Polaris, Void Of Vision, Pridelands @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 11/3/2023
Jamie Hails, front man of Polaris, stands before a sold out Lion Arts, and conducts another wave of ‘hey’ from a sweat drenched audience. An audience that has moved like a raging sea all night, crashing against the barriers time and again, over spilling with surfers into the pit. Smoke fills the air and Hails screams ‘here we go again’ and another tidal wave comes crashing down. Polaris are displaying that through their journey over the oceans of music during the last ten years, they are the kings of this music in this country.
Leading the way into the waters tonight are Pridelands, with a dynamic twin vocal attack, are sharp and on point. They have picked up that breakdowns and riffs will get people moving and they focus on that each time. Tracks such Translucent Blues’ and ‘Parallel Lines’ already have the pit in full motion and despite some static playing up early, the band don’t stop for a second when the energy is this electric. A gem of an opener.
Void Of Vision have been around the scene for a while, have found their place and are blooming at a astronomical rate. Singer Jake Bergin comes out looking like a cross between Richard O’Brien and Gary Numan’s love child and leads the audience like a puppet master. Circle pits are on a constant spin cycle, the shift between the melodic vocals and the heavy breakdowns has the room swaying.
Into The Dark has the place bouncing as the band really put on the heavy. Hell Hell Hell has the singer in the barrier reaching Into the audience like he’s reaching into the depths of hell for salvation.
The Lonely People has the room becoming a violent bouncy castle as arms and legs flail everywhere before the nights first wall of death completes an extraordinary performance from the band.
To be frank, there are not many bands that can have two openers whip a crowd into a frenzy as they did and take the challenge on. Polaris accept the challenge and don’t miss when firing back.
With a set list that is chronological throughout their ten year career, opening with Summit and Apparitions the venue already resembles a war zone.
Unfamiliar stomps through the venue like Godzilla in a rage before the hairs literally stand up on my neck for the first but not last time tonight. The noise from the crowd during Lucid sends chills down the spine despite being drenched in sweat. Orgasmic is the word that springs to mind.
Relapse has the pumped up crowd climbing on top of each other and surfing away as the band well and truly have lit the blue touch paper. Consume has Pridelands vocalist Mason join in on vocals and the band just pound everyone with ferocity.
The Remedy raises the roof as once again, the crowd drive the song on. In fact it’s getting to the point Hails can stop singing such is the tenacity of those singing back.
Hypermania has Void Of Vision’s Jake pop on in and wow, the battering of Daniel Furnari drums and those guitar riffs hammers hard during this and Landmine.
Polaris, in keeping the chronological theme of their ten years come back out for an encore and drop a brand new track to finish called Inhumane which if you have not heard yet, you best get a ticket for the show.
The overriding feeling watching Hails look over that ocean of bodies swirling before him was ‘you’ve conquered this country mate. Go conquer the world now’.
Live Review By Iain McCallum