnet House, Perth WA
The Plot In You
Magnet House, Perth WA
September 20th, 2022
Supports: ERRA, RinRin
It has been a while since both The Plot In You and ERRA have graced Australian shores, and both bands have released highly praised albums in the last few years. As expected, this has left Australian fans desperate to see the bands unleash some of the prime cuts of these albums in a live situation. That time has come.
After a short 8-bit videogame soundtrack-inspired intro track, RinRin exploded onto the stage with her own brand of metal-infused pop-punk. Opening with her first single ‘The Game’ she had heads bobbing from the get-go and didn’t break a sweat when ripping through the song’s finger-tapping-filled guitar solo. The band stopped briefly between songs and RinRin addressed the crowd letting them know this was “the biggest show we’ve had”, thanking The Plot In You and ERRA, and announcing that it was “such an honour”. The band continued to tear through their setlist, with highlights including a guest vocalist during ‘Seek the Truth’, RinRin getting her growl on during ‘Guns and Grenades’, and a metal cover of t.A.T.u’s ‘All The Things She Said’. The band had good stage presence, played tight, and got the ever-increasing crowd moving throughout the set. My only criticism would be that RinRin herself was just a little timid when talking to the crowd between songs – something I’m sure will improve with time. Judging by the applause at the end of the set, I’d say they’ve got a bright future ahead.
Punters continued to flow into the mosh pit, which effectively doubled in size by the time ERRA hit the stage. The lights dimmed, an electronic hype track blared through the speakers and the boys emerged on stage. Wasting no time, J.T. Cavey commanded “MAKE SOME NOISE PERTH” as the band dropped into show opener ‘Gungrave’. The pit exploded as the furious guitar chugs and drum kicks began, with punters running into the pit from all directions. Perth wasn’t messing around, opening the pit during the short melodic bridge, erupting for a mini wall of death as the breakdown hit. ERRA continued the assault, launching straight into ‘Scorpion Hymn’, and had the whole floor bouncing throughout the groove-filled song.
The band were pumped to be back in Australia, J.T. Cavey announcing to the fans, “We’ve been waiting a long time” and asked, “Who was here back in 2017?” A sizeable roar from the crowd let the band know that Australia was just as pumped to have ERRA back on our shores. ‘Sol Absentia’ and ‘Eye of God’ followed and both vocalists really shined on these tracks. Jesse Cash’s unique vocals soared above the complex soundscape and J.T. Cavey was on-point, flexing his vocal range from guttural lows to piercing highs.
The band flowed straight into ‘Divisionary’, a track that pulls back ever so slightly on the usual huge soundscape of the band’s tracks, and sinks more into a groove. The crowd responded by transferring the energy saved from slightly less moshing into a synchronised head bobbing trance, some hands in the air clapping, and finally everyone joining in to sing the closing lines of “Lost and alone in a space void of colour, I’m here, breathing salt, ocean grave, Going under, all we are is lost”.
The hitlist continued with ‘Pull From The Ghost’, ‘Nigh to Silence’, and ‘Breach’. The band showed off their technical proficiency, monumental riffs, and mesmerizing melodies with ease. Jesse Cash and Conor Hesse got low during heavy sections, with Alex Ballew dominating the kit with furious beats and mammoth fills, and J. T. Cavey commanding the crowd to move between album-perfect screams. Punters continued to show ERRA appreciation; moshing, circle-pitting, and unfortunately attempting a damn row-pit. Thankfully, this was quickly destroyed by an eruption of throwing down for the ultimate crushing breakdown of ’Breach’.
ERRA took us back to the album ‘Drift’ with ‘Skyline’ next. This caused the fans to break out in a cheer, with the whole venue singing along throughout the track. Jesse Cash took the spotlight to rip through the guitar solo, with some fans joining in for some spirit fingers. Closing their set was ‘Snowblood’. This was definitely a fan-favourite, with the pit surging back and forth and crowd surfers riding the waves from the back to the front. The entire room joined J.T. Cavey to bellow “THIS IS A WAKING NIGHTMARE” and let ERRA know they’re welcome here anytime.
The Plot In You didn’t need an intro track and instead just opted for an extended version of the rhythmic opening melody of ‘Face Me’. Landon Tewers appeared on stage solo, immediately captivating the fans with his vocals. The remaining members of the band emerged as the chorus hit, and the pit immediately sprang into action as Landon Tewers let out the first taste of his powerful scream “YOUR FACE WAS SHOOOOWN”. This continued through to the breakdown, where the venue began to flex its 2020 face-lift that includes colour-changing tube lights dropping from the roof and moving in sequenced waves with the music. The Plot In You continued straight into one of the heavier tracks from ’Swan Song’ - ‘Fall Again’, and Landon demanded “I want to see some fucked up shit!” as the breakdown hit, and the fans were happy to oblige.
