PERTHQUAKE Review

When I first heard about Perthquake, I hadn’t heard of quite a few bands on the festival line up, what I expected was a few good bands, maybe some average ones too, boy was I wrong. What I heard was nothing short of amazing and Its not often that Perth gets a good shake, rattle & roll (sorry) but when it does, boy do the mosh lawds of Perth know how to come out in force. New all ages venue The Chamber with Perthquake provided exactly this, a 9hr harmonious gesture featuring some of Perth’s finest Metal & Metalcore acts who kept the crowd pumped before the festivals headliner, Mandalay Victory.

Opening up first was Our Fallen Legacy who know how to put on a performance, opening with what you would expect from them, a brutal opening high scream and great sounds that followed, making the crowd rowdy. The small crowd for opening didn’t stop them from giving a great performance.

There was no shortage of great performances from The Moment We Fall who were next bringing with them the bands unique style of Post Hardcore with their songs Pressures, Life As A Silhouette. Although at times lacking a little on the higher vocals, still gave a great performance.

Remember The South brought an unforgettable set, opening up with some light hearted banter and shaking the foundations with their heavy sounds, brutal screams and charisma, the bands performance being more memorable with the lead vocalist coming down to ground level singing and having a good laugh with the crowd.

by Shaun Pulford

It didn’t take much to get the small but enthusiastic crowd at Perthquake ricocheting off the walls, and in the case of Karratha natives Common Bond, all it took was one word: ‘sup’. 

As soon as picks hit strings and sticks hit drums, it was game on – and with beardy frontman Corey entreating the crowd, ‘come on, I’ve seen you guys, I know what you can do!’ there was no option but to play along. Within moments my partner in crime was whispering ‘The Acacia Strain…Bury Your Dead…THE BLED!’ in my ear, high praise indeed for a band that’s only been on the scene since late 2010. Praise well-deserved, however…with consistent vocals, unusual breakdowns and even – shock, horror – decent singing, CB are a tight, well-oiled machine of awesome. With Devyn and Jackson on guitars, Jarryd on bass and Bodhi on drums, they harness a contagious brand of energy; most notably in crowd favourites Disconnect and Break Yo Self Fool. Easily the fastest song of their set, Disconnect is furious, unrelenting and in my humble opinion, reminiscent of hardcore stalwarts The Ghost Inside (who happen to be one of their main influences). As Corey introduced Break Yo Self Fool – ‘this worked well last time we played it at HQ’ – the kids went so kerr-azy it left me wondering if AA metal shows had always been so acrobatic, or if I’d just been away for too long. Finally finishing with Chambers, which is something of a vehicle for Corey’s impressive vocal range, I was left wanting more. These dudes are a class fucking act. 

To wrap up proceedings in killer style, beloved Perth band Mandalay Victory was up next. Having shared the stage with the likes of Parkway Drive, Deez Nuts, The Amity Affliction and Enter Shikari, Mandalay’s reputation precedes them, and for good reason – they’re seasoned veterans of the scene. With Dane Warren on vocals, Byron Turner and Matt Falcon on guitar, Alex Earle on bass/backup vox and Matt Gerber on drums, you wouldn’t think that a band could display the level of professionalism and humility that they do and still manage to be BRUTAL – yes, in capitals – but these guys are living, screaming, sweating proof that it’s possible. With mega heavy guitar work, strong vocals and driving drums, a frenetic pit encircled them within seconds and wouldn’t let up. Luckily for a chosen few, Dane is generous with the mike shares and definitely made some young whippersnappers very happy as a result. Adding to the easygoing vibe of the set was the photographer who would sporadically appear on stage, roam around, take a few shots and then disappear again – which just cemented my opinion that in spite of their ever-growing popularity, they still have their Vans planted firmly on the ground. With their new material bringing to mind my favourite melodic masters Misery Signals (try saying that three times), you be the judge -http://www.myspace.com/mandalayvictory 

by Ellie Hutchinson