miguel826
07-15-2010, 06:06 PM
Amity Affliction
W/ Misery Signals, Confession & Flood of Red
9/7/10
Touring in support of their highly anticipated sophomore album, Youngbloods, The Amity Affliction were set to tear the populace of Sydney a new arsehole. Totally blowing my expectations out of the water and into a nearby billboard, they put on a show that showed us why they’re in this game. It was a pity the support couldn’t do the same. Even so, for just 30 bucks, it was well worth the money.
Playing at the Roundhouse is a big step up for The Amity Affliction. In the space of 2 years, they’ve released 2 great albums, and gone from playing gigs as small as Hypefest to headlining their own nationwide tour. I was quite surprised at the turnout; the venue was near capacity when Amity took the stage, their pit easily dwarfing that of their international comrades Misery Signals. This was definitely a triumph for the local music scene.
After arriving just on time, I entered the venue as Flood of Red wasted little time getting into their brief – yet impressive – set. I was genuinely surprised by this little known Scottish punk band. Whilst their music sounded a little disjointed and their stage presence definitely left something to be desired, the vocalist shone through with his impressively strong vocals. Singing clearly over the top of your fellow band mates and their collective noise is no small feat, and Jordan Spiers did it with ease, improving the otherwise lacklustre set. They weren’t awe inspiring, but worth checking out if you enjoy good clean pop-punk. Flood of Red are definitely one of the bands to watch in the near future.
Following this was local band Confession fronted by the notorious Michael Crafter (Ex-I Killed the Prom Queen). If you know Michael Crafter, you know what you’re in for; half an hour of breakdown happy metalcore divided by the sound of a Bogan telling his audience they’re a “bunch of ****s”. Confession’s set was as predictable as ever, but you knew that from the beginning, so you should quit complaining if you were at all disappointed. I’m not familiar with much of Confession’s material, so I chose to sit this one on the side line, but I could see enough to tell that Crafter and his crew pleased their target audience. Their execution wasn’t bad, and I can see some real potential within the creative body of the band; at any rate, there are definitely worse places to be on a Friday night.
Up next were Misery signals, who were perhaps the biggest letdown of the night. Prior to the day of the gig, I’d heard many who were confused as to why Misery Signals weren’t headlining, and while they weren’t bad, they definitely provided an answer to that question. Their set up time was irritatingly long, and when they finally took the stage I had already half lost interest. They did manage to regain my attention, but I wasn’t about to rush out and download their complete back catalogue. Whilst their presence on stage was definitely felt, their musicianship was a little underwhelming. I couldn’t distinguish between the songs I knew and everything else; it was just one giant blur of overwhelming noise. Frontman Karl Schubach’s vocals were sub-par, to be kind. His growls were a run-of-the-mill affair and his unclean vocals were woeful (When you could actually hear them). On top of all this, Signals were content to leave us hanging for minutes at a time with mind numbingly tedious interludes. Nice fucking try.
House lights dimmed, music ceased, and the Youngbloods banner was unfurled behind the stage – “about fucking time!” I had been waiting all night to see The Amity Affliction, and I was not going to be disappointed.
Opening with one of the highlights of the night, ‘I Hate Hartley’, the band never let up their intense sound. Redefining the word Hardcore, they put all who played before them to complete and utter shame. The crowd responded in equal measures of outright insanity, providing one of the most enjoyably brutal mosh experiences I’ve had in recent memory. Ripping through prime cuts from both their full length releases, they also played a select few from earlier EPs. This was epitomised when the crowd erupted to the deafening ‘I Heart Throsby’. Other highlights include the Youngbloods title track, ‘Snitched Get Stiches’ and ‘Fuck the Yankees’. The band proceeded to play a blistering encore which included Severed Ties favourites ‘I Heart Roberts’ & ‘Stairway to Hell’. Overall, it was a very competent set that pleased the mental crowd. My only quarrel lies in the absence of my personal favourite ‘Dr. Thunder’, but it was amazing nonetheless.
Technically, Amity definitely put on a relatively competent show. They’ve garnered a reputation for being better partiers than musicians, but that doesn’t stop them from treating their audience to a fucking great time. Personality often loses out to technical proficiency in today’s music scene, but The Amity Affliction defies this depressing trend; they never lose sight of who they are and why they play.
Having said this, their musicianship does leave something to be desired. Clarity is something I hold dear to my heart, and it is something Amity lacked. I couldn’t hear any of the synth very clearly, if at all. Axemen Clint Splattering & Troy Brady aren’t the cleanest players around, either. Vocally, I feel that main man Joel Birch struggled increasingly throughout the set to deliver his growls. His performance was salvaged by Bassist Ahren Stringer who surprised me with his clean vocals, which were clear and concise. Only towards the end did his voice begin to wain slightly, drowning in the distorted mess that is The Amity Affliction – albeit, a fucking awesome distorted mess.
Overall, though, Amity & co. put on an amazing show well worth the $30. I wouldn’t hesitate to see them again the next time they tour, and neither should you. If you’ve heard about The Amity Affliction and aren’t sure what to think, going to one of their live shows should sort that out for you; Awesome.