Ethan Yoder’s smooth bassline rattled the venue's walls during the next track ‘Enemy’. Landon Tewers continued to captivate, with fans hanging off his every word. This captivation was broken ever so briefly as the room exploded during the breakdown. Landon addressed the fans between songs, acknowledging it had been many years since they had been in Australia for 2018’s support slot on Polaris’ ‘Mortal Coil’ tour, and asking “who was partying, who had work tomorrow, and who was partying even though they had work tomorrow!”.
The band then dropped into ‘Paradigm’ which resulted in a healthy roar from the crowd and had the whole room bouncing during the chorus. The pit briefly split, creating space for some throwing down throughout the breakdown. A couple of punters engaged in some crowd surfing, causing Landon to demand “I want to see more of what they’re doing!”.
Next up was ‘Rigged with a heavily vocal-based intro, the crowd swelled as Michael Cooper unleashed a massive drum fill as the full band kicked in. Punters continued to mosh and sing along throughout. The crowd’s energy continued to lift as the band launched into ‘Not Just Breathing’, the whole venue reciting the chorus and breaking into a circle pit mid-song.
During the brief pause between songs, Landon showed appreciation to the fans saying, “We are definitely rocking tonight, we love it here!”. ‘The One You Loved’ followed and saw every punter's arms in the air clapping along to the beat. Drummer Michael Cooper seemed to really enjoy this one, letting loose on the kit during the last chorus. Landon Tewers reinforced his grip on the crowd with his powerful emotion-filled vocals throughout ‘One Last Time’, the room moving throughout the track. Landon let punters know we were in for a throwback, announcing “A long time ago we put out a record called ‘Happiness in Self Destruction’ and were going to play a couple tracks off it”. Punters were elated with this, and as the band dropped into ‘Time Changes Everything’ the room swelled as one and within moments the entire venue was ablaze with phone flashlights and lighters swaying back and forth. The vibe flowed into the following track ‘Take Me Away’, as fans continued to recite the lyrics and sway back and forth, bouncing during the rock-y chorus.
Landon again related his appreciation for the fans “Y’all are some rockers, I fucking love it!”. He then announced that The Plot In You were going to play a couple songs off Swan Song for the first time – ‘Both To Blame’ and ‘Too Heavy’. Punters lapped it up, moving to the music for the entirety of ‘Both To Blame’. ‘Too Heavy’ slowed it down a little, but had the entire venue yelling the lyrics back at the band.
The Plot In You continued to captivate the audience with their blend of emotion-filled rock and metalcore with the tracks ‘Too Far Gone’ and ‘Disposable Fix’. These tracks saw the fans continue to move and sing along to every word. During ‘Disposable Fix’, Josh Childress took the spotlight during the guitar solo, then Landon requested that Perth show him “some nasty shit” and the room moved as one while Michael Cooper belted the drums.
The band briefly acted as if they were done, but then Landon said “You know we have one more, so were just going to play it. I want to see some Guinness World Records shit though!”. The Plot In You dropped into ‘Feel Nothing’ and the crowd absolutely exploded. Punters were singing so loud it was deafening. The band clearly appreciated this with Landon simply stating “Amazing” before the band walked off stage.
What would have likely been just another Tuesday night in Perth has surely become one to remember for all the ERRA and The Plot In You fans that attended this show. All bands were on point tonight, showcasing why they are some of the finest in the game. I’m sure everyone there was left wanting more, and silently hoping it isn’t another 5+ years before these bands return.
Gig Review by Anthony Santoro
The Plot In You Setlist
Face Me
Fall Again
Enemy
Paradigm
Rigged
Not Just Breathing
The One You Loved
One Last Time
Time Changes Everything
Take Me Away
Both To Blame
Too Heavy
Too Far Gone
Disposable Fix
Feel Nothing
Photo Gallery by Emanuel Rudnicki. Insta: @emanuelrucnicki
Please credit Wall of Sound and Emanuel Rudnicki if you use published photos
RinRin
ERRA
The Plot In You
The Plot In You – Swan Song Australian Tour
with Erra and Deadlights
Sept 22: Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide SOLD OUT
Sept 23: 170 Russell, Melbourne SOLD OUT
Sept 24: The Triffid, Brisbane SOLD OUT
Sept 25: Factory Theatre, Sydney SOLD OUT
