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Live Reviews : The Ocean, Caligula’s Horse & Balloons Kill Babies @ The Brightside, Brisbane 11/04/15

By on April 12, 2015

Images: Amanda Brenchley
Words: Jake Patton

Being a relative newcomer to the whole progressive rock/metal genre, I couldn’t have picked a better time to pique my interest. With tours this year already consisting of Mastodon, Opeth and Germany’s The Ocean, Australians really are being given a lot to digest this year.

After heading into the Brightside, I was a little confused about the choice of band title for tonight’s opener. Having never heard of Balloons Kill Babies, I was unsure with what I was going to get. Initially I was waiting for the vocals to kick in through what seemed like a lengthy introduction of their set/first track, however I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was a tight knit 3-piece instrumental group. Their music was catchy and flowed really well, but I could not help but feel that maybe some vocals might have helped them out at times to really reinforce their brilliance. Nevertheless they seemed to have a good enough following with at least 5-6 people wearing their shirts, and they put on a good enough show that a few people headed over to pick up their EP after their set, so thats a true credit to the band.

Balloons Kill Babies

Balloons Kill Babies

I cannot shower enough praise on 5-piece Brisbane locals Caligula’s Horse and their energetic and enthusiastic approach to Prog/Alt rock. Having had the privilege of seeing them twice in a fortnight has really just reinforced for me that they are not only an exceptional live band, but an exceptional package altogether. Their set tonight consisted of a combination of older and more recent songs from “The Tide, The Thief and River’s End” and they managed to have most of the crowd captivated from the onset of their second song “This City has No Empathy”. It is very easy to see why these guys have a wealthy contingent of loyal fans with everything they do on stage being executed with perfection. Their style is fast, melodic, catchy, progressive, emotive and engaging. Having already supported Mastodon and now The Ocean this year, with a further Brisbane support upcoming with Prog masters Opeth in May and a performance at Progpower Europe 2015, now is the perfect time for anyone that is not already on the horse to be getting on it! What’s next for these guys? Soundwave 2016? I hope so!

Tonight has been a long time coming for a return to Australia for Germany’s The Ocean. Having tried last year to organise an early January 2015 tour, with that tour left in doubt after problems with their initial promoter, it is great to have The Ocean back in the country again to perform their latest album ‘Pelagial’ in full. There is a reason why ‘Pelagial’ has been a critically acclaimed album. From start to finish it takes you on one incredible journey. For those who may not be aware, ‘Pelagial’ is a concept album, with track titles that progressively describe the descent through the pelagic levels of the ocean – with each song getting darker as the album moves along to match the oceanic descent through the pelagic levels. It’s something quite unique and is done really incredibly well.

Caligula's Horse

Caligula’s Horse

The audience is treated to a visual and aural assault by The Ocean. From start to finish the band has a video running which accompanies their tracks. The video consists of, you guessed it, marine life (sharks, jelly fish, fish, etc) and it does a great job of conveying and fitting in well with the progression of the album. Initial clips only cover the ocean surface and as the album progresses the imagery shifts down through to the darker depths of the ocean. There were times where I found this video brilliant and mesmerising and it actually took my attention away from the actual band themselves on occasion.

The band members themselves perform really well. While more reserved than their energetic frontman, who managed to throw himself on top of the crowd a good 5-6 times during the set, they do a great job of helping pull the crowd on the journey that ‘Pelagial’ takes you on. Guitarist Robin Staps does a very good job of working the crowd, announcing towards the end that if the audience hadn’t had enough they should head down to Byron Bay for their free show tomorrow. The remaining instrumental band members all seem in their element in just performing and embracing the music they are playing.

Vocalist Loïc Rossetti is the real draw card of tonight. He has an incredible way with his voice with the ability to calmly deliver the softer, more spoken words on certain songs, and also soundingly deliver the harsher screamed parts without stretching his voice to the point where it sounded painful. Even times where he was performing a good meter away from the microphone stand you could hear him clear as day, which is a true credit to his ability to project his voice. He is certainly one of the more stronger vocalists I have seen in recent times. I remember reading previously that ‘Pelagial’ was originally conceived and written as an instrumental album, but I think they made the right choice with including his vocals on it.

The Ocean

The Ocean

The one detractor for the whole night is the sound difficulties experienced from Loïc’s microphone(s), something not experienced by the earlier bands. Before the band had even taken the stage there was a popping and crackling noise that broke in and out over the speakers which came from the first microphone that completely died on Loïc roughly four songs into the set. Then, after getting a second one, there was a lot of feedback which became progressively worse as the night went on.

However this slight issue didn’t stop the band from putting on a monumental performance and show. This is definitely a band you don’t want to miss while they are here in Australia, and they truly have to be seen to be experienced at their maximum potential. If you were on the fence about going to one of their shows then I strongly suggest you get out and experience this for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!

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