Bring Me

The Horizon

w/Cancer Bats and the Red Shore

The Tivoli – Brisbane, 17th May, 2009.

Arriving to a sold out Tivoli, one could see the mass of terrible dye jobs and hacked up haircuts and figure they’d accidentally stepped into a Bad Hair Convention. (Un)fortunately this was not the case, with the masses of black shirts denoting tonight’s massive deathcore lineup. Evidently the golden rule “don’t wear the band’s shirt to the show” doesn’t apply tonight, or perhaps the overabundance of hairproduct impedes comprehension in this particular scene.

Aussie quintet The Red Shore kick off tonight’s proceedings, amidst such thundering applause and enthusiasm that could convince even the most knowledgeable onlooker that the Geelong rockers were actually headlining. With bass heavy enough to make your pants vibrate, the Victorians’ brand of deathcore is a surefit hit with the audience, as the band churn out crowd favourites from Unconsecrated and 2006’s EP, Salvaging What’s Left. As energetic frontman Jamie Hope will demonstrate, the band have truly salvaged what’s left, choosing to continue with their music career after a 2007 car crash claimed the life of their vocalist and merchandiser.

It’s not often that the local support band will receive chants for an encore, with The Red Shore leaving the stage among demands for exactly that. The fans are left disappointed, however, as the band don’t reappear, instead setting the mark impossibly high for the Canadian Cancer Bats. The four Canucks bounded on stage with ferocity and enthusiasm, but failed to hit the mark with what should have been the perfect audience. Ordinarily, the band’s blend of hardcore, punk and metal would have gone off a treat with the heavily pierced and eyelinered masses, however the band seemed to sit like an awkward middle child between two family favourites.

While those in the pit are inevitably enjoying it, the majority of the 1500 in attendance seem utterly bored by Scott Middleton, Mike Peters, and Jaye Schwarzer’s performance, or perhaps they’re simply distracted by vocalist Liam Cormier’s hillbilly-esque flaccid mohawk. After a lifetime the Bats eventually leave the stage, and the masses of prepubescent girls in shirts proudly stating “I partied naked with Bring Me The Horizon” begin to scream in anticipation. They’re not made to wait long, however, and the screaming reaches fever pitch as the boys from Sheffield, England soon bounce onstage and kickstart the violence.

As is sometimes the case with female fronted symphonic metal acts, the vocalist receives most of the limelight, with other members of the band fading into the background. This too is the case with Bring Me The Horizon (affectionately abbreviated to BMTH), as all eyes are on frontman Oli Sykes tonight. In spite of sexist lyrics and being accused of assaulting and urinating on a woman, Sykes and the rest of the band have attracted hordes of adoring fans, with tonight being the band’s fourth visit to the Sunshine state.

While definitely not this reviewer’s cup of tea, BMTH are definitely entertaining as they jump and flail endlessly throughout the set. Due to a combination of problems with the PA and the excessively heavy bass, Sykes’ vocals are largely indecipherable, although that doesn’t stop the crowd from matching his deep growls and screeches that are reminiscent of tortured seagulls. ‘Blessings single Pray for Plagues is requested by the audience, and interestingly enough dedicated to a female in the front row – incredibly amusing when you consider that the recording samples the audio of a sex tape between Sykes and a fan.

Playing only a few tracks from 2006’s Count Your Blessings including crowd favourite For Stevie Wonder’s Eyes Only (Braille), the band opt for a set consisting largely of tracks from 2008’s release, Suicide Season. The crowd go apeshit for Suicide’s The Comedown, Diamonds Aren’t Forever, It Was Written in Blood, and Sleep With One Eye Open, proving that the depature taken from the traditional deathcore sound of Count Your Blessings was worth it. What Pray for Plagues was to Count Your Blessings, Chelsea Smile is to Suicide Season, and calls for a Wall of Death leave Tivoli security scrambling.

Relying on the assumption that the crowd actually enjoyed the previous set, Oli Sykes calls on Cancer Bats frontman Liam Cormier as they play Death Breath – a move that seems to detract from the performance more than anything. Cormier matches Sykes’ screeching and bouncing step for step, but his enthusiasm is lost on the crowd, as this reviewer can practically feel the crowd’s collective thought – ‘NEEDZ MOAR OLI SYKES’. When Sykes eventually regains control of the stage, however, his potentially humorous banter is lost in translation, as the Sheffield accent coupled with PA problems render him unintelligible.

The band then leave the stage, only to be ushered back moments later for the obligatory encore: the title track of Suicide Season. If the crowd are on their last legs, you wouldn’t know it, with the moshing and crowd violence growing stronger than ever. Hell, even some brave 8 year olds and their dad are getting into it. With one last growl, Oli Sykes’ and his merry band of nobodies slink from the stage, leaving the audience confused as to whether that really was their last song. The hordes of tired, injured, and poorly styled teens slowly proceed to the lobby, looking sated and mutilated.

Earlier in the night you’d have been forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled into a Bad Hair Convention – now the place resembles something like a symposium of drowned rats.

Review by jerrydazzlepants