Future Static, The Last Martyr, Aurateque @ Crown And Anchor Hotel, Adelaide 24/1/2025

The Cranker, an established musical icon of South Australian culture almost doesn’t seem fitting for a band that is slicing through the musical scene like Future Static.

Yet at the same time, presenting a show with an all fronted female line up, seems absolutely perfect for an establishment that has always been at the fore front of cultural change.

Opening up is Aurateque and they don’t mess about. From the first track, Matthew Bortolin tears into the crowd while vocalist Lauren Coleman, who dislocated her shoulder midweek, is showing no sign of that impeding her as she screams, growls, sings and even high-kicks her way through the set. They shake up their style up like salt and peeper, sometimes bitter and rage full, others, the perfect condiment to your meal that a half hour set to a packed room doesn’t seem enough.

Next up is The Last Martyr. A ferocious yet subtle Melbourne powerhouse of guttural fury. An almost serene start morphs into anarchy when vocalist Monica Strut appears from out of nowhere and screams the venue down. Her vocals are soulful and bluesy but when dropped into metal it’s something otherworldly. They have the crowd singing and while the venue is barely two hundred-person capacity, they make it sound like two thousand as everyone is plugged into what they are doing.

However, there is something about tonight’s Future Static show that feels like an iconic moment in the bands history. I’ve seen plenty of bands put on phenomenal shows. I’ve seen moments with bands that become ‘I was there’ moments. It’s rare you have a whole show that makes you go ‘I won’t see this band this up close again’. Tonight’s Future Static show was that.

There is no room to move down front, even the pit rallies against itself such is the intimacy, yet from the opening beat, stardust is sprinkled across the room and the places heaves like an ocean.

The five piece set themselves up with beautiful synchronicity, guitarists Ryan and Jack seem like choreographed dancers such is the insane ferocious double attack of every guitar down stroke, while vocalist Amariah and bassist Kira jive to the groove up front. This band thrash hard and glide smoothly executing each note like a professional hit man.

The tour is their first full Australian headliner, which is in promotion of the imperious Liminality album and the set list is basically the album.

The Cranker can be notorious for sound issues however two songs in, Future Static have made a mockery of that. Drummer Jackson purrs like the engine of a Mack truck, the guitars are pristine which means Cooke up front has the platform to display the theatrics her vocals deserve. Each wink of an eye, sneer of a smile and stomp of her foot skilfully enriching the songs. The vocalist gets into the crowd to ignite a breakdown as part of the ringmaster show she delivers. Metals own pied piper.

The energy in the room is magical. No one leaves their spot, all eyes and ears fixated on what is before them. The bands effervescence illuminating the darkest corners of each person and transcending the confines of the tight space.

Bringing Monica and Lauren back on stage during the set – as well as Adelaide’s own Luke Taylor from Heartline to reenact his spot on Iliad – is like taking a puppy to meet other new puppies. Tails wagging and excitement levels reaching fever pitch. Maybe even a little pee.

All the tunes are here; Roach Queen, the gentle Half The World Away and the wonderfully ethereal …And The Walls That Were Built. However tonight just feels that the band could play anything and it would be perfection.

Their set finishes and the encore comes for ‘one more song’. It doesn’t matter if it’s set up, Cooke plays to the audience like a pantomime hero and encourages the chanting, which in turn makes way for Gasolina.

For and hour or so, I forgot it was Friday night. I forgot I’d had a long draining week at work. For that hour, Future Static took me away into another world you can only dream off. A hot sweaty rock n roll club show creating enough energy to power a small country. For that my friends, is why tonight felt like an iconic moment in this bands career. A moment we can all say ‘I was there!’

Live Review By Iain McCallum