Gig

Polaris - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 30th August @ Newport Hotel, Fremantle WA

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

/10

Aug 31, 2019

7 min read

Polaris
Newport Hotel, Fremantle WA
August 30th, 2019
Supports: 生 Conform 死, Pridelands

“The blood that tarnished the brush will mark us the same…..”

Holy shit. I’ll be honest, it has taken me an absurd amount of time to finally hop on the Polaris bandwagon. Even after seeing a song or two at Download Festival, for some reason or another I never gave these guys a chance. Thankfully that all changed a few months back after one listen to their incredible full length debut, The Mortal Coil. What the fuck was I thinking? These guys are amazing and I finally got the chance to pop my Polaris cherry at the Newport Hotel of all places Friday night. Dark, murky and sardine like atmosphere….just the way Polaris should be heard. But more of them later.

Two stellar supports on hand for this SOLD OUT show, with five piece locals, 生 Conform 死. Another first seeing this crew and I still have no idea what genre these guys fit in. Its nu-metal meets metal-core, blended with some sort of rap hardcore. Whatever it is, I’m in. These guys are epic. From the stage presence to the monstrous breakdowns to the nu-metal rap niche. Seriously, where the fuck have I been? A few technical difficulties halted the momentum here and there but they piqued the interest of the mosh, so kudos to them.

Pridelands take the stage next, the small venue already at capacity, so much so, I’ve got no idea where the merch stand is or the bar for that matter, it’s now a blur of people ready to hit the pit. Pridelands have been plying their trade on a few tours of late including support of The Brave. The guys fit in seamlessly in the melodic metal-core kind of vibe, and judging by the movement inside the venue, are well known to Perth locals. Latest single, ‘Dark Sources’ released a few months back has showcased these guys as a real talent, and with their duelling vocalists bringing something unique to the table, I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot from these guys in the near future.

By the time Polaris hit the stage the surge in the Newport was tidal. So much so, I had grave fears for our own photographer who was getting pummelled on the rails as soon as the first djent breakdowns and blast beats came from opener, ‘Lucid’. Vocalist, Jamie Hails wasting not time, inciting the crowd for a circle pit before he began a verse. Now that’s entertainment! With Hails jumping around constantly, the crowd followed suit. In fact this mosh was one of the most intense I’d seen in recent years with literally bodies flying across the room, stage, railings and most likely rafters. It was hard to focus on what to look at.

Meanwhile, Polaris continued to punish their instruments and microphones, hopping into another crowd favourite, ‘Relapse’ from The Mortal Coil album before all in sundry caught a breath or two with the more subtle entry of next track, ‘Sonder’. Alas, the respite didn’t linger with the breakdowns kicking in and the flaying bodies again emerging from in, under and around the ferocious pit. If you’re not getting the picture as yet….this mosh pit was insane. New track, ‘Hypermania’, was well received. A manic heavier track. By the time, sing-a-long track, ‘The Remedy’ hit the speakers, the venue was soaking from sweat, with the nearby security motioning to bar staff to turn on the “fucking air-conditioning”. I had to laugh.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu3FsA-Bpo0&w=640&h=360]

‘Casualty’ was extreme with Sails again imploring the crowd to “fucking bounce”. It’s amazing the venue didn’t implode such was the ferocity of the pit. Polaris certainly put their collective backs into their performance. Where Sails is bordering insanity, his counterparts bludgeon their instruments, particularly drummer, Daniel Furnari who seemed intent on harming his drum kit with sheer velocity. ‘Consume’ concludes the night but not before Sails instructs the crowd for an epic wall of death, dividing the venue into two parts before mayhem ensues, with several bodies likely a few degrees bent out of shape as a result.

All in all, Polaris are as epic as I imagined. Whatever part of me was holding back accepting these guys as the next big thing in Australian heavy music needs a big kick in the head. Simply put, Polaris are the kings in waiting……

Setlist
Lucid
Relapse
Sonder
Frailty
In Somnus Veritas
Hypermania
The Remedy
Casualty
Dusk To Day
The Slow Decay
Crooked Path
Consume

Review by Jim Birkin

Photo Gallery by Emanuel Rudnicki. Insta: @emanuelrucnicki
Please credit Wall of Sound and Emanuel Rudnicki if you use published photos

生 Conform 死

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Polaris