Live Review: Northlane, Structures, Stray From The Path, Statues

Heating up the stage tonight is a little-known Perth group by the name of Statues. As the band's guitarists stab and flail about, their influences become clear. The Dillinger Escape Plan and Norma Jean are quite obvious reference points, but the four-piece have generally rounded things down into their own style. Delivering a slightly inconsistent set, when they miss the mark one feels it, but when they really hit it – like the four-way vocal deconstruction that they finish with – you know they're verging on something bigger.

US band Stray From The Path waste no time bringing the energy up a notch. For their first ever Australian show, they probably aren't expecting the reaction they receive, with pogo mosh rather than pit karate establishing itself as the order of the night. Fan favourites like Damien and Death Beds elicit the largest waves of energy, and the RATM-inspired guitar noises of Thomas Williams are a stand out when not being smothered by an overpowering bottom end in the mix.

In a set of rather unfortunate circumstances, Structures' vocalist Nick Xourafas was left stranded in the USA without his passport. If it weren't for the internet informing me of that though, fill in Alex Lidstone would not have betrayed the fact that he wasn't supposed to be there as he confidently leads the band. They finish up with Encounter... to rapturous applause from a crowd that doesn't seem to be particularly disappointed with how things turned out.

By the time Northlane come to claim the night as their own, the enthusiasm in the room is near-overwhelming. Kicking off with Genesis, the band play the first five tracks off their Singularity album in seamless succession. Stray From The Path vocalist Drew York then jumps on stage to provide his backup vocals to Masquerade, but it's not really clear if his microphone is even working. Generally though, the sound is massive and piercing, with their tightness and control having gone to the next level some time ago. The band turn to their older tracks before finishing up with an encore of Dispossession, and the sold out crowd is finally satisfied.