The Amity Affliction, Silverstein, Earth Caller, Winnerz Circle @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 24/10/2023
The Amity Affliction have recently blazed throughout the States on the Monsters Of Oz tour and tonight, backing up the spectacular album Not Without My Ghosts the band arrive in Adelaide to do what they do best, blow peoples minds.
With a stellar line up supporting them across the country, including Canadian giants Silverstein, an arsenal of tunes that people can sing along too and a sold out sign four months in the making, tonight was set for success straight from the doors opening.
Opening up was Adelaide’s own hardcore specialists Winnerz Circle whose enthusiasm for the show is infectious and spreads throughout the venue. Nothing To Lose has the venue rumbling with a mix of old school East Coast hardcore with death defying breakdowns. It’s only a short twenty minutes set but this band leave no stone unturned.
Earth Caller from Melbourne have a unique mix to their brand in there is hardcore, metalcore, dashes of melodies and then wallops of death metal working together in their heady mix of metal.
The circle pit is in full motion by Parasite, crowd surfers by I Am No Good while Spit, with its rap driven delivery over that grinding groove has everyone bopping.
Vocalist Josh Collard reached every corner of the stage as the nights first wall of death is unloaded for Choke.
Silverstein finally make it here to tour their epic last album Misery Made Me and they bounce out straight away to Ultraviolet off said album. It’s heavy and the dynamism of the song has the now packed out venue engaged immediately.
Vocalist Shane Told Is a consummate frontman as he leads the crowd through clapping during Retrograde, pulls in the crowd surfers like an over worked fisherman during It’s Over and has everyone feeling mighty fine during Bad Habits.
Every member of the band is committed to expelling all their energy into the show and by the time a cover of Linkin Park’s One Step Closer is dropped, you’re aware this could’ve been the headline act such is the sweat drenched crowd.
However tonight is The Amity Affliction’s night. Australian bands are exceptional that when they headline they bring their international friends along meaning your cup is already running over before the headliners appear. However there is always room for desert right?
Opening with Death’s Hand in a blaze of smoke, everyone in the venue is singing as the hair stands on your neck during ‘hey death, get fucked!’ chant.
It’s this interactive part that makes Amity so special, their songs are full of positive lyrics and catchy harmonies that force you to sing along as noted when the roof comes off for Drag The Lake.
You could say the same again for Like Love, Don’t Lean On Me and pretty much the whole set list as people are lifted on shoulders, the balcony visibly moves and the audience embraces each other during the next moment to sing.
The band themselves are one the great working bands and know how to play this, if the crowd are up and about, you ride that wave and they do. They shake it up for a few acoustic moments such as ‘All Fucked Up’ – cue more crowd singing – and Not Without My Ghosts which allow the band to show they are not all fury but subtlety too.
Your favourites are all here, Open Letter is explosive, Ivy (Doomsday) hits hard and finishing with an extended Soak Me In Bleach – is that a drum solo? – is a glorious way to end this celebration in the church of Amity.
Shirts are soaked through, hugs are aplenty, smiles adorned from ear to ear. Amity Affliction and their fans is an experience that never gets old. The content may be heavy, the music crushing however the experience is always uplifting. Welcome back lads.
Live Review By Iain McCallum