Boys of Summer @ AmplifierBar, (24/01/09)

Tue 27th Jan, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Now in its fourth year running, The Boys Of Summer tour once again came screaming into Perth boasting one of its finest lineups thus far. At the top of the bill were Melbourne hardcore heroes Carpathian returning to Perth for the third time in 6 months. In Australia for the fourth time were veteran Canadian rockers Comeback Kid and rounding out the lineup was Rhode Island act Verse gracing our fine shores for the first time. A sold out and sweaty Amplifier Bar was the setting with the crowd’s spirits high for a night of world class hardcore and they did not go home disappointed.

Opening proceedings was Perth up and comers Something More. Playing to a much larger and far more enthusiastic crowd than usually seen for an opening band at Amplifier the boys took their opportunity by the throat and delivered a blistering set. Songs Heads Up and closer, Voices proved to be winners with the hardcore faithful; this is a band on the rise and one to watch this year.

As the room filled, the temperature began to rise with the pit becoming an increasingly sweaty wet mass of bodies. Verse hit the stage and wasted no time in getting the crowd moving, playing a set consisting mostly of material from their latest full length, Aggression. Vocalist Sean Murphy took some time out of the set to give an impassioned speech on the need for equality in the world today, garnering large cheers from the crowd. Considering this was their first trip to Australia, Verse seemed to already have a solid fan base in Perth with songs Hard to Breathe and New Fury featuring heavy crowd participation.

For a band that had played six shows in six days, Comeback Kid hit the stage with an abundance of energy. Opening with Talk is Cheap from their critically acclaimed Wake the Dead album, the boys from Canada could do no wrong, sending the sold out audience into a mosh frenzy. Tearing into crowd favourite Die Tonight guitarist turned frontman Andrew Neufeld instructed the crowd “go fucking crazy”. One overconfident punter attempted dive from the pole in the middle of the stage room only to find himself face first on the hard floor boards. A bit of blood and a pack of ice later the same individual was seen stage diving only a couple of songs later, highlighting the energy Comeback Kid bring to their live performance. Playing songs spanning their entire nine-year career, it was impossible to not be impressed by this tight outfit, showing once again why they are regarded as one of the best live hardcore acts in the world. Finishing their set with a blistering rendition of Wake the Dead Comeback Kid gave one final hit of energy, aggression and power to a crowd that was left wanting more.

After Comeback Kid’s stellar performance, the crowd was left asking the question had the promoters got the headliners the wrong way around? Comeback Kid had laid down the gauntlet and it was up to Carpathian to show that they deserved first billing on this monster tour. A clearly battle wounded Carpathian took to the stage at 11pm, guitarist Lloyd Carroll was on crutches after dislocating his knee at a show earlier in the week and was playing from a chair on the side of the stage, meanwhile vocalist Martin Kirby had come down with the flu. However the Melbourne boys were not making any excuses and ripped straight into Cursed from their Aria top twenty album Isolation. During Insomnia Carroll busted out a guitar solo surprising both the crowd and his band members reminding everyone that he was still there. Carpathian delivered a performance that Kirby himself described as coming from “the bottom of their hearts”.

The band pushed through adversity and played a brutal set, mostly consisting of songs from Isolation, whilst still throwing in older tracks End of The 1980’s, End of the World and Who the Fuck Taught You Snaps from their 2006 full length Nothing to Lose. Where Kirby struggled fans were more than happy to help out screaming every word, this was never more apparent than in set closer Sun Heights, in which the entire venue could be heard screaming “On my own against the world, and I’ve never felt so fucking cold”. One thing is for sure the boys from Carpathian should feel comfort in knowing that they are not on their own, with a fan base that continues to grow. Whilst their set may not have been as energetically charged as Comeback Kid’s, it was evident that Carpathian were sincere in giving their all to please their loyal fans and earning the respect of new ones.