Live Review: Explosions In The Sky, The Kill Devil Hills

There may have been a large gathering of people waiting at the bars while local lads The Kill Devil Hills walked through the hazy stage lighting, but their unique brand of graveyard country certainly pleased those on the dance floor.

With cutting energy and a sound that was highlighted by a ragged aggression, like the soundtrack to an impending bar fight, their set was the perfect warm up to the evening. Vocalist Brendon Humphries quipped at being the support slot due to the band having "a lot of words", yet who could complain with the slow riding violin verses and rapturous chorus of tracks like Words From Robin To Batman?

After a brief set change the main room was overflowing, with punters packed to the amphitheatre doors awaiting Explosions In The Sky to make their triumphant return to Perth's stages. Opening with the explosive wall of guitar noise that is 2007's The Birth & Death Of The Day, the Texan post-rock maestros began a 90-minute performance that interlocked so well it felt more like one of their film scores than a live set.

Through the emotive rises and falls of Greet Death and First Breath After Coma the group were impressively cohesive, playing with military precision in the constantly expanding textures of their sonic imagery, while still showing the true passion and unbridled vigour that we've come to expect from their shows.

Aided by stage lighting that truly complemented the rich storytelling inherent in their songwriting, the band masterfully built tension throughout their performance. The frenetic energies reached by the time of closer The Only Moment We Were Alone were mesmerising for some, jaw dropping for most and unforgettable for all. It was a mighty long wait between shows for Perth, but Explosions made up for the delay in under two hours.