Parkway Drive, The Devil WearsPrada, The Ghost Inside, 50Lions, @ Convention Centre(25/9/10)

Tue 28th Sep, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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Day 8 of the Deep Blue Tour brought Australia’s famous beach boys, Parkway Drive, to the Capital. Over a thousand strong, the crowd swamped the merchandise table and entered the spacious Convention Centre. The well furnished interior and wide open floor made it the perfect venue. It was a shock to see how unused this fantastic venue is. The stage sat ambiently in the centre of the floor with smoke pouring off the sides. The lights went down and a lonesome Oompa Loompa took the stage. He roused the crowd with a short dance before surrendering the spotlight to 50 Lions.

With less than half of the attendees of the night actually in the centre, the Byron Bay brothers played to a pathetic crowd. They slowly ticked off songs from their new record Where Life Expires. Some religious fans provided a choir of off-key sing-a-longs and thrashed to the older hardcore punk tunes of Faithless. The night was off to a quick start with 50 Lions finishing to a restless crowd.

Up next was an American assault from The Ghost Inside. The crowd flushed forward and large poster hangings of their newest album Returners flanked the stage. The floor was set and the five-piece blasted their way into their mesmerising set. People rushed left to right as Vigil provided some mic grabs while the thundering bass with the melodic guitar shook the walls. The incredible breakdowns and fast paced riffs from Between The Lines sweated the crowd. Backs of shirts and voices from all sides screamed “WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR” while the band smashed away onstage.

Continuing the night’s prompt starts, the tired and beaten crowd quickly composed themselves for another all American set from The Devil Wears Prada. They smashed through hits from their discography including the opening track Sassafras from the newest addition With Roots Above And Branches Below and older favourites Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over. The overheads blared with the rash vocals from Mike Hranica while Jeremy DePoyster nailed the clean vocals, crushing all scepticism. The tight set was riddled with synchronised headbanging from the front five and. The six-piece group from Ohio was impressive, setting a high expectation for the headliners.

The lights dimmed for the last time and five youngsters walked out to greet a familiar crowd. Deep Blue t-shirts flashed from every direction, showing only a glimpse of their success. Breaking into their set, they played a satisfying selection from their three albums.

Winston screamed at the crowd while the rest of the band gave them the means to dance. The pit widened into a whirlpool when The Siren’s Song intro shredded its way through the monitors. The floor was a devastating wreckage by mid-set with crushed bottles, battered bodies and lost clothing littering the floor. But what would a hardcore concert be without the infamous Wall of Death? Sure enough, the crowd pleaser was conducted by Winston. Some guest vocals from 50 Lions and a short interlude allowed the stage hands to set up a surprise for the locals. Palm trees and a sunset backdrop replaced the stage, allowing the Canberrans to have a little taste of the beach. Inflatable boats and beach balls were in abundance and fishing poles made a short appearance, letting the crowd snag a free shirt. A few more songs and a return of the Oompa Loompa meant the night was at a close. The boys from Byron bid farewell.

To no surprise, Parkway Drive re-entered for an encore. Satisfying the crowd with Carrion and finally finishing with Boneyards, they concluded a perfect set. A second farewell and a short ‘Thank you’ later, patrons found themselves being ejected from the Centre to debate with the Floriade Nightfest attendees. Who had the better night?

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