Graves – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 23rd May @ The Zoo, Bris QLD

Posted on May 25, 2024 by andrewkapper

Photo: Charlyn Cameron

Grave
The Zoo, Meanjin/Brisbane QLD
May 24th, 2024
Support: She Cries Wolf, Starve, Sedative, Zuko

Tonight at The Zoo it is cause for celebration. Not only are the freshly reunited Graves playing their first Brissy show in six years, but special supports She Cries Wolf are honouring their 10th anniversary of being a band – and on a more somber note, for many, this will be the last time they will set foot in this building. With the landmark live venue shutting its doors this July after over three decades of service to the Brisbane music scene, this evening will almost certainly be the last time these hallowed walls are hit with drop-Z riffs and 808-driven beatdowns.

With bodies slowly filling out the edges of The Zoo’s iconic (and very sticky) dance floor, local lads Zuko warm up the early birds with an appropriately mosh-friendly 20-minute opening slot. Though they get the tough ask of being the first of five acts on the bill, and receive a mostly ‘watching with crossed arms’ reaction, the spitfire vocals of Jesse Bruce and boundless energy from his bandmates eventually motivate some keen crowd members to loosen their limbs and grab the mic. Composition-wise it’s nothing we’ve not heard a million times before, but Zuko’s beefy beatdowns and tight performance make them the perfect opener for this night of metalcore mayhem.

Coming all the way from Western Australia – and decked out in matching Kappa streetwear – Sedative crank up the intensity, refusing to start their set until the bulk of punters move up. While the crowd happily obliges as the band’s lengthy intro tape plays out, they are immediately punished as Sedative launches into life thanks to a truly horrific kick drum sound (a dodgy mic cable is later found to be the culprit). With sound rectified, we can focus back on Sedative’s stripped-back tunes, custom-built to inflict maximum violence. The Perth act are built on low-tuned chugs, mosh-ready breakdowns, and room-shaking bass drops – the brand new, sub-two minute ‘Lake City Quiet Pills’ proofing there is no time for any melodic elements here. It’s not all faultless though; there are humorous samples littered throughout their output, but they barely cut through the mix, whilst the band is hampered by the odd moment of looseness and vocally beginning to run out of steam as the set progresses. The growing pit is consistently active during Sedative’s slot, with plenty of two-stepping, but the light (sedate?) crowd response suggests the rest of the punters are still warming up; or perhaps pacing themselves for the night to come.

Giving The Zoo faithful minimal time to rest and rehydrate, it immediately feels like we’ve gone up a gear with Starve as they hit the stage in front of a growing crowd. Packing in riffs for days (not just ‘0’s and ‘1’s) and plenty of natural tempo and feel variations, Starve’s more ‘song’ orientated compositions make for more attesting and stronger material than the previous acts – and the mosh parts hit even heavier because of it. Exuding plenty of genuine appreciation – rather than overtly tough-guy posturing – the quartet rip through furious cuts ‘Sour Times’ and ‘Parables’, while a mid-set cover of The Acacia Strain’s ‘Carbomb’ – apt as the Americans played this same venue earlier in the year – helps crank up the pit, with the crowd involvement only growing from this moment onwards. Frontman Jordan Dunbar even – for some reason – treats the crowd to his finest David Draiman ‘monkey call’ impersonation mid-breakdown. While this country is certainly awash with metalcore artists, Starve’s 20-minute, pulse-quickening showing proves the Victorians have all the skills, passion, and song craft to hang with the scene’s heavyweights.

Having frustratingly missed their support slot for Greg Puciato back in January, WoS are chuffed to witness She Cries Wolf tonight finally. A special guest for this evening’s show, the Brissy boys take the main support slot in honour of their 10th anniversary; with the occasion of also playing The Zoo for the last time surely not lost on the group. At first, it feels like the five-piece get a muted response from an emptier venue – initially suggesting they should have perhaps been supporting Botch down the road at The Triffid instead – but as their showing progresses the crowd thankfully becomes more filled out and ultimately unglued. While there’s no denying that the more ‘classic’/old-school take on metalcore is more chaotic and a little less ‘kill the person next to you’, the guitar-thrashing power on stage belies She Cries Wolf‘s decade-plus existence – especially when bassist Daniel Belic literally throws down his instrument to mosh with the crowd. Maybe down to the music being more layered and expansive, the sound for She Cries Wolf is messy, with a lot of nuanced and melodic guitar moments becoming lost in the mix. While it might have taken the fans inside The Zoo a moment to get into gear, the roars of approval are signs that She Cries Wolf are still legends of the local scene, more than capable of standing on their own with the 7 and 8-string mosh lords this evening.

After being hammered with what feels like an eternity of Nickelback tracks following She Cries Wolf, a now-stripped backstage and boosted light show increases the sense of anticipation as Graves takes the stage for the first time in Brisbane in over half a decade. Pulling The Zoo back into more mosh-friendly waters, the low-tuned Meshuggah-meets-hardcore stylings of the Wollongong four-piece are immediately blessed with the best mix of the night. The intro breakdown gets pit fired up, while classic cuts ‘Fear‘ and ‘Death Dealer‘ – as well as their two new/comeback singles – highlight not only Graves‘ devastating heaviness but also their keen ear for well-structured tunes with real ebb and flow. Even though we’ve heard a thousand breakdowns tonight, Graves simply have a knack for bringing the heat, throwing the odd screeching whammy-pedal note amongst the down-tuned thuggery.

For a night with five bands, kudos to the crowd for keeping the energy levels high to the very end, with many punters seemingly finding a second wind during Graves’ headline slot; even a couple of lucky folk even receive the ‘honour’ of being amongst the last people to be clobbered in a pit at The Zoo. Graves vocalist Rhys Benn admittedly cuts an exhausted figure throughout (“I’m dying up here”, he croaks out at one point), though fortunately the influx of guest spots from the previous acts, and extremely zealous fans up the front are more than happy to help out the frontman. Speaking of which, the obvious show closer ‘506‘ sees a scrum of people dive for the mic, with the tempo staying at a stomping pace for maximum pit destroying. Suffice to say, the Titanic ending section milks every last drop of sweat from crowd and band alike, the reverb-soaked snare echoing throughout The Zoo between chugging slams.

As the night closes with ringing out drop-hell guitars and feedback, while this reviewer may have lost count of how many times a frontman yelled “side to side” at the crowd mid-breakdown – surely in double digits – Graves (don’t call it a) comeback tour is a tremendous package of some of the finest acts tearing up the heavy music underground. Call it metalcore, deathcore, hardcore, beatdown – if aggressive music is your game, you cannot afford to miss this stacked lineup of some of Australia’s hottest heavy crews.

Review by Andrew Kappe r

Photo Gallery by Charlyn Cameron. Insta: @chuck_stuff
Please Credit & Tag Wall of Sound and Charlyn Cameron if you repost photos.

Sedative