Sunk Loto @ Caringbah Bizzo's,Sydney (24/03/06)

Mon 27th Mar, 2006 in Gig Reviews

The doors opened at 8, and the crowd started to roll in. Before you knew it, it was 8:45 and the first bands were on stage. On late notice with Drive To Grace unavailable, Fifty Sixx did a great job. A band I hadn’t heard before, they are a 5-piece that have only been gigging for about 3 months. With the energy they produce, and the good hardcore sound, they are bound to be seen again

After their set, it was onto Tripgauge. A band I had heard the name of, but not much of their work. Again they proved to be another energetic band, and the singer’s voice was excellent, they were heavier than Fifty Sixx. With Tripgauge finished, it only meant one thing – it was for Sunk Loto to grace the stage. There was mention that they were going to play a few new songs, which is always good, but of course you want to hear the hits you know and love also.

The lights went down and the roll out music started. Dane, Luke, Sean, and Jason hit the stage and began with the opening track from Between Birth and Death – their second album – 5 Years of Silence. With the opening riff chunkier than ever and Jason belting out their screaming intro, it was a great way to start the night, and the crowd went nuts. This is a song that shows the lengths that his voice can go to. From there they went straight into Erased, another song from their second album, and you could see the boys were really enjoying themselves on stage. One of my fave songs from Between Birth and Death, Empty and Alone, was the next song they played. The grunt the boys play with is amazing, you can tell by the expression on Luke’s face he is loving it up there.

The began playing Fall Apart, with Luke doing some backing vocals. From here they started playing some of the new stuff; which we were all looking forward to hearing. The song was named In Darkness, and is much heavier from the band – is this a sign for what is going to be on the new album? They then went back to playing a song from the second album, Inside, with the high noted intro; this signalled for the punters to get back into it and start going apeshit. The track is really different compared to the majority of songs on the album, but it’s great live.

Another loud song from the boys, Public Imagery again showed the levels Jason can sing at, even though it was a much heavier version of the song. From here they moved into another new song named Stay Away, again heavy, very heavy in face! This was followed by Help, which is one of the most melodic songs by the band on the second LP, with a very cool guitar intro and Jason singing at a great pitch.

Another new song followed, Death In Satisfaction, which was again heavy… a lot heavier than the stuff they have written before. Soul Worn Thin from the second album was up next, with a cool intro where the drums take the lead, and with spoken word vocals through the verses it proved to be a great song. They then played Spherical Hostage, which is the only song they played off their first album Big Picture Lies – which I found strange, as it isn’t one of the better-known songs off the album. They then finished with Burning Bridges. With the whispering opening lyrics and the great guitar riffs, it sounded great and a perfect way to leave the crowd in awe.

You have to hang around and hope for an encore, and with the punters yelling out, “SUNK LOTO, SUNK LOTO,” it was bound to happen. They returned to the stage and thanked the support acts, then the crowd, and then launched in to some old songs from their first EP. First was Lift, which got the crowd going insane. As much as the boys have matured over the years, this old stuff from the EP will always hold a dear place in my heart! From there they finished their night with the first big song… Vinegar Stroke, which proves to still be an amazing song live.

All in all, it was a great night with great support acts, and Sunk played perfect. I can’t wait for their new CD, and the ensuing tour!