Extortion, 4 Dead, Extortion,SXWZD @ ANU Bar, Canberra(13-08-2010)

Sun 22nd Aug, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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Fans of the heavy and hard-hitting gathered on a Black Friday at ANU Bar to take part in the ritual of the circle pit orchestrated by the frantic and chaotic noise of Perth hardcore crew Extortion.

A plethora of those with stretched ears and sleeve tattoos donning black skinny legs, checkered shirts and saggy beanies congregated towards the stage when Adelaide’s SXWZD (a la Sex Wizard) began the night’s processions; oozing out droning riffs that set the mood for the night. Taking the Melvins/Kylesa approach, with two drummers, SXWZD failed to achieve the same result of intricate polyrhythmic intricacies their sludge brethren achieved, rendering the second kit somewhat superfluous, however the groove was still there. Thankfully the beer was well and truly flowing as the set was a bit too sloppy to fully sink one’s teeth into; few seemed to mind the lengthy pauses between songs with the night still young. Nevertheless, SXWZD offered a good entrée for the rest of the night.

I Exist got the ball well and truly running; the Canberrans offering their blend of THC stained doom and violent teeth grinding hardcore to an initially hesitant crowd. Having just released their superb debut LP I:A Turn For the Worst, the locals were enthusiastic and hyperactive onstage, the four guitarists playfully choreographing their performances in a pseudo glam rock style. However this by no means hindered the intensity of the performance, the band as tight and assaulting as ever. Breaking down the fourth wall and getting down amongst the crowd, I Exist chided and lured the punters up to the front rail where the intensity was multiplied, the set finishing on a solid high note, horns raised high.

The penultimate act, 4 Dead (a.k.a Four Dead a.k.a Four Fucking Dead) maintained the anticipation that began to frantically circulate, pummeling out slab after slab of hard hitting guttural shrieking stained noise. An energetic and well executed set got the blood pumping and the sweat pouring.

The night truly owned to Extortion – who was nothing short of brilliant; a well oiled machine who’s members functioned like a fully cohesive unit to deliver track after track of relentless overdriven hardcore punk. There was seldom a moment of silence during the set, barely a second of rest was granted before the next song began, pummeling the audience into submission. The short, abrupt songs, rapid shifts in tempo and rhythm were an assault to the senses, sending an already fervent crowd rabid. The range and dexterity Extortion put on display was breath taking, swinging from the fastest authentic blast-beat hardcore punk to the slowest, filthiest sludge one could fathom.

As the room emptied, the only question remaining was just how long Canberra must wait for Extortion to visit again.

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