Bullet For My Valentine, Bring Me The Horizon, Cancer Bats @ Brisbane Riverstage – 11 September 2010 – Live Review

Review: Hannah Collins


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[Photos: Stuart Blythe]
  Summer’s on the way, the festival season is almost upon us. Beginning September 11 2010, the first of many Soundwave Touring showcases hits Brisbane’s Riverstage on a perfectly tempered spring eve. The temporary fences are up, the box office open, lights are on and 1000’s of patrons begin the seemingly endless walk up the gardens path toward the peak of gardens hill. A most anticipated entry. In conjunction with announcements of Side Waves; the world’s most sought after bands to be frequenting our shores over the next few months, Soundwave Touring paint a new metal face on 9/11.

What will tonight bring? Could these hardcore brethren breathe the fire of the riff across so many receptive faces? An audience of youth seeps out of the shadows, girthing the ever familiar grassy knolls of Riverstage and creeping toward the stage front where the grass gives way to stone.

Glancing left and right there’s nothing abnormal about the sea of black that rises and falls beneath us. The odd white shirt is ever-present and distracting like a pseudo rose in a field of poppies. Poppies that if you plucked from the soil, stripped of their seeds and ground to a pulp; would taste like a smoky blended tea called Bring Me Cancer Bullets.


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[Photos: Stuart Blythe]
The Riverstage’s set up is solid, and never changing. Sectioned one third to the left, our drinking pen, two thirds to the right, free for all picnic space. Beer tents at hill top, sound tent middle hill centre. It’s just about 6.30 and although Cancer Bats are rocking like my flat mates mattress there seems to be a largely unusual amount of enthusiasm expressive disorder amongst the punters. Playing against a curtained backdrop, Cancer Bats bite through it and a ripple can be felt up the hill as the zombies wake from their sober slumber. Thrashtastic by nature the Canadian based punks rip a whole in the atmosphere where bleakness once survived. Their combination of southern metal, combustive punk and slugy grunge unite under an album titled “Bears, Mayors, Scraps and Bones”. Inventing themselves in 2004 as part animal, part disease they’re not inclined to provide you with aset list demonstrating technical accomplishments against lacking musical creativity. Instead, Cancer Bats gratify the audience with a selection of their finest, leaving no room for today’s constant criticism of the metalcore genre, even throwing a spanner in the works by playing a notable cover of The Back Street Boys “Sabotage”. Not attempting to reinvent the wheel, Scott Middleton’s precise yet rough around the edges riffage helps mesh the band together while Peters keeps the tempo. Combustive creative and very well delivered the set was a tribute to Cancer Bats ability to keep it real.

By the time curtains draw on this ensemble, movement at the station’s hitting peak hour. Scurry’s of folk head this way and that and the line up at certain food stalls is tremendous. Obviously some mothers forgot to make these kiddies eat dinner. You couldn’t ask for a more obvious playlist as the familiar grind of “Tool” plays lightly from the arena speakers during first interchange. The banners rear centre stage are dropped, and re-erected, now displaying a new name for all to see.


Click image to view Photo Gallery

[Photos: Stuart Blythe]
Bring Me The Horizon. A band, at times disregarded by their synonymy with musically uneducated inebriates, surprised me a little tonight. Young, overly energetic, and somewhat eager to please they burst out of the cage at breakneck speed. Overall, their stage performance was a little lacking and messy in parts, which is understandable for an act still formulating a solidly tried and tested approach to facilitating a live show. This may seem intriguing to some asking why you’d think so when although new by nature, they’ve managed to play ‘Download” and support for other longstanding pillars of imp actual metal like “Killswitch Engage” and “The Haunted”. Formed in 2006, Bring Me The Horizon’s notoriety and constant attempts to refine their works and performance abilities denotes respect. Vocalist Oliver Sykes is a pure pillar of energy; no growl too deep, no marshal stack unclimbable. Writhing across the stage and guitar flailing like a burning stake, guitarist Lee Malia’s efforts deepen the throngs before them, precise to his hear playing (not always quite on beat) assists with Sykes’s repeated calls for a circle pit. Finally he gets his wish, and during “Chelsea’s Smile” the crowd begin to run. Round and round and they go, where they stop, security knows! Within the final moments of BMTH’s climactic set, heads roll off necks and splatter at foot level. In this moment, the crowd response is astounding as resonating cheers and screams of grateful appreciate filter through the arena. This moment; growing ever stronger with the promise of more to come. There’s one more band tonight. Only one.


Click image to view Photo Gallery

[Photos: Stuart Blythe]
The stage begins to transform, banners again dropped and re-erected, speaker stacks rearranged. Roadies in black and yellow shirts progressively piece together two identical ramp arms, descending down both sides of the stage. Section by section the vision of our stage layout for headliners Bullet For My Valentine forms. The Welsh metal core assemblage is close, and with the chants of the punters “Bullet, Bullet, Bullet, Bullet” the lights are cut. For the first time this evening the entire venue is in black out. The lights from the city provide just enough for you to see fisted hands thrusting towards the air as the chant grows ever stronger until finally the band emerges.

Bullet For My Valentine, well known in the metal scene remain to this day as band that you’ll either love to death, or love to hate. Tonight it’s all love. Love for the wail of the six string closely associated with their knack at swimming in pools of traditional metal core, love for vocalist Michael Tucks wide ranging screams and of course could we forget the man that beats the drum of disaster to a breakneck beat, Michael Thomas. As any musician would, they love to play in front of an ever appreciative audience. After all, music is about sharing. “Breaking out, Breaking down” and it’s complex vocal melodies entices the crowd to herd closer and closer to the stage, with most in the vicinity screaming the lyrics in a mosh of flailing bodies. Metal Hammer may have been right to give these boys a coveted “Golden God” award in 2006, and our audience tonight completely agrees. “The Fast Light” and “Begin For Mercy” were executed perfectly, harmonious and violent, fast paced and extreme. BFMV’s stage presence is strong and confident and with only a few spoken words between songs create an atmosphere of unison amongst the punters. They came to Bullet and would not leave disappointed. If you’ve not really listened to their stuff before assuming the sophisticated metal opinion that they’re just not hard enough, perhaps you should get some albums and see for yourself.

To quote the words of DethKlok, “It’s gotta’ be brutal.”


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[Photos: Stuart Blythe]

Review: Hannah Collins
Related:
Bullet for My Valentine at Bullet for My Valentine

BFMV Merchandise Available Here


Bullet For My Valentine touring Australia September 2010 with Bring Me The Horizon and Cancer Bats [Tour Details]



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