Dead Letter Circus @ TheCorner Hotel, (06/06/2008)

Sun 8th Jun, 2008 in Gig Reviews

The last time Dead Letter Circus played at the Corner Hotel, was late 2007, supported by Bushido and Calling all Cars. It was, from memory, an extremely enjoyable night filled with carpark dramas and tight performances from the three bands on the night. Despite having a different line-up tonight, the anticipation for another great live show was building, yet the night could not have turned out any different.

Local band Rincon opened proceedings bursting with energy, each member clearly thrilled to be on stage, even if it was in a support slot. Paired with great sound and entertaining lighting, personal expectations for the set were high. Rincon did not disappoint. The boys from Melbourne unleashed a solid, tight set upon an appreciative audience, albeit only hinting at the potential rather than showcasing it and establishing themselves as an act to remember.

Main support came in the form of Sydney-based Many Machines on Nine (MM9), who brought a completely different vibe to the room. Combining drum-and-bass with a fair dollop of electro, MM9 walked where many had tried to in the past. Shortly into the set, the crowd was almost transfixed by MM9’s own brand of industrial-garage-metal-meets-electro-dance sounds, with more than a few patrons happily dancing away in the dark corners – even between songs.

Overall, MM9 appeared to have the stage factor right, delivering an energetic performance, which, after confessing to have driven in from Adelaide that morning, deserves to be commended. However, musically, whilst that tracks themselves are far from bad, they all appear to suffer from the same ailment – whilst enjoyable, all lacked the ability to stay with a punter’s memory to the end of the night. I found that MM9’s music lacked dynamics, and each track practically shared the same backbeat, but given time, MM9 may yet claim this niche genre of music as their own.

Dead Letter Circus veiled themselves in red shortly afterwards, in an entry almost exactly identical to their last performance here. The crowd milled around the front of the stage, all trying their hardest to secure the best vantage point, some even daring to peek under the curtain!

A short wait, and DLC burst onto stage, opening with two tracks from their much-loved self-titled EP, lifting the crowd into realms of pure delight and exaltation. The setlist itself was short, but well thought out, as they veered between tracks from the EP, and a few new tracks that they were continuing to road test. The only marked difference was that even though DLC appeared to be giving it their all, the band came across as rather tired and drawn, vocalist Kim Benzie’s trademark soaring vocals falling short on many occasions. The halfway mark of the set was lacklustre, almost as if the leaden energy from the stage had somehow spread out and channeled itself into the audience.

The purpose of the tour, was to launch Reaction, a teaser track from the highly anticipated full-length studio album tentatively cited for release early 2009. Fortunately, DLC pulled out all stops and delivered an amazing live rendition of the single to close the barely-to-the-hour set, leaving the audience wanting more, and restoring faith that it may have just been a one-off bad performance.

Dead Letter Circus have dropped significant hints at returning in November for another round of live shows and another new single. If current single Reaction is anything to go by, the hype surrounding the new album is more than justified. Hopefully, the strains of producing an album that showcases their potential is relieved by November, and one can look forward to a return to their trademark jaw-dropping, choral-inspiring live sets.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT HERE