Sleepmakeswaves and their "world-class" music take hold of Brisbane.
There’s a lot of love in the room for tonight’s entire, all-Sydney line-up, evidenced by a strong early crowd who speak just as fondly of the supports as the headliner.
Five-piece Teal do an impressive warm-up job with a set of gritty rock that moves between intricate guitar melodies and soaring, patient riffs. Possessing a range not unlike Muse’s Matt Bellamy, frontman Joe Surgery does wailing as well as he handles the quieter moments, and combined with a well-honed moody dynamic, they keep punters enthralled.
Breaking Orbit make no bones about being influenced by the likes of Tool and Dead Letter Circus; such is the gusto with which they practise the art of epic. Orion, while a little cringe-worthy in the lyric department and reminiscent of Forty Six & 2 in the tone of an off-kilter rhythm section, shows a knack for merging melody with a fat bottom end, as does the majority of the set, which mixes the highlights of their debut record, The Time Traveller, with new tracks from a forthcoming release to appear at the end of the year.
Sleepmakeswaves are on form from the get-go, with a quality of sound that immediately takes the evening into the next level. Everything about this instrumental quartet is classy, from the way in which bassist and spokesperson Alex Wilson provides a physical counterpoint flanked by guitarists Otto Wicks-Green and Jonathan Khor, to the way in which they manoeuver their take on post-rock – or cresendo-core as they like to call it – through a series of perfectly-timed movements to draw out maximum emotion. The guitarists are fascinating to watch throughout; Wicks-Green is a bundle of energy whose delight is portrayed often by his facial expressions, whilst Khor stays lost deep in each moment as drummer Tim Adderley switches between owning every inch of his kit to dialing it back for some understated yet intricate percussive work.
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They pull every sound imaginable from their guitars – chunky metal rhythms, grandiose yet dreamy melodies, and calm introspection. As Wilson moves to keys for album single, Great Northern, the outfit plays with the knowledge that they have broken the back of an incredible set. Wicks-Green assists with percussion before drawing out the soaring riff, while Khor mounts the foldback for the first and only time to survey the captivated audience. Closing with Something Like Avalanches, the epic highs just witnessed fittingly end with the two guitarists quietly and gently finger-picking.
Though it may be tiresome to wheel out yet another Mogwai comparison, it’s still a valid point – like the Scots, these guys are playing world-class instrumental rock capable of bringing grown men to tears.