Antiskeptic, Angela's Dish @Spectrum (12/08/06)

Mon 14th Aug, 2006 in Gig Reviews

Tonight, after being absent from Sydney stages for the past few years, Antiskeptic, armed with a new EP Monuments, took to the stage to test drive their album, live. But Antiskeptic gave no surprises. They delivered exactly what everybody expected, a fantastic live show, laced with an evident rock and roll experience and a clear tight-knit cohesion between band members.

It was very exiting as bodies piled into the tightly packed Spectrum and crammed around the minute stage.

Central Coast shiners Angelas Dish warmed up the crowd brilliantly. The Dish is becoming a very well known band indeed, and after playing recent supports for a rainbow of acts from After the Fall  to Behind Crimson Eyes. It is very justified to say, that along with their undeniable national popularity,  they are a hard act to follow. Many people sang out the lyrics to ‘Save Me’ and it was obvious that by the time they left, the mood was right for Antiskeptic to take the stage and keep audiences hooked.

The band sounded great in every aspect. The sound was crisp and not too loud. The lighting could not be called minimalist but was not over-done either. The technical effects were right for the bands style, the venue size and met every expectation.

Lead singer and guitarist, Andrew Kitchen, announced to everybody’s surprise that he had a cold. Listening to the vocal skill, you still knew that this was a man at his best. Every note was smooth and along with the instrumentals the overall sound was as precise as on the E.P. Bassist, Sean Daly, played execptionally well, projected a sound that did not conform to the usual deep metal notes one would expect drummed out of a five string. He sang along to the deep rhythms and again every note was in place. Drummer, Nick Coppin, did not have to compete for any attention. From the back of the stage, every beat was heard and was an obvious essential driving point for the rock vibes that were the end product of this rocking co-op.

The trio that makes up Antiskeptik fitted well onto the small stage. It was not clear which band member wore the frountman title. The audience focus was shared amoung each member of the band, and they played together, all well-practised and deeply engauging showmen.

As was promised, ‘Dancing on The Inside’ was played first. It was perfect for showing just what the band were capable of. The instrumental intro seemed to go for a while and built up a crescendo to the voice everybody was keen to hear. It was still the same voice as all those years ago, and it was established by these first 30 seconds that the entry fee was worth paying.

The most impressive part of the set was the song ‘Beautiful In White’. It began with a glorious vocal solo by Kitchen and Daly and made every eyelash flutter in the cheering crowd which had fallen silent. The cheers erupted again as the pop-punk guitar sounds began rolling out afterwards. ‘Beautiful In White’ is one of those songs that glows with simplicity and is just the type to become everyone’s favorite.

Antiskeptic spent a large amount of time on stage and did not once show any signs of fatigue. It was evident in every strum, beat and note that they were enjoying themselves. And so was the crowd as they called for an encore at the conclusion. Two more songs were played, and again the band managed to stop time with their engaging stage presence and the way all their songs sounded awesome whether you knew them or not.

At this show, Antiskeptic passed all tests and proved that even after a long break, their ability to work together to produce music that triggered infectious good vibes had not faded, nor had their reputation as a superb live act.