Imminence – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 3rd December @ Crowbar, Sydney NSW

Imminence
Crowbar, Sydney NSW
December 3, 2024
Support: Future Static

It’s December and the Good Things Festival sideshows have begun! It’s an occasion that marks that special period of longing, impatience, and nervousness for the festival ahead, whilst also giving patrons a glimpse at what is to come, or better yet, an up-close-and-personal chance to see some of their favourite artists. Marking the first of these nights was Imminence’s sold-out headliner at Leichhardt’s beloved Crowbar. Along with Future Static, the already muggy and humid Sydney day was set to have its dial ramped up exponentially (is that pungent, nose-twisting sweat smell coming from me??).

What made this night more special was the fact that this show in Sydney marked Imminence’s first-ever time in Australia! The pressure was high and the stakes were higher, but as fans quickly joined the lengthy queue for signature ‘Voilincore’ branded merch, there was a good indication that the hype and dedication was real, alive, and buzzing.

Tasked with opening the night were the electric Melbourne outfit, Future Static. Upon my first glance, their selection struck me as perhaps a little odd. The last time I had seen them, they were dominating a stage opening for Electric Callboy, curating the mood for a room full of metal adjacent ravers and people in fluorescent tracksuit sets. Imagining them initiating a night largely celebrating a somber, dark album of epic proportions became lost on me.

A member down, the band seemed to approach cautiously and with some nerves. It was in the moments of cleanliness and vulnerability that these subtle jars could be heard, but was also a mark of great dedication to the cause. However, it did completely juxtapose the moments of vigour and feral-ness, where a song like ‘Hourglass’ became a domination of Sydney’s at times, dull and unresponsive crowd (to no fault of the band here). Future Static is one of those bands that thrives within the massive stages illuminated by flashy neon signs and back graphics- it is somewhere in which I find their confidence is propelled and thus allows them to thrive fully and completely- which is perhaps one of the limitations that was presented this evening. One thing that was not lacking, however, was a powerful display of femme frontwoman-ship, with songs like ‘…walls…’ and ‘Chemical Lobotomy’ elucidating a beautiful auditory scape of siren-like vocals against dire and desperate screams.

It was within the last few songs or so that Future Static really grew into that stage. This shift of energy was marked by a quick feature from Broken Earth frontman, Raph Smith, who seemed to not merely connect, but corral and orchestrate his homegrown crowd- perhaps the kick up the butt a few people needed. As the lights danced and Future Static delved into their heavier catalog, and fan-favourite cover of ‘Gasolina’, it was almost like a different band was on stage. Their confidence oozed as frontwoman Amariah Cooke rolled and flung her body to the now penetrating bass and heavy beats. They switched on, and the crowd reciprocated more and more.

Now, the Crowbar tends to be one of those venues that I begin to dread attending during the summer months. For those out of the Sydney area, it is a shoebox of a venue that is encased in thickly painted black brick walls- the only colour dissonance in the form of some dried bodily fluids from the gig before. All that lingers close to the roof are two large fans, however, their oscillation abilities prove to be like a hand rising from a grave- present but shy and unnoticeable. The hottest gig I have ever attended here was last year, seeing Trophy Eyes in December. It was a hot day and I was moshing like the floor was lava, throwing my body around and feeling other people’s sweat slip into my own crevices. I didn’t think this venue could get any hotter, until last night. I was not moshing, but simply standing there, and that was enough to make visible beads of sweat pour down my temples. My arms were clammy and my legs were screaming for a release- the flying pig socks beneath my chunky Docs were now a hindrance to any air getting into my soles (and soul). Every patron in the middle looked like they had just descended a Wet N Wild ride- not just sweaty, but drenched. I never knew the human body could produce so much liquid, and so too, the shower it creates when shaken up in a room. Between the moshing, the individuals in the middle found themselves waddling, eyes rolling back, threatening to be one of the first to pass out. This surely was the closest you could come to standing at the gates of hell.

Or to put it simply, it was HOT.

A playlist of Australian classics was promptly stopped after Future Static’s set, instead replaced by a dull whirr that slowly ascended in volume and depth. It created a feeling that penetrated your very soul, feeling your insides move around at the same pace in which the droning sound reverberated slowly, like a heart monitor. The four bright orange lights pointing from the stage began to shift. To the keen eye, it was almost unnoticeable. But as I stared, the lights began to grow softer and softer, before encasing the stage in complete darkness; before fading to The Black.

