Vans Boys of Summer Tour @Billboard The Venue, Melbourne(11/01/2008)

Mon 21st Jan, 2008 in Gig Reviews

It has now been three years in the running for the Boys Of Summer Tour and these three years have seen an extensive variety in not only the list of talent but also the variation in music genres. In ‘05 the Boys of Summer Tour set its debut with our very own Parkway Drive joined by Florida’s hardcore heroes Evergreen Terrace. The year of ‘06 saw a break but we were reunited with the tour in ‘07 with Aussie metalcore militia I Killed The Prom Queen who mastered the stage. They were also backed by the absolute brutality of Misery Signals, straight out of Wisconsin.

Let’s be honest. There’s no better way to kick off the beginning of 2008 and the tour has crept up on us once again. Mind you, the double kick eased off a little and swung more towards screamo and your straight-down-the-line punk. This year it was Silverstein’s turn to have a shot at the title and they had solid support, some of which have been climbing the ladder of success with no intention of looking back.

Round one was on time with Victoria’s Capeside punching out their electro punk beats to rev it up a little. Even though these kids established themselves in – œ05, they’ve been on the support list for some rippers and I’m sure there’ll be many more.

It’s like a lyrical itch on the back of your neck that just won’t give up without a fight. I’m talking about Deez Nuts of course. Deez Nuts in your mother f—kin’ mouth! Sporting a support list that is as long as your toilet roll, they’re popping up left right and centre. Their fan base has built itself to the heights of the masses and is still growing. Many of us do believe in the metaphor – œthird time lucky’, but not for me this time. It just didn’t cut it for me again. I simply cannot grasp the vocal of these guys. But who really gives two sh-ts, others don’t seem to agree with me. Cheesy lyrics and stereotypical imagery tend to tickle the fancy of many. Deez Nuts’ current EP has sold beyond expectation, as has their merch which I’ve seen many crew sporting on a regular occasion. Their beats were put to the test. Opening with ‘There’s a Party Over Here’, followed by ‘Sex Cells’, easily had the crowd in control. They closed with their EP titled track ‘Rep Your Hood’. No doubt we’ll be seeing much more of front man JJ Peters and his army.

Shortly to follow Deez Nuts was Set Your Goals and it was a first for these Californians to swing by Australia on their world tour. When they hit the stage for the third round, the response from the fans was epic. Opening their set was ‘This Very Moment’’ , taken from their most recent album Mutiny. The pit slowly circled and the fellas on the floor were swinging left to right. ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’, ‘Work In Progress’ and a dedication to Deez Nuts – ‘How – œBout, No Scott?’ – were some others. I do have to mention that the vocal collaboration of mini man Matt Wilson and Jordan Brown make the perfect combination to piece together what, I guess, you could call pop punk with a sprinkle of hardcore. An exceptional performance by Set Your Goals, topped off with ‘This Song is Definitely not About a Girl’.

The second last support was Queensland’s The Amity Affliction. I have been a fan of these guys from day one and was devastated after their original vocalist Garth Buchanan announced his departure. The band discussed a possible separation in – œ06, yet their talk was cheap. Shortly after, the band re-formed with new recruit Joel Birch on the mic. Bassist/vocalist Ahren Stringer is still going strong and kept it all together. Ironically, I have never had the chance to see these fellas live until this evening and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Kicking off was ‘RIP Steggie’ where the double kick made its comeback. The Amity Affliction have two EPs and they only performed four tracks from their recent ‘07 release ‘High Hopes’, so it seemed like a short and sweet set. Eventually the time wasn’t their enemy. This may have had something to do with repetitive distortion but in the end, and without his bass, Ahren came out with full vocal aggression to finish their set with ‘New Song’. It was the best act I’d seen so far for the night.

The final round of the night was Silverstein. This is the third trip to Oz for the Canadian five piece and, furthermore, the third opportunity to headline. Straight in your face with ‘Bodies And Words’, followed by my favourite ‘If You Could See Into My Soul’. They balanced their set with ease, pulling tracks from LPs Discovering The Waterfront and the ‘07 release Arrivals And Departures. At this point in time, enthusiasm was struck by fury and the pit circled bigger. I wasn’t really sure if the security running this event was familiar with these kinds of gigs. One security guard up the front was keen as mustard to throw a fun-struck fan straight out the door for his participation in crowd surfing. Coincidently he was part of Silverstein’s crew. The show stopped and the messy situation was bought to our attention when front man Shane Told had a go at the guard. Really, the joke was then on the security guard when he received a few eye daggers and a couple of empty water bottles to the head. As they soldiered on, ‘Smile In your Sleep’ kept everyone motivated, as did ‘First Wrapped in Blood’. An encore was due, featuring ‘Smashed into Pieces’. An hour of firm instrumental and vocal with not a trace of distortion; Silverstein at their best.