IN FLAMES and NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS are happy to announce exclusive anniversary vinyl re-issues of the band’s …
STORIES w/ Polaris + Belle Haven + Vitals – 11 February 2016 – Crowbar, Brisbane
Gig fashion is a curious beast.
On one hand you want to look the part and rep that pristine merch. Yet on the other, it’s 25 degrees outside, humid as shit and likely hotter downstairs in Crowbar this evening, so why on God’s hateful earth would you be wearing a beanie AND a hoodie? We guess it’s a good sign that so many amateur photographers have rocked up for happy snaps of Sydneysiders Stories this evening, capturing this rare and perplexing occurrence with flash rigs worthy of a grand final sideline.
Vitals // Photo: Matt Warrell
First up are Sunny Coast locals Vitals, tasked with the tough job of taking a defibrillator to a Thursday night crowd that appears largely content with staring at smartphones, copping face tatties and maxing-out ASOS accounts. Can their blend of ‘alternative hardcore’ à la Dead Swans and Capsize bring them to life? Well, kind of. While certainly not a shock, their performance is more a loosely connected series of jolts. Front man Corey A. gives the set a red hot crack, but his bellowed lyrics are indecipherable, having the effect of reading one’s diary out the window of a speeding car like it’ll start a pedestrian mosh. Their set is mostly competent, sporting some nice dynamic crests. We’d like to see where they could go with more focus and clarity, buffing out those edges. This aside, tracks like Vomit get the fervent few up front nodding and nugging, fulfilling the bands request on their Facebook page for tonight’s event: ‘Come, hang, nod ya head.’ With such a simple scale for measuring success, this crowd ticks all the boxes.
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With [Belle Haven] bouncing off the walls, closer Hunt for Health manages to open a shallow pit and bring their set to a well-deserved finish.
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Venturing upstairs for a sneaky pint of the house lager, we gaze around the room of Crowbar Black, taking in the record covers and gig posters that adorn the wall. A track from Pantera’s Vulgar Display of Power comes through the P.A. and this has us pondering, ‘What’s Phil Anselmo thinking right now?’ Something something ‘Master Race’… something something necking a bottle of Coolabah … Walk is still a mad note, but pull ya fucking head in Phil.
Belle Haven // Photo: Matt Warrell
Descending the stairs to the basement, Melbourne boys Belle Haven are on. The crowd has noticeably thickened and the room soon becomes an amalgam of chaotic metalcore and sweaty bodies. Speaking to us in the loading bay prior to doors opening, vocalist David Vernon speaks very fondly of touring with heavyweights Norma Jean both here and throughout the U.S. “The whole thing feels like a dream,” Vernon says, going on to mention that the band, “ended up touring with people we’ve looked up to for years, became friends with them and inserted ourselves into their lives.”
This experience appears to have sharpened their set considerably, with tracks from their Everything Ablaze album placing the crowd in the palm of their collective hands, all flayed limbs and infectious energy. Vernon takes a short reprieve from shrieking between songs to espouse sentiments of family & freedom, and during Closet he leaps down from the stage, draped in a flag with a giant eye, and emphatically screams a lyrical chant in to the unsuspecting faces of patrons. With the entire band bouncing off the walls, closer Hunt for Health manages to open a shallow pit and bring their set to a well-deserved finish.
As Polaris set up their gear and perform a swift sound check, we ruminate on them being the X-Factor of tonight’s bill. The independent release of their The Guilt & The Grief EP pretty much blew iTunes up, and stormed its way through the ARIA charts. For some young kids from Sydney, without a fancy marketing campaign, that shit is damn impressive.
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We laconically sip our beer, watch the enthusiastic crowd move up front of stage, and wonder how these wunderkinds aren’t sporting UNFD laminates yet.
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We laconically sip our beer, watch the enthusiastic crowd move up front of stage, and wonder how these wunderkinds aren’t sporting UNFD laminates yet. Do they have the live chops to back up their quick rise? Can ARIA success actually translate to kids showing up and giving a shit, in this pay-whatever-the-fuck-you-feel-its-worth digital age? The answer to both questions is a resounding ‘ken oath.
Polaris // Photo: Matt Warrell
When the first notes of the Polaris set ring in, the crowd hits a genuine fever pitch, bouncing and heaving in sync with the band, screaming back choruses at vocalist Jamie Hails’ every whim. Polaris work the room like seasoned pros with Hails’striking vocal range and bassist Jake Steinhauser hitting all the high notes, showing that his cleans aren’t just studio enhancements. The mix is massive and punchy as fuck. Double-kick cacophonies hit us right in the chest cavity with every colossal, djenty slam. Even their older material warrants a passionate response from the crowd, but its new tracks like Unfamiliar and No Rest people clamour for. Closing out with Regress, there’s really no denying that these guys will be fucking huge before too long. Believe the hype, because the dudes in Polaris are absolutely killing it right now.
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With this being the first show on The Youth To Become tour, and backed by such a solid line up, we’re confident that Stories are only just getting started.
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Waiting for the headliners to make an entrance, we head upstairs and our attention turns once again to the P.A. Choice cuts of Fear Factory, System Of A Down and a track off the self-titled Korn record. And it’s right about here that our mind fractures, with two simultaneous realisations: 1) Calling a song Faget is likely still controversial/hurts fee-fees 22 years down the road, and 2) there are kids at this gig tonight born after said record came out in 1994. Safe to say we’re getting old, but high school was still pretty sick right? (NO – ed.)
Stories // Photo: Matt Warrell
Stories finally take the stage and leap right into a furious set, with focus entirely on their The Youth To Become debut album. Shedding their djent-metalcore roots in favour of a Define The Great Line era Underoath revival sound, Stories ebb and flow effortlessly on rivers of melodic guitars, driving rhythms, hefty amounts of feedback and mid-range screams from vocalist Morgan Dodson. “We’re just keen to get on the road and headline our own tour,” says Dodson, as we checked the pulse of the band from the back entrance of Crowbar before the gig kicked off. Drummer Roscoe chimed in too, mentioning that “they’ll be playing the most requested songs off their album tonight and can’t wait to see the turnout.” And while maybe not generating the sudden impact that Polaris had on the crowd, tonight is still definitely a Stories show, with the call & response of lyrics showing that fans are here in droves. Tracks like Under Haze and Zuko keep the momentum going, but it’s the slow-burn pace of stand-out Alone In The Fallout that truly shines, with an impassioned vocal performance and nary a Nuka-Cola or caps stash in sight. With this being the first show on The Youth To Become tour, and backed by such a solid line up, we’re confident that Stories are only just getting started.
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BONUS STORIES PICTURE GALLERY BY MATT WARRELL
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THE YOUTH TO BECOME TOUR – Remaining Dates
with special guests BELLE HAVEN, PERSPECTIVES, POLARIS
Friday February 12 – Red Rattler, Sydney
Sunday February 28 – RAD Bar, Wollongong
Friday March 4 – Enigma Bar, Adelaide
Saturday March 5 – Workers Club, Melbourne
Vinyl + ticket packages also available at 24Hundred.net