Suddenly, a barrage of hair takes the stage from the right-hand side, locks almost draping to the floor, following suit with many of the band members’ long, black shawls. Mysterious and otherworldly, Imminence is not theatrical by a trivial right, but hones into their own broodiness and nonchalant enigmatic-ness to conjure such a deep and grand feeling of darkness and difference. This notion is only amplified by the band’s signature, of course, being the face and image of violincore; a status which sees primary vocalist, Eddie Berg, clutch onto a violin for the duration of the set. Recorded, the sound this band creates is nothing short of phenomenal, with a delicate hum of the violin breaking through the destructive nature of their sharp guitar and pounding drums. But live, it was even more of a sight to see. These dichotomous features saw Berg become almost a Jekyll and Hyde figure on the stage, screaming grotesquely before clutching at his stringed vessel to create a heavy assortment of notes.

It appeared throughout the night that his violin was not merely a vessel, but an entity that was a part of him. As he fell to his knees, he bargained with the instrument, screaming into its core, and almost salivating over its presence. So too, he used his bow as a conductor, flinging it towards the crowd to conjure a stir, movement, and obeyance to the primary director of this band’s own sound. As the bow swirled, so too did the crowd. From ‘Beyond The Pale’ onwards, there was no alleviation to the pushing and brewing within the center of the floor. Sliding through the pit of slippery bodies was a feeling of sentimentalism. There was a proudness and impassionedness that radiated from Imminence’s performance, aligning also with a need to prove. They found themselves in a tough position too with this show. Coming from an exceptional release in the form of The Black, there was an expectation to showcase. But marking their first ever Australian show, there was also an expectation to dive into their foundational work. I think there was an excellent marriage found between these elements, to which the crowd during their older songs was a testament to.

It’s hard to pinpoint a moment of the show as being the pinnacle, purely because it was a gig in which I found myself so completely and utterly engrossed for the duration of the set. If you weren’t being touched by the heartfelt yet brutish screams, you were entranced by the swiping bow sending majestic screeches throughout the venue. If I was held at bow-point however, I would have to say one of the outstanding moments was the performance of ‘Heaven Shall Burn’. Of course, it is one of the band’s more popular songs, but as a track itself, it is so haunting and grandiose. And that’s an interesting concept to toy with here. Despite being crammed into a tiny stage, the songs did not lose their weight or impact. With a unified scream of “Heaven Shall Burn” from the sold-out room, followed by a sonnet of string, I think this was the moment that asserted Imminence’s stature here in Aus.

Attending this show also meant I got to see the ever-mystifying Harald Barrat on stage. While his guitar work is already mesmerizing, there is something ethereal and magical when he takes upon Eddie’s violin bow, and instead uses it on his guitar. Cloaked in layers of black shawls, the material glides along the same motion as the bow, tracing his guitar strings in such an angelic yet rough way. He creates a silhouette motion that sees his limbs move almost jarringly in comparison to this, like a zombie just awoken from the grave. It is a haunting yet beautiful sight, and one that will be ingrained in my memory for some time to come.

The night concluded with the lights yet again fading to black- a cyclical story that I found such a subtle but beautifully sentimental homage to the album that was, and is. After a brief moment, the band returned to the stage, wrapped in each other’s arms, embracing both the sweat and the energy of the venue. Not once, but twice, they threw down their hair and bowed in a confident self-assurance of the sensational performance they had just put on.

Imminence are a band of the now. They are engulfing our social lens and have become a mark of true, crafted modern metalcore. But they are so much more than the gnarly photographs or unique stage moments- they are cultivators of a genuine mystery and a feeling of allusiveness. A feeling surrounded their show like one I had not felt before, and it left me in a trance for the duration. It wasn’t until the house lights came back on that I regained consciousness- and all I am left with now is a feeling of wholeness.

Review by Georgia Haskins @ghaskins2002

Photo Gallery by Jackson Saunders @jsaundersfilm
Please credit Wall Of Sound and Jackson Saunders if you repost photos.

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