Feed Her To The Sharks - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 1st September @ Stay Gold, Melb VIC

Feed Her To The Sharks
Stay Gold, Melbourne VIC
September 1st, 2024
Supports: Wildheart and Play Drive

After an agonisingly long eight years out of the spotlight, Feed Her To The Sharks fans were given the opportunity to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane as the world-renowned metalcore group ended their inactive status with a live performance. This demonstrated that the Megalodon of Metalcore still has what it takes to stand out amongst a vast sea of modern metalcore artists.

I arrived at the venue shortly before doors opened to find a lengthy queue of concertgoers eager to get inside to catch recently formed opening act Play Drive (feat. ex-members of Pagan) cut their teeth on stage in front of the growing number of heavy music fans continuously trickling in through the door. The alternative act seems to gather influence from a range of sources, with their garage rock, punk, grunge and metal influences forming to create a unique style that resonated with the crowd enough to produce an abundance of head bops, but despite the demands from frontman Danny Bonnici for the crowd to mosh, the attendees remained motionless.

As Bonnici continued to exude energy as he frequently stalked the stage from left to right, then back again, his authentic flair as a frontman shone through. His enthusiastic composure while performing in front of an unmoving crowd offered a glimpse into the depth of his passion for the music he performs. Rounding off their set with an entertaining cover of The Offspring's 'Come Out And Play', this new act of seasoned pros has shown a promising beginning to a hopefully lengthy career.

Next to take to the stage was Brisbane's Wildheart, who, despite having seen perform numerous times, including at 2022's UNIFY Forever, I was particularly taken back by how well they have developed as a cohesive act. From the very second they took to the stage, the five-piece demonstrated a collective flair that drew me in and closely held my attention until the final moments of their performance. Much like throughout the previous set, entering lead vocalist Dane Evans called out into the still crowd for "anyone who likes karate or spinning their arms like a windmill". To his enjoyment, one member of the crowd raised his hand and began moshing, inviting others to join, marking the night's first mosh pit. Despite Evans claiming to be rusty as he "didn't sleep last night", the group perfectly executed their setlist, including fan favourite songs 'Global Crisis', 'Lucky Country', 'False Hope/Fake Happiness', as well as a cover of Goanna's famous track 'Solid Rock'.

Regardless of Evans' 'big guy' appearance, he proved to be nothing more than a gentle giant by expressing his vulnerable side prior to performing the group's latest single 'Withered'. September 1st marks the beginning of suicide prevention month, which further adds significance to Evans saying, "I've hurt other people, and I've hurt myself. My mental health has been in the gutter. Things can and will get better, please stay", which felt as sincere and a genuine as it possibly could. As the end of the set edged closer, Evans announced that the band will release an album later this year called Searching For Life Beyond Tragedy, and further commented that it is "thematically grim" before closing out with a new, yet-to-be-released song from that album, which was violently heavy and mosh-inducing.

As the busy band room full of punters eagerly stood by for the long-awaited moment for which Feed Her To The Sharks would step foot on stage and officially come out of hiatus, Thin Lizzy's 'The Boys Are Back In Town' played throughout the speakers, further echoing the significance of this moment. As the clock struck 9:00 pm, the familiar faces of FHTTS stormed the stage and began performing 'Heart of Stone'. From the moment the first note was struck, it became abundantly evident that this group are continuing exactly where they left off. Their skills as musicians have not deteriorated with the passing of time, nor has their stage presence been ever so captivating.

As the band reforms, they have moved forward without founding vocalist Andrew Van Der Zalm and are yet to find a permanent replacement. Filling in on vocals in the meantime is Vessel Born vocalist Shaun Coar, who previously performed with the band back in 2016 throughout Europe and the USA. With this history, it comes as no surprise that Shaun's on-stage demeanour was somewhat relaxed, with no signs of nervousness, as well as largely enthusiastic, notably as he continued to jump up and down while simultaneously singing without error.

Crowd participation remained at a minimum as the band performed their way through the setlist with tracks 'Burn The Traitor', and 'The World Is Yours', but not from disinterest. Rather, those in attendance seemingly all took the time to mindfully soak in the experience of this high-profile act returning from beyond the grave in front of their eyes - a special moment which many thought may never come. As the band paused between songs, Coar took a moment to ask the room "Who has heard of an album called The Beauty of Falling?", which had the crowd blaring as they cheered. Coar continued to say "You'll never hear it played again. This one is called 'Fear of Failure'", before performing tracks from the group's debut album, giving the day one fans an extra special treat. The night's first (and only circle pit) occurred during 'Extinction Resurrection', which was the cause of me being drenched in other people's beer.

It wasn't long until chants of "Fuck Melbourne, Fuck Melbourne, Fuck Melbourne" were echoed throughout the Brunswick venue. This of course initiated the band to begin performing 'Fuck Melbourne', a song which was written to take aim towards the group's hometown, showing dissatisfaction towards FHTTS' rising popularity in other cities and countries, but not where they live.

The ongoing technical capabilities of guitar shredder Marinos Katsanevas provided a live music experience that emulated the band's studio recordings perfectly, while bassist Robert Davies, who has gone on to pursue a music career with Through Dreams And Distance in recent years, provided backing vocals flawlessly, providing a complimenting contrast to Coar's unclean vocals effortlessly and further drawing my attention in closer.

Fan favourite 'Buried Alive' initiated the evening's first and last wall of death before the group closed out with 'Let Go' and 'Chasing Glory' - A forty or so minute long set which would have seen no complaints from anyone had it of been stretched out to an hour with the inclusion of tracks such as 'Shore of Loneliness', 'Take Me Back', 'Savage Seas' or even 'Sink or Swim'

The future of Feed Her To The Sharks still isn't certain, but with a headline show and a Killswitch Engage support slot now under their belts, things are moving in the right direction for the entire world to witness the enthralling comeback of this iconic Australian metalcore group.

Review by Adam Rice

Setlist

Heart of Stone
Burn The Traitor
The World Is Yours
Memory of You
Fear of Failure
Extinction Resurrection
Fuck Melbourne
Buried Alive
Let Go
Chasing Glory

Photo Gallery by Dany Hope @hopelessphotographyau
Please credit Wall Of Sound and Dany Hope if you repost photos.

Play Drive

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Wildheart

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Feed Her To The Sharks

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