Rise Apollo launched their new album Issus at the Amplifier Bar, On Saturday night with support from three other Perth bands, Over Unity, Dekkanan and Mercurial.

Kicking off the night was the young Over Unity, who were excited to be playing at Amps and showcasing their sound. They made up for their youth and inexperience with their enthusiasm for the music, which they had put some actual thought into. Such lyrics as “I think therefore I am” reflected a more philosophical view, and showed that they were looking to convey a message deeper than just – œwe dig music’. The Indian chord progressions showed an eastern influence in their music particularly in their trancey rock instrumentals. Perhaps they could have done without their screamo efforts, but the young band have the potential and eagerness to succeed. Over Unity have their first EP coming out late 2009.

Dekkanan appeared on stage in a mixture of styles; Their front man appeared to have painted himself, and was wearing sunnies inside at night; the guitarist was in mod gear; the drummer was typically shirtless, while the bassist had raided Angus Young’s closet for his school boy shorts and blazer. First impressions left some audience members wondering what direction their music would take us. Unfortunately it was nowhere good; it quickly became clear that their music had as much direction as their style. The space age intro was promising, yet the sound was all over the place like a highschool band jamming in their parents’ garage. The pitch at times was just too high and painful to listen to. Their focus on stage seemed directed too much towards their quirky act as opposed to finding a rhythm. Thirteen slowed the tempo slightly, allowing the audience to hear a line or two from the lead singer’s whine and move to a distinguishable beat. Playing songs from their new album Portrait, some members of the supportive audience were pleased while for thers it was sweet relief when their unendurably long songs were over.

After a year-long break, Mercurial have returned to the stage. Wearing all black and jeans, the group’s cohesion was noticeable and refreshing after the previous band. They experimented with their sound, with lead singer using a megaphone to vary his voice and the use of synths to create a new aspect on their hardcore rock genre. While all the tracks sounded fairly similar to one another, the crowd responded well to the group with even a few naïve boys attempting to mosh. It seems Mercurial are back performing and already have fans looking out for their next show.

After three generous sets, Rise Apollo finally arrived on the stage to an eager crowd keyed up to hear the headlining act. Showing a level of professionalism well above their supports, even the band’s set up created pure anticipation for the crowd, providing an intense energy that fuelled the audience ready to explode when they began. Their unique brand of alternative rock caused the ground to shake, stirring up emotions in the listeners yet their dedicated following took more interest in the moshing aspect. The band demonstrated great respect for their supports and also their families and it was awesome to see their mums come and rock out. It was a shame when Dekannen vocalist Sean was welcomed to the stage to perform a duet with Ryan Carson and his screaming efforts did cause a few punters to walk out. Playing new tracks off their EP Issus the band introduced a purely instrumental song, demonstrating their incredible music ability. Unfortunately it was a short set lasting only about half the length of their supports yet the quality of music was infinitely improved and worthwhile. With their first headlining show and new EP release, Rise Apollo are finally on a road of their own.