Confession @ Amplifier, Perth(06/11/10)

Wed 10th Nov, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Confession, led by Hardcore veteran Michael Crafter rolled into Amplifier on Saturday Night as part of their national Keeping it Bogan tour. The Melbourne outfit and supports delivered sets full of energy, and a cover of 90’s hit Break Stuff ensured all in the sweat drenched capacity crowd were shouting along. Before the gig had even begun Amplifier’s now infamous dress code had struck again, with numerous punters who had purchased tickets being turned away for wearing shorts and hoodies, ironically in many cases, Confession merch. This issue needs to be urgently addressed as the dress code truly baffles the mind. The stage room in Amplifier easily reaches temperatures of 35 degrees at capacity, yet the venue bans shorts; half of the venue is outdoors, exposing patrons to the elements, yet hoodies are banned for “security reasons”. Surely compromises should be made if people have paid money to see a band and are wearing clothing that is appropriate to the show they are attending.

Despite this initial setback, there was a buzz inside the venue, with all in good spirits. Warming up the formidable early bird crowd were relative newcomers I Am Eternal. The band is comprised of individuals who have made their name in past metal bands across the Perth scene. The decent sized crowd appeared apprehensive about getting too involved as the band launched into a set of melodic death metal. The band’s set was dynamic and tightly executed. No doubt the members’ past experience on stage lent a hand to tonight’s confident and near flawless set. With an EP release on the horizon, it is a sure thing that the Perth scene will be seeing a lot more of these guys sharing the stage with many national acts.

In the true spirit of the Keeping it Bogan tour, Perth’s own Mandalay Victory took to the stage decked out in flanno shirts, short shorts and liberal amounts of Jim Beam branded attire. The award for best dressed had to go to Bassist Alex Earle, whose outfit was complemented by two empty Fosters cans hanging from the headstock of his bass. This is a band that can seem to do no wrong; over the course of the last 12 months they have released an album and seen their fan base grow exponentially. Tonight’s crowd response only further illustrated this fact – almost overshadowing the nights headliner.

Opening their set with Perth’s own ode to the weekend P.A.R.T Why? Because I Gotta the packed out room went wild. Vocalist Dane Warren demonstrated why he is one of the best front-men in Perth, literally bouncing across the stage with a seemingly endless amount of energy.

Mid-set there was a problem with one of the amplifiers, a situation which would cause panic among many bands, however Mandalay managed to use it to their advantage instigating a band and crowd sing along of Pennywise punk anthem Bro Hymn, which proved to be a highlight of the night. With the amp problem fixed, the band ripped through the rest of their set with every person in the room along for the ride. Ending with their upcoming single Whispers, the boys showed there is no slowing this force down. Even with technical difficulties tonight’s set showed Mandalay Victory have the talent and the fan base to match it with the country’s finest.

With the extremely difficult job of following a local band with a massive following Sydney Hardcore outfit Relentless hit the stage for their first ever Perth appearance. Although it could be said they were the odd band on the bill with every other band having more of a metal flavour to their credit, Relentless were more than happy to unleash their own brand of old-school, in-your-face hardcore onto the slightly dispersed crowd. Whilst the music may have sounded a tad dated in contrast to Confession and Mandalay Victory, the performance could not be faulted or criticised for a lack of effort and aggression. The set consisted mostly of new material from their latest release Set in Stone and managed to win some of the much-needed support any hardcore band needs to continue on the national circuit.

Stepping onto the stage around 11pm, Confession ripped into Send a Meat Truck the opening track from their acclaimed 2009 debut album Cancer with crowd and band bouncing up and down in unison.

Only a couple of songs into their set, Crafter announced “we’re gonna play a song by a band called Limp Bizkit, from a time most of your look like your from” and whilst on an individual level, many would be ashamed to admit to liking a bit of Limp, the buzzing room received the news with universal applause. As Confession launched into Break Stuff the packed-out room exploded with a burst of energy, chanting “it’s just one of those days” and almost drowning out the deep growls of Crafter.

As the set continued Confession proved to be a well-oiled touring machine, with an undeniable confidence and stage presence from the entire band. Whilst packing the professional goods, Confession still looked as if they were enjoying themselves, throwing and spitting water on each other at every possible opportunity. The night was rounded out by fan favourite That’s Not the Goose leaving an exhausted,yet satisfied crowd to look forward to their upcoming appearance at December’s No Sleep ‘till Perth festival.