Michael Sturtridge
W/ Misery Signals, Confession & Flood of Red
9/7/10
Touring in support of their highly anticipated sophomore album, Youngbloods, The Amity Affliction were set to tear the populace of Sydney a new arsehole. Totally blowing my expectations out of the water and into a nearby billboard, they put on a show that showed us why they’re in this game. It was a pity the support couldn’t do the same. Even so, for just 30 bucks, it was well worth the money.
Playing at the Roundhouse is a big step up for The Amity Affliction. In the space of 2 years, they’ve released 2 great albums, and gone from playing gigs as small as Hypefest to headlining their own nationwide tour. I was quite surprised at the turnout; the venue was near capacity when Amity took the stage, their pit easily dwarfing that of their international comrades Misery Signals. This was definitely a triumph for the local music scene.
After arriving just on time, I entered the venue as Flood of Red wasted little time getting into their brief – yet impressive – set. I was genuinely surprised by this little known Scottish punk band. Whilst their music sounded a little disjointed and their stage presence definitely left something to be desired, the vocalist shone through with his impressively strong vocals. Singing clearly over the top of your fellow band mates and their collective noise is no small feat, and Jordan Spiers did it with ease, improving the otherwise lacklustre set. They weren’t awe inspiring, but worth checking out if you enjoy good clean pop-punk. Flood of Red are definitely one of the bands to watch in the near future.
Following this was local band Confession fronted by the notorious Michael Crafter (Ex-I Killed the Prom Queen). If you know Michael Crafter, you know what you’re in for; half an hour of breakdown happy metalcore divided by the sound of a Bogan telling his audience they’re a “bunch of ****s”. Confession’s set was as predictable as ever, but you knew that from the beginning, so you should quit complaining if you were at all disappointed. I’m not familiar with much of Confession’s material, so I chose to sit this one on the side line, but I could see enough to tell that Crafter and his crew pleased their target audience. Their execution wasn’t bad, and I can see some real potential within the creative body of the band; at any rate, there are definitely worse places to be on a Friday night.
Up next were Misery signals, who were perhaps the biggest letdown of the night. Prior to the day of the gig, I’d heard many who were confused as to why Misery Signals weren’t headlining, and while they weren’t bad, they definitely provided an answer to that question. Their set up time was irritatingly long, and when they finally took the stage I had already half lost interest. They did manage to regain my attention, but I wasn’t about to rush out and download their complete back catalogue. Whilst their presence on stage was definitely felt, their musicianship was a little underwhelming. I couldn’t distinguish between the songs I knew and everything else; it was just one giant blur of overwhelming noise. Frontman Karl Schubach’s vocals were sub-par, to be kind. His growls were a run-of-the-mill affair and his unclean vocals were woeful (When you could actually hear them). On top of all this, Signals were content to leave us hanging for minutes at a time with mind numbingly tedious interludes. Nice fucking try.
House lights dimmed, music ceased, and the Youngbloods banner was unfurled behind the stage – “about fucking time!” I had been waiting all night to see The Amity Affliction, and I was not going to be disappointed.
Opening with one of the highlights of the night, ‘I Hate Hartley’, the band never let up their intense sound. Redefining the word Hardcore, they put all who played before them to complete and utter shame. The crowd responded in equal measures of outright insanity, providing one of the most enjoyably brutal mosh experiences I’ve had in recent memory. Ripping through prime cuts from both their full length releases, they also played a select few from earlier EPs. This was epitomised when the crowd erupted to the deafening ‘I Heart Throsby’. Other highlights include the Youngbloods title track, ‘Snitched Get Stiches’ and ‘Fuck the Yankees’. The band proceeded to play a blistering encore which included Severed Ties favourites ‘I Heart Roberts’ & ‘Stairway to Hell’. Overall, it was a very competent set that pleased the mental crowd. My only quarrel lies in the absence of my personal favourite ‘Dr. Thunder’, but it was amazing nonetheless.
Technically, Amity definitely put on a relatively competent show. They’ve garnered a reputation for being better partiers than musicians, but that doesn’t stop them from treating their audience to a fucking great time. Personality often loses out to technical proficiency in today’s music scene, but The Amity Affliction defies this depressing trend; they never lose sight of who they are and why they play.
Having said this, their musicianship does leave something to be desired. Clarity is something I hold dear to my heart, and it is something Amity lacked. I couldn’t hear any of the synth very clearly, if at all. Axemen Clint Splattering & Troy Brady aren’t the cleanest players around, either. Vocally, I feel that main man Joel Birch struggled increasingly throughout the set to deliver his growls. His performance was salvaged by Bassist Ahren Stringer who surprised me with his clean vocals, which were clear and concise. Only towards the end did his voice begin to wain slightly, drowning in the distorted mess that is The Amity Affliction – albeit, a fucking awesome distorted mess.
Overall, though, Amity & co. put on an amazing show well worth the $30. I wouldn’t hesitate to see them again the next time they tour, and neither should you. If you’ve heard about The Amity Affliction and aren’t sure what to think, going to one of their live shows should sort that out for you; Awesome.
Michael Sturtridge