Live Review: Drown This City, Save The Clock Tower, Advocates, Blklst

Melbournians Blklst slam out a rather aggressive form of groove-based hardcore with raspy lead vocals and some nice cleans on occasion. They put on a rather entertaining show, with their frontman out in the crowd aggressively interacting with the punters. He also soldiers on bravely after a potentially awkward wardrobe malfunction (split pants). Unlike most bands of this ilk, Blklst only feature one guitar and in a way that makes things sound fatter, as things are slightly more open and spacious, and everything is allowed to breathe a little more. Their sound gets a little doomy and dredgy at times, and this kinda puts them slightly outside the post-hardcore spectrum. Whatever the case, they open proceeding rather nicely tonight.

Advocates' stage set-up at the opening of their set resembles a phalanx of guitars, with hyper-charged frontman Detlyn Raven howling his lungs out up front. Their thunderous, bludgeoning grooves give way to more thrashy moments on occasion, also offering a little dirge. Drummer Simon Webby is a bit of a standout with his ultra-active style, thundering around the kit at every opportunity. Ultimately these guys are very entertaining, appearing to be having an absolute ball on stage. Unlike many bands in this scene, they are not angry and frowny. They are angry, but have big, cheesy grins on their faces at the same time. And so, in turn, does the crowd as they watch them do their thing.

The smiles disappear as Tassie's Save The Clock Tower take the stage, their moodiness and intensity more than palpable. The band's opening track is eerie and discordant as well as devastatingly heavy, and this sets the tone for their blistering set. Save The Clock Tower is a world class post-hardcore outfit and their wares are on vivid display this night. Frontman Luke Vaessen's voice is at once incredibly harsh and highly listenable, and the band behind him locks in like a clenched fist.

A great feature of this band is that, in amongst the sheer aggression of their delivery, they hit the sweet vocal harmonies like a dream, and this makes their music shine like a beacon in the night. The overall effect of Save The Clock Tower is that of a titanic wall of sound, with very welcome touches of melody, and they never utilise predictable rhythmic devices, which keeps things interesting at all times. Save The Clock Tower are awesome and their ballistic closer leaves the crowd stunned.

Headliners Drown This City are up next. Their set is equal measures of ferocity, controlled insanity, doomy, head-spinning electronica and those unnerving vocals of pint-sized rocket queen Alex Reade. Her screams and cleans alike are dead on the money this night and, while short in physical stature, as far as the more intangible quality of stage presence is concerned, she is a towering inferno.

They have brought in extra lighting for the gig tonight and this adds a stunning element to the already power-packed show. New guitarist Matt Bean adds another fresh element to the sound with his own screams absolutely on-point.

New single Bend/Break, which this tour celebrates, is a highlight and Drown This City's hour-long set is a celebration of intensity and just a rollicking good time.