While She Sleeps, Bloom, Diesect @ The Brightside, Brisbane 5/12/2023

Lawrence Taylor, vocalist for While She Sleeps, walks to the side of the tiny Brightside stage, leans over the barrier and literally kicks open the fire escape door before he himself follows suit and disappears into the warm humid Brisbane night.

Meanwhile his band mates, undeterred by the loss of the singer, continue on through Fakers Plague as the sweat drenched crowd jump, mosh and sing anyway. Moments later, Taylor is back from his walkabout and works his way through the crowd before again disappearing from the venue. No one bats an eye lid.

The reason why is Taylor’s performance was the epitome of giving all however with no desirable air conditioning, an amped up crowd, and a room that is extremely hot, Taylor, like most of us, is drenched in sweat early. While She Sleeps are in an intimate venue and to say this show is hot, is an understatement on many levels.

Queensland’s Diesect opened the night and their modern take on old school hardcore literally rattles the room. Tracks like Bury You come at you from underneath the floor, taking control of your legs and soaring through the body in vibration and riffs.

Sydney’s Bloom have recently toured the country with Holding Absence, played Good Things and now are here to open for While She Sleeps. Vocalist Jono Hawkey baits the audience to come to the front, where the heat intensifies despite playing the ironically named Cold which has a furious punk energy before mellowing out as the crowd sing before launching into June in a haze of jumping bodies.

While She Sleeps don’t often play venues this intimate anymore so the opportunity to have your face ripped off with their blast of anarchy inducing music was not to be missed.

Opening with Sleeps Society and You Are All That You Need the place becomes a powder keg of song, fist pumping and a constant mosh pit of chaos.

While there seems to be a few technical issues with bassist Aaran McKenzie, it’s one of those things that only musicians notice as the fans right to the back of the venue are waving arms and singing The Guilty Party and I’ve Seen It All.

By this time, Taylor – an all inclusive front man of bounce, microphone sharing and screams – is soaked and needing a breather hence the fire escape departure. For their part, the band just stay focussed and keep going, the tiny confines of the stage limiting their movement to the point Mat Welsh’s guitar does hit Taylor they are that close.

A While She Sleeps show is not just a band on stage though, it’s an interactive experience and stage divers are invited on stage and plenty duly oblige surfing across the crowd. Taylor himself joins in during a powerfully loud Silence Speaks.

They just don’t stop squeezing energy, and sweat, out of the crowd as Four Walls and Systematic have that furious energy that demands a response from a crowd who sing, wave and at one point has everyone – and I mean everyone – kneeling down on the floor before erupting.

By the time the band finish with Anti-Social, the beautiful and attractive looking crowd before the show have make up like Alice Cooper and clothes stretched two sizes due to the amount of sweat demanded of them by the band.

There are not many things better than getting hot, sweaty and intimate at a While She Sleeps. Last night was special.

Live Review By Iain McCallum