Karnivool, Cog, sleepmakeswaves, Alt. @ Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide 11/8/2022
Epic! The Monolith tour kickstarted in Adelaide with one huge sold out show last night at the iconic Thebarton Theatre. It was an incredible bill which marked the first time that Karnivool and Cog had shared the stage in seventeen years. The floor was jam packed and the only way they could have fit any more punters would have been to stack them on top of each. I have no doubt that even in a bigger venue that this would have been sold out as the interest and demand for tickets was huge which is a good thing for the Adelaide scene.
Alt. opened proceedings proving that they are a formidable live act and a band to keep an eye out as they continue to build their reputation for playing a killer live show. Tonight was no different, relishing the opportunity to play to a bigger crowd they definitely won over some new fans. Sleepmakeswaves played a spirited set despite being challenged with technical issues in their set. That didn’t dampen their spirit with enthusiastic set of instrumental pro-rock.
It would be easy to say that Cog had their own contingent of fans at the show and they packed plenty of punch in their fifty-minute set. Playing like their lives depended on it they kept the talking to a minimum trying to play as many songs as they could having not toured here for quite some time for obvious reasons. The production was top notch despite losing the lights during No Other Way and one of the crew holding up a torch so that Flynn Gower could keep playing. It was a powerful set that included Anarchy Ok, What If, Resonate, The Spine and Birds Of Feather.
Karnivool stepped things with their massive production. The crowd sing-a-long during Bohemian Rhapsody before the Vool came out was priceless and highlighted the energy and excitement in the room. Hitting it hard from the get go with Fear Of The Sky it wasn’t long before front man Ian Kenny said to the crowd “Hey Adelaide, it has been a minute, great to see you.” There is little disputing the fact that he is probably the most versatile front man in rock. Mauseum, Goliath and Simple Boy were big moments in their set. There was no let up as they powered their way through Animation, Set Fire To The Hive and The Refusal. Talking was minimal as the music did all the talking with the likes of We Are, Roquefort, the anthemic Themata and New Day making a statement.
Returning for an encore there was still plenty in the tank with Fade and All It Takes to finish things off. Ian Kenny’s comment that “it was great to be able to share this space again that we have missed” is so true and a constant reminder of how grateful we are to have live music back and in a big way. Brisbane, you’re next! Get ready because it will be epic!
Live Review By Rob Lyon