Hands Like Houses, Ocean Grove, Endless Heights, Redhook @ HQ, Adelaide 22/2/2019
Hands Like Houses are taking the world by storm right now. A successful jaunt around America supporting new album –Anon has continued to see the bands stock rise. Each passing album displaying the subtlety and hardness needed to break out onto the world stage. Tonight a packed HQ welcomes them with killer support by a number of Australia’s cutting edge bands in RedHook, Endless Heights and Ocean Grove.
Opening the proceedings tonight are RedHook from Sydney. A 4 piece, rap driven metal band which features a snarling Emmy Mack on vocals. One minute destroyer of souls, the next a redeemer of spirit, Emmy twists and contorts around the stage bringing every one of the crowd into the performance. While bassist Suburban may look like Eminem dressed as Chucky from Child’s Play, the music isn’t afraid to mix the heavy with the melodic. There is a retelling of a ‘walk of shame’ moment last time here, tonight though, they left walking as champions.
Also hailing from Sydney are Endless Heights, with a provocative Art Deco backdrop they start with getting the crowd jumping before we’ve taken stock of the situation. While most of those set has vocalist Joel Martorana engage the crowd in mono-y-mono connections, including a on the barrier face grab of a fan, it’s the softer ballad Paralysed which lingers after the set closes. The band will be back out with The Story So Far in April and you’d be advised to check them out.
It’s been a superb yet volatile couple of years from Ocean Grove. The debut album Rhapsody Tapes made quite the impression on a new generation of music lovers yet the band went through a number of line up changes. The former bassist Dale Tanner now takes lead vocals and he doesn’t let anyone down. Prowling the stage like a young Robbie Williams yet with talent, the band is hi octane combustible rock music.
Mixing elements of nu-metal intertwining with punk charisma, the band are ferocious and don’t let up any energy, even after the set with the crowd screaming for an encore. It helps that Tanner can be seen revving up the crowd from the side of the stage however don’t let that detract from the performance. With this band, watch this space!
If you had any energy left after those three brilliant performances, Canberra’s Hands Like Houses are going to suck it right out of you. Opening with Kingdom Come the crowd see the challenge laid down and raise it higher. Monster has the room shaking while during Drift vocalist Trenton Woodley going to the barrier as the venue heats up.
The crowd clap, they wave, they crowd surf and they break necks when Tilt crushes, while Introduced Species sees the band almost drowned out by singing.
During Bad Dream bassist Joel Tyrrell jumps into the crowd and surfs while still trashing away on the bass. The band then bring in three new tracks from the excellent -Anon album; Through Glass, Overthinking and
Sick which brings out the night’s biggest moshpit. For now.
The band bring the crowd home the anthemic New Romantics before Colourblind brings back the apocalypse that was the aforementioned mosh pit.
Finishing with splendid Half Hearted, Hands Like Houses played the night perfectly. The light show was beautiful, the performance Fuel-injected and the connection with the crowd mesmerising. Unlike the song, tonight was most definitely not half-hearted but a full bloodied testament to how great Australian music is right now.
Live Review By Iain McCallum