Sick Of It All, No Peace, All In, Devoidance, Bolt Cutter @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 24/1/2024
Sick Of It All landed in little old Adelaide full of angsty energy for the first show on their long-awaited Australian tour- the first since Soundwave 2013, and with them put on a stacked show featuring young local trailblazers that are flying up the ranks of the Adelaide Hardcore scene at missile speed. Four support acts seems like a lot for a Wednesday night, but true to the genre, these sets were the very definition of short-fast-loud, with twenty minutes of high intensity heavy riffs, moshing and carrying on, and ample breaks between to catch a breath. The result was a brilliant showcase of young talent a wholesome local music community and a hell of a party headlined by arguably the biggest name in the foundational 90s New York hardcore scene.
Bolt Cutter started the night early with a 7.15pm slot- far too early for me to get my shit together for, but my intentions were well and truly set on getting front and centre in time for Devoidance – a young group of mostly women disrupting the genre with their merciless massive sounding Deathcore. It blows the mind how these guys make such an intense amount of noise and it’s a wonder to witness. My first encounter of them was at heavy festival ‘I’m not a Burden’ late last year, and after hearing their set fire up I wandered over to see a 5-foot something weapon in activewear named Imogen, tearing a hole through the universe with the most monstrous gutturals I have seen come from a female in a long time. With enviable energy and a set of pipes that doesn’t quit, the star appeal is ridiculous and there is no doubt that these guys are about to blow up. Brand new single Filth has that glorious thumping bass heavy doom vibe with groove weaved through unnerving angst accompanied by those insane unhallowed vocals. The pit was opened for the kids to move and play in while fans and friends joined the band onstage to lend their vocals also, notably Jessie from local outfit Stressed and Bifurcation’s Trav to belt out Code Red, a collab track by the two groups.
All In handpicked a set list of fast hitting bangers entirely from their latest album release What Remains including personal favourite Enemy Mind that features sexy whimsical two-step breakdowns and lyrics “the only way out is through” fittingly while I was also wondering how to get to the bar on the other side of the anarchic crowd.
No Peace fired up next and straight away the energy lifted even higher. I’m not sure if it’s because the last time I saw them was in a skatepark where the amplifier had blown up causing a colossal sound-tech-shitstorm, or they have just been incredibly focused in the last year, but they brought something exceptional to the stage with their tight sound and blazing spirit. Like a raw heavier and more confronting version of classic mainstream act Rage Against The Machine mixed with Pennywise – the political messages and fast unruly beats are still at the crux of it all, but their music has that jovial groove and fire mixed with fresh energy in it that sets No Peace apart from their underground counterparts. Straight off the rank was latest single Iconoclast a potent slow building track with some hefty bass riffs that spins into a fit of fury and keeps you grooving and thrashing simultaneously. Finishing off to a revived and multiplied audience with Live With The Pain, No Peace left their horde of local fans literally chanting for an encore.
Like any act that has been around since I was unable to drink or vote, it is always a question of how the performance and stage energy is going to fly, and after some very young feisty support acts you would want to be in fine form following that level of spirit and stamina. Sick Of It All vocalist Pete yells; “Let’s start some shit! let’s keep moving!” and blew it out of the building with such enormous intensity, no one was standing still, the venue now packed with veteran fans and new kids on the block. Every track fired out was a banger, Uprising Nation and Step Down encouraging impassioned singing and chanting from the crowd and a lively mosh pit proving once again that regardless of genre, singing and dancing makes everyone happy.
Queens brothers Lou and Pete Koller hold the audience gaze for much of the set with an explosive performance, Pete on guitar bouncing off walls and spinning in circles like some kind of punk cartoon character and Lou maintaining incredible pitch and tone while continually moving about- their dynamic is endearing as I watched them bounce energy off each other and wondered how their mother survived raising such natural born performers. Lou explained the concept of “a human vortex” to the audience before Pete got on the floor to play Machete and a gleeful circle pit began around him, people coming off the merry go round smiling and dumfounded, creating one of those monumental live music moments that people will talk about forever. The most beautiful part of it was that a modest Adelaide audience got to bear witness and experience such a notorious international genre defining act in such an intimate unencumbered space filled with a community of like-minded humans.
Live Review By Bec Scheucher