Live Reviews : Karnivool (Adelaide) – 28/06/2009

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Karnivool

w/ Sugar Army

HQ – Adelaide, 28th June 2009.

Sunday night. Not your usual session at HQ. A line of punters clad in Karnivool tees and hoodies snakes around the building. Once the mammoth crowd begins to steam into the venue, the masses flock to the booths and upstairs perches; only a handful of devout admirers consolidate their spots at the barrier. Despite the sell-out crowd, the venue remains surprisingly spacious; the disco-ball suspended from the ceiling somewhat incongruous with the rock gig vibe. The merch stand is constantly teeming with cash-yielding individuals; a testament to the Vool’s hold over Adelaide. Queens of the Stone Age, Rage Against the Machine and The Butterfly Effect tracks prove popular with the crowd.Western Australian boys Sugar Army take to the stage and it is clear from the outset that their catchy bass lines and beats are somewhat cheapened by lacklustre lyrics. This JJJ Unearthed artist manage to make up for crippling lyrical deficiencies by putting forth an amazing fusion of guitar, bass and percussion. Drummer powerhouse Jamie Sher is the unequivocal stand out – drumming as if one with the beat; a breathtaking synthesis of delicacy and brutality. Sporting an impressive top-knot, Sher appears hungered by the musicality pulsating through his veins – in stark contrast to vocalist Patrick McLaughlin who is clearly trying too hard to adopt an Ian Curtis-esque approach to singing. The result is slightly reminiscent of a strung-out Phil Jamieson or Kavyen Temperley, complete with contrived claps and emotional restraint. Each bearing a slight resemblance to school-age science students, guitarist Todd Honey and bassist Ian Berney offer Adelaide solid displays of their respective talents. Paying homage to a large, lone blue light fitting, Berney jovially jokes about branding the show “a blue light disco”. The band executes a selection of tracks including ‘…And Now You’re Old Enough, I Think That You Should Know’ before bidding goodnight to Adelaide, spurring the beginning of eager anticipation for Karnivool.

The lights dim to signify the impending arrival of Karnivool, spurring the obligatory chorus of the band’s name and high-pitched screams and whistles. A short clip projected through several columns of LCD screens provides the band’s introduction to the stage. In the rather eerie light provided by the LCD screens, Ian Kenny wobbles on stage, resembling a haunted marionette. For the duration of the show, Kenny resembles a bobble-head figurine, his head lolling around on his body whilst he tears the roof off the venue with his spine-shattering lyrical and vocal ability. Referring to the Adelaide crowd as “sexy motherfuckers” and adopting the term “Radelaide”, Karnivool open with ‘Simple Boy’, followed by ‘Goliath’, the first two tracks from their latest offering, ‘Sound Awake’. The boys launch into ‘Shutterspeed’ from their 2005 release, ‘Themata’, and the crowd is reeling. Throughout, the light show is nothing short of spectacular. Kenny’s stage antics are typically well-received by the crowd, but may conceivably brand him a mad conductor of sorts. Crouching on the floor, Kenny sings almost to the ground, often locking his jaw and outstretching his arms, as if to profess something to the crowd.

Hovering over a Pearl kit with a green-glitter finish, drummer Steve Judd is Karnivool’s backbone, providing the launch pad from which guitarists Drew Goddard and Mark Hosking spring into action. Rocking a Warwick Corvette 6-string, bassist John Stockman similarly showcases his raw musical ability. Perfectly executed tracks from ‘Themata’, including ‘Cote’, ‘Fear Of The Sky’, and ‘Roquefort’ spur the launching of many crowd surfers over the barrier and into the arms of stout security. The crowd embraces a selection of songs from newly-released ‘Sound Awake’, including ‘New Day’, ‘Set Fire To The Hive’, Deadman’, ‘All I Know’ and ‘Umbra’. The flawless execution of the ‘sensory serenity’ that is ‘Themata’, indeed proves that Karnivool transcend most other Australian acts.

Adelaide is awarded one encore, and akin to other cities on this tour, the band play ‘Change’ as their final offering. After witnessing an entire crowd get lost in this live experience, there is no doubt Karnivool will continue to bring light to the scene in the years to come. Two remaining WA shows will conclude the Sound Awake Tour – Perth, enjoy!

Setlist:

Simple Boy
Goliath
Shutterspeed
Cote
New Day
Fear Of The Sky
Deadman
All I Know
Umbra
Themata
Set Fire To The Hive
Roquefort
Change