Live Review: Karnivool, Fait

On their first headline tour since a run celebrating the tenth anniversary of Themata, Karnivool have upped the ante on every aspect of their product: from size to scope, sound, light show, energy, performance value and of course composition, as the band debuted three new tracks from their highly anticipated fourth record.

Fait is the musical project of Perth musician Elise Higgins, brought to life for the stage with three bandmates. It's fantastic when a tour support isn't a carbon copy of the headliner's genre, a convention that arguably holds the music industry back. Thus the ambient swell of slow, atmospheric, instrumental post-rock excitement builds for Karnivool while capturing the imagination. The unique use of sounds created a theatre soaked in star shine with piano, synths, beat pads, loops and handheld percussion shaking up what you expect from a four-piece psych-rock band. If you enjoy Jakob, you will love Fait. The audience at Thebarton Theatre did, rewarding the WA act with enthusiastic applause. 

Karnivool's Pre-Animation tour set out to debut new music to the people and judging from the unheard songs that were performed there's a clear indication that the band's upcoming record will be their best since Themata and may even pose as a defining album for the band. Gone is the delicate sensitivity found on Asymmetry and in its place is a raw, 'zero-fucks-given' approach. They stated that they have down-tuned on this record before exploding into the first of the three new cuts, proving their statement was no lie, as a slow and monolithic riff stomps slowly over a displaced, syncopated groove on the drums. It is the most attention-demanding track from Karnivool to date. The second song is more droning than rhythmic, with a sun-drenched bass line you would more likely find on an Austin psych-rock record, giving the song a slightly sexy overtone. 

The new record could have gone one way or the other, and it could not be more promising given what Karnivool have shown us. The final new track looks to be the lead single on the record, where a doom-influenced verse flows into an anthemic pop chorus. Karnivool also included some classic cuts, including Roquefort and Set Fire To The Hive, which the crowd went wild for, moshing, jumping and losing their minds. We should expect more new cuts in their set come November, when Karnivool return in support of Deftones.