Every Time I Die & letlive. – Gig Review 16th January @ Amplifier, Perth WA
Every Time I Die & letlive.
Capitol, Perth WA
January 16, 2017
Supports – Counterparts & Ratking
Over the last couple of years, Unify Festival has really created a name for itself due to a number of reasons, including and not limited to, providing a heavy music festival of some kind to Aussies who are missing the almighty Soundwave, the multi-day model, and the sheer fact the bill is strong from the opener to the headliner. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a trek for West Aussies to make it over, but the wonderful people involved in the festival have created a massive hardcore tour for Perth as a compromise.
As the summer sun was still setting, Perth titans Ratking got things underway at Amplifier Bar with a handful of punchy bangers. The band were genuinely appreciative of their support slot and gave it their all, screaming to the growing crowd to come forward and get involved in the antics. Inclusive of an impressive acknowledgement of country, Ratking truly showed some unique personality to their live performance, and probably supported some of their own musical idols.
All of a sudden, the venue had punters pouring in, as this bill was not only four names, but three internationals – bang for ya’ buck. U.S. outfit Counterparts leapt onto a dark stage to smash through aggressive tracks from their back catalogue, in conjunction with tight live production. The breakdowns were fierce and the growls were hard-hitting. Vocalist Brendan Murphy introduced his bandmates and wished their guitarist a happy birthday as well. The powerful aggression and family culture of hardcore gigs really provides a positive atmosphere and enhances the live music experience. Counterparts hadn’t visited Perth in quite a few years, but they proved that they certainly remembered our city and that they were stoked to be back.
It’s certainly been a while since Letlive has played in Australia. Having emerged onto our radars through the vehicle of Soundwave, Letlive have developed a reputation for a brutally honest expression of themselves. Their music is raw, their talent is significant and their shows are a hell of a lot of fun. Having released two albums with their current vocalist Jason Butler (since their debut record ‘Fake History’), the band spent their co-headlining set jumping to-and-fro those two. Butler was out of control on stage – in a good way.
You couldn’t even get a glimpse of the front-man’s face as he was leaping around the stage as if he was shaking off spiders. Complementing Butler’s emphatic energy, the rest of the band were on-point, sharply executing riffs, and the drummer pounding his way through the set. Butler gave a captivating speech between tracks about how women close to him saved his life when he was diagnosed with terminal illness. The humble chat struck through every single person in the room. Fans were going mental for the balance of the set, jumping around one another, stage-diving, circle-pitting and having a sick time. The energy between Butler and the crowd kept pushing both parties to just go harder and harder.
What a night it’d been already – could have honestly called it a night by the quality of live hardcore music already. But no, it was definitely not time to call it just yet, as the almighty Every Time I Die were about to tear Perth a new one. Amplifier was well and truly packed – possibly a sell-out, and if not, imminently close at this stage. The band flew on stage and without any further ado, started smashing through crowd favourites. The Buckley brothers were in fine-form, showcasing their American-grown talents with the rest of the band. The aesthetic was truly tight, and again the production was huge. Vocalist Keith Buckley thanked all of the bands who had joined them tonight, just like the other bands had. The appreciation for each other and camaraderie in this lineup was seriously unique, probably because the bands exhibited very similar values – they surely would have had a great time on tour together. Every Time I Die had punters running around the infamous Amplifier pillar in the centre of the venue, facilitating the flying of limbs and electric energy from corner to corner. The band’s newer tracks went off a treat, but it was their hits like ‘The New Black’ that really got the crowd moving with excitement.
Nights like this are a great reminder that the live music scene is truly well, even for a Monday. Great start to 2017, bring on the next one already!
Check out the photo gallery by Emanuel Rudnicki here:
Ratking
Counterparts
letlive.
Every Time I Die
.webp)
