[Gig Review] ESCAPE THE FATE (US) W/ THE WORD ALIVE (US), THE GLOOM IN THE CORNER (AU) @ 170 RUSSELL MELBOURNE (AU).
Author: Mal Keecher
Presented By:
Venue:
170 Russell, Melbourne, Australia
Images/Footage:
Ofir Gee (IG: @ohfear.mp4)
(refer to end of article for artist/relevant links).
A relatively early kick off time of 6:30pm, coupled with sporadic downpours that lifted as quickly as they arrived guaranteed a hasty tenacity that led me to the doors of 170 Russell with 10 solid minutes to spare. The decision for me, is usually to stand and occasionally check my phone and awkwardly languish in an introverted portal of doom and wait for the first band, or saunter to the bar and order a beer. I chose the latter.
Leading the charge tonight were hometown metalcore marauders The Gloom in the Corner fronted by vocalist Mikey Arthur who put on a formidable show for the early crowd who showed up to see these hometown heroes give it their best, which includes an admirable drive and ability to rouse a room.
The Gloom In The Corner - Gallery #1:
Their latest album Royal Discordance is out now, and having previously not heard them before, I was sure glad to have witnessed such a powerhouse local band that are on an upward trajectory, gaining traction in both their sound, look and evolution along with an increasing fan base.
"Melbourne, we fuckin' love you!" Mikey implored tonight's sizeable crowd with a kind of candid gratitude and appreciation that seems to always be abundant in the metal community.
Notable intermission songs included Yellowcard's 'Ocean Avenue', PATD's 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' and Fallout Boy's 'Sugar We're Goin Down', which felt like a peculiar teleportation to a Bourke Street rock club, circa 2009 all over again. Jimmy Eat World's 'The Middle' proceeded to warp the time-space continuum, and I could see myself crowd surfing for the first time at Big Day Out 2003.
The Gloom In The Corner - Gallery #2:
Between sips of beer and moments of a tipsy haze, feeling somewhat alone with everyone, I was back there again. And then I snapped out of my cognitive disengagement as soon as The Word Alive graced us with their presence.
"We are The Word Alive. Let's set this mofo off!" Their engaging vocalist Tyler Smith exclaimed as they launched into the cutthroat and piercing '2012' off their 2010 album Deceiver. The crowd steadily became amped up and lively early on this Saturday night, as coarse lyrics projected from Tyler's voice box over again, cutting through with clarity. This articulable resonance was especially true of Smith's clean vocals as well and is subsequently displayed on the evidently popular song 'Trapped', and later 'Life Cycles'.
Tyler encouraged the increasingly elated audience with "Can I hear you scream?!" And he succeeds in prompting patrons to take the initiative of opening a small pit around the time they played their cover of Kanye West's 'Heartless'. TWA receives more crowd participation which raises the kinetic energy higher, before they throw back even further as Tyler adds "We haven't played this song in seven years" and TWA catapults into their song 'Casanova Rodeo'.
Towards the end of their set, Tyler asked the now elevated crowd "Can you make some noise for Escape the Fate!" And the crowd reciprocated a similar energy. "This song is called 'Life Cycles', please sing it if you know it." The lyrics were emphatically sung by both Tyler and the audience for a kind of beautiful emphasis with the lyrics "I'd rather die for what I believe, than live a life without meaning". This was the pinnacle of their set, with the energy remaining steady until the second intermission of the night, before our main attraction.
The Word Alive - Gallery #2:
Bringing this already alluring gig home with bat out of hell type energy tonight was the always exhilarating Escape the Fate. On the other two occasions I have seen them, ETF have been thoroughly charismatic and engaging, fronted of course by Craig Mabbitt, and tonight proved to be in a similar vein of enthralling.
Their introduction to this audience was an audio-visual spectacle of flashing lights and operatic flashes reminiscent of a thrilling action movie trailer. And one by one the band members took their places.
ETF appeased a swathe of eager fans and began at the 8:20pm slot, tearing up the venue with 'Ungrateful' as their seasoned showmanship shined through. The metal machine then charged along with the electrifying new song called 'Deja Vu'.
Their performance of 'Gorgeous Nightmare' early on in their set was enough to stimulate a giddy response, being a personal favourite smashed on repeat over the years. It was an awesome sight witnessing much of the crowd jumping with hands raised in jubilation amid a backdrop of purple lighting and the ETF logo emblazoned on all screens.
Personal nostalgia around ETF plants my youthful zeal at discovering cool new favourite bands around 2008, and so much of my emotional connection to ETF centres around their pivotal This War Is Ours (The Guillotine II) album and songs like '10 Miles Wide', played tonight. Hearing these songs live every few years breathes an intimate life back into them, and you are gifted dopamine each time a cool riff gets played, and you know the next few minutes will be almost euphoric. Similarly, featuring 'Ashley' in tonight's set list was a delight, with Craig having fun and enjoying playing these OG ETF gems as much as the spirited crowd.
Escape The Fate - Gallery:
Several people seized the opportunity to crowd surf around this time, and a crowd singalong was in full swing, much like the legs of the surfers. A banana costume made a noticeable appearance in the thick of the crowd, although at this stage it seems like there might at least be B1 and B2 making the rounds.
As an avid music fan, the physical experience of witnessing high calibre bands in such a close and accommodating environment is a particularly enthralling human sensory experience, and 170 Russell is near and dear to my most treasured live music experiences. Having seen 100+ artists perform here over the last 20 years, this venue holds many fond memories, with tonight proving to be a wondrous spectacle amongst a great crowd who all share an affinity for quality music.
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