Spoil, Inside the Exterior,Reflection Point @ ANU Bar(09/03/2007)

Mon 12th Mar, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Ah, the Canberra metal gig. They attract all sorts. Metal heads, for obvious reasons, punks,
goths, emos, music nerds and assorted general public, who often look confused, perhaps
wondering where they are, and how they got there. On the bill on Friday night at the ANU
were Spoil, Inside the Exterior, Reflection Point and Gasma, who unfortunately
I missed out on seeing.

I’m a big fan of Spoil. Their debut CD gets plenty of airplay in
my car and lounge room. Having seen their powerful performance at Cocktoberfest>, I
was keen to see them a second time. They didn’t disappoint. Visually, they are larger than
life. Seeing all five members head banging in time is a sight to behold. Brothers, Courtney and
Travis supply the melodic and angry vocals. Intense harmonies and pounding drum beats
create a combination that is energetic, diverse and edgy.

Inside the Exterior
were next to play. Keeping in mind experimental/metal may not be everyone’s cup of tea,
including mine, the set really never seemed to take off. Having said that, the crowd still
seemed to enjoy themselves. Long pauses between songs and the jarring punctured sound
perhaps prevented any real flow and let them down.

Reflection Point has
among other draw cards, a dynamic lead singer. The three piece from Sydney formed in 2005.
Since then they have attracted quite a fan base, and it’s clear to see why. Sounding very
evanescence, with harder tones, the band demonstrated an ability to enthrall. Lead singer,
Eliza had the audience in the palm of hand. Whether it was chatting to the crowd or belting
out songs with her killer voice, the crowd was giving their undivided attention.

  P>