Dayseeker - Gig Review 13th July @ The Forum, Melbourne, VIC
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Dayseeker
The Forum, Melbourne VIC
July 13th, 2024
Supports: Landon Tewers, Reliqa and Inertia
As Dayseeker's popularity continues to soar at an astonishingly rapid rate, the Californian hard rock band has embarked on their third Australian tour in three years. This tour marks a significant milestone as their first fully sold-out headline tour in Australia, filling venues with thousands of punters who are eager to catch their cities edition of the internationally-renowned Dark Sun Tour.
Amidst Melbourne's brutally cold winter weather, droves of fans made their way to Melbourne's iconic Forum Theatre early to catch opening act Inertia make their mark on the 2000-capacity venue for the first time. As the Sydney-based quartet kick off their performance with 2024 single 'Dominion', they managed to settle in to the wide open space of the large stage with ease. After only one song into their performance, the Resist Records act treated the attending concertgoers to a rendition of an unreleased track, which was pleasantly melodic with bursts of heavy elements. Vocalist Julian Latouche made it hard to direct my attention anywhere other than his direction, his clear-cut clean and unclean vocals, as well as demanding stage presence with mosh call out such as "C'mon Melbourne, you can do better than that. Open this shit up" makes him a pleasure to watch.
As the group rounded out their six track long set list with a mix of old and new tracks 'Heavy Eyes', 'Parallels', 'Static', and 'Too Far Gone', the energy within the crowd converted from a sea of motionless beings to the point where jostling push pits and swinging arms signaled the approval of the interstate opening act from Melbourne's alternative music community. If you find yourself itching for more from the Sydney-based melodic metalcore act, then be sure to grab your tickets to the Polaris tour where you can once again witness the glory of Inertia live on stage (WA, SA, TAS and VIC shows only).
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It was then time for Reliqa, who have recently been enjoying the grand success of their critically acclaimed 2024 album Secrets Of The Future, to take to the Forum stage for only the second time ever, with the first being in March last year when they opened the festivities for Spiritbox's first ever Australian performance. As they walked out, in front of the packed out ocean of punters, they began performing with only Monique Pym (vocals), Miles Knox (Bass) and Benjamin Knox (Drums) present. Brandon Hutcheson (guitar) was nowhere to be seen, nor was there a guest filling in. It turns out Brandon has dislocated his knee at the Brisbane leg of the tour and had to sit this one out.
Frontwoman Monique Pym brought her best self forward as she simultaneously danced her way from each side of the stage and back again while nailing her vocal duties, despite pulling out of performing in Brisbane due to health reasons. To my surprise, Pym claimed that "this is the hardest set I have ever had to get through in my entire life", despite showing no signs of struggle. The trio went on to perform songs only from their latest album, which has caught the attention of may and has even been referred to as a potential AOTY contender by some. Despite the progressive metal virtuoso's giving off an Evanescence-esque styled sound and look, this group are carving their own legacy into the genre with their unique technically focused and progressive sounds.
Next we saw Landon Tewers slowing things down with a indie rock/folk styled approach, proving that variety is the spice of life. I found myself enjoying the first few tracks, which were perfectly presented amongst the picturesque setting of The Forum, however, after it wasn't long before my attention began to wander as I found that each song sounded far too similar to keep me stimulated and enthused. Although, not everyone shared my opinion as bellowing sing alongs and even a few tears presented from within the crowd, particularly during final track 'She Thinks Of Me'. Prior to departing the stage, Tewers announced "I'll be back with The Plot In You next year, so I'll see you then", which welcomed an embracing cheer of excitement from the thousands in attendance.
As the clock struck 10:00 pm, the venue was at full capacity and despite it being so cold outside, the punters within the venue were beginning to break a sweat. The lights dimmed and the members of Dayseeker entered the stage. Vocalist Rory Rodriguez was dressed semi-formally, which added to the layers to the visual dynamics that any show in Melbourne's The Forumwould hold. Upon performing opening tracks 'Gates of Ivory' and 'Dreamstate' it became apparent to me that despite using more lighting than the previous acts, the stage was still relatively dark, that is until pyrotechnics were introduced, offering flashes brightness and heat.
'Crooked Soul' gave the energetic attendees the opportunity to mosh the their hearts content, while 'Burial Plot' offered fans the opportunity to singalong and shed a tear while embracing the tracks lyricism. Giving us more of an insight into the album Dark Sun, telling the crowd "Dark Sun is written in regards to the passing of my father as a way to process the grief, which was unbearably painful. So much so that I wish nobody had to experience it. He was immeasurably influential on me and the journey I've had as a musician", before performing the albums title track 'Dark Sun', as well as 'Homesick', which introduced sparks shooting down from the ceiling, adding depth to the already impressive sensory experience.
Rodriguez fulfils the highest of expectations as a vocalist as he stays true to his bands studio recordings by emulating its quality perfectly, leaving me to metaphorically pick my dropped jaw up from the floor. It was near impossible to find yourself swept up in each track powerful, yet emotional true meaning, and as I took a second to stop and look around the room, I noticed that this was a communal experience between all those in attendance - each of us connected with these songs in a way that is personal to each of us and that was abundantly evident throughout this show.
As the set progresses, Rodriguez goes on to say "being able to perform in this beautiful venue to a sold-out crowd is not something that gets lost on us. What I mean by that is, we did this band thing for a very long time with little to no reward. We endured constant travel to places only to play to nobody. I felt as if we were going to break up at some point, and that would be our legacy. To be playing our biggest Australian headline show in front of thousands means everything to us. Thank you for being here" before performing their most popular single, 'Sleeptalk'. After which, the group walked off silently, and within moments, the crowd was cheering for an encore.
As the group returned to play 'Parallel' and 'Neon Grave', it was evidently apparent that Australia would gladly welcome Dayseeker back for a fourth year in a row in 2025 as sing alongs and phone torch lights lit up the venue and left me going home with ringing ears.
Setlist:
Gates of Ivory
Dreamstate
Crooked Soul
Burial Plot
Homesick
Dark Sun
Without Me
Crying While You're Dancing
Paper Heart
Drunk
Sleeptalk
Encore
Parallel
Neon Grave
Gig Review by Adam Rice
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