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Live Reviews : Leprous, Voyager & The Helix Nebula @ The Factory Floor, Sydney 29/01/2016

By on January 30, 2016

Words: Martin Michea

Images: Mick Goddard

A brief storm at midday made way for a warm and pleasant Summer afternoon in Sydney. As the other times I have witnessed Voyager at the Factory Floor there is an event going on upstairs as well. This time Mexican wrestling (I was not aware that this was a thing).

Helix

The Helix Nebula

By the time doors opened the outside bar area was packed with people, a lot of them donning various metal band t-shirts. The first band of the night, Sydney’s The Helix Nebula, took the stage at 8.20. I have seen THN once in the past, when they opened for Ne Obliviscaris in 2014. Tonight, the same energy is present, but the performance overall feels a lot more seasoned. I’m not sure if it’s due to the fact that the sound at the Factory Floor is quite brilliant tonight, but it all sounds more clear and powerful at the same time. There was also a much better flow to the band’s set than back in 2014. More solid and more professional. Of course, the ability of the guys on stage is undeniable and just as mind-blowing the second time as the first. It makes me really happy that the turnout for the only local opener is better than expected, the room is almost completely filled already. I also had a look at the band’s merch and there were some truly gorgeous designs on their t-shirts!

And so the time had come for my personal highlight of the evening. This is my fourth time seeing Voyager since July 2014, and I will never grow tired of it. My only issue is that by now I could probably just start copying my former reviews of the band’s live performances. When the Perthians enters the stage the room is totally packed. It is already pretty hot, but it is about to get even hotter. Voyager opens up with the first track of 2011 release The Meaning of I: Momentary Relapse of Pain. The energy on-stage sets the bar for the rest of the set as the band blaze their way through hits like Lost, Hyperventilating and Stare Into The Night, but also other slightly less known songs from their latest album V, such as You, The Shallow and A Beautiful Mistake. The energy is the very reason for me falling in love with Voyager on that winter night in 2014, and it is what still gobsmacks me.

Voyager1

Voyager

I believe that showing the love for what you do on stage is one of the very key ingredients of being a great live band, and Voyager truly does that. In regards to on-stage antics, Simone Dow has to be mentioned first. This fantastic guitar player could slay demons, zombies and stormtroopers left, right and centre on stage. Without a doubt the most entertaining guitarist in the business, you’ll get your money’s worth just by watching her at work for sixty minutes. The rest of the band are not far behind though. Scott Kay and Alex Canion are teaming up on the right side of the stage to bring a lot of headbanging and entertainment for the Sydney crowd on this fantastic Friday evening. Danny Estrin’s soaring vocals are on point as ever. Ashley Doodkorte on the drums is a joy to watch, being almost as animated as Simone at times.

Voyager hasn’t released a new album since 2014, but there are still some new elements to their live show on this tour. The most notable one being their brand new single Misery is only Company. Just as expected, it was even better live, and you would never notice that it was the first time it was performed in front of an audience. Then we had the medley. The band created a “Battle of the Medleys” poll before the tour, each member having created their own medley. Scott Kay won the battle, and the crowd was treated to some awesome (and awful!) tunes. A special mention here to bassist Alex Canion who did a brilliant job with the vocals on not only Motörhead’s (R.I.P. Lemmy) Ace of Spades, but also the famous opening of Disturbed’s Down With the Sickness. Darude – Sandstorm (yes, really) also made a brief appearance in the medley, along with some other songs that will be revealed to those attending a show on this tour!

Voyager3

Voyager

Voyager are Australia’s best live band. Heck, they might even be the world’s best live band. Don’t believe me? Go and see them and prove me wrong!

I had been worried ever since this tour was announced that Leprous’ more calm and ambient type of prog metal would feel quite bleak compared to Voyager’s high energy set. However, it was clear from the get-go that the Norwegians would bring another massive hour of high quality music.

I never quite managed to get into Leprous’ music before the show, but the fact is that it works infinitely better on a stage than at home. Where Voyager relies on bucket loads of energy, Leprous are somewhat more withdrawn. Their powerful ambient backing tracks, combined with the absolute brilliance across the entire stage is extremely captivating. I could never quite describe with words what a Leprous set is like, you really have to go and see them to fully understand the experience.

Leprous

Leprous

I just have to point out here that just the fact that Leprous are standing on this stage in Sydney is quite remarkable. I was not overly familiar with the band before I heard about the tour with Voyager, but one can’t help thinking about how much it much cost a small band to travel over the entire world in order to play in front of a couple hundred people. I really admire any band that makes such a trip. I do hope that Leprous felt like they got rewarded for their troubles, because the audience’s energy was a lot higher than I had anticipated. Songs like The Flood and Rewind really got the crowd going.

Leprous is normally not my cup of tea, and it is probably not a band that I will fall in love with, but as a live band they are one of the better ones I have seen over the last couple of years. If you’re a fan of prog metal, or just great music in general, you simply cannot miss this tour.

Voyager are on tour now with Leprous. Don’t miss them in your city. Tickets on sale now!

Saturday, 30 January 2016 :: Amplifier Bar, Perth
Tickets: http://tickets.amplifiercapitol.com.au/Default.aspx?Event=56927

Friday, 5 February 2016 :: The Brightside, Brisbane
Tickets: http://thebrightsidebrisbane.oztix.com.au/Default.aspx?Event=56925

Saturday, 6 February 2016 :: The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne
Tickets: http://evelynhotel.oztix.com.au/Default.aspx?Event=56928

About

Martin is an aspiring music photographer/videographer. He is originally from the southern parts of Sweden and now he's living in Sydney, Australia. Thanks to his older sister, he got into Rammstein at the age of 9, and since then he's been into all types of metal/rock. He loves to combine photography and music, but also filming concerts and produce live material. Follow him on Twitter and check out his website.