Live Review: Twelve Foot Ninja, Breaking Orbit, Meniscus

Several punters who showed up early didn't quite know what to make of Meniscus' instrumental post-rock, which largely took its cues from Isis and Sigur Rós. However, the Sydneysiders' deeply melodic, symphonic tendencies bristled with guitar-driven, ambient soundscapes and psychedelia, their whopping, hypnotic climaxes accentuated by a striking visual edge.

Breaking Orbit have stepped up their game since the previous occasion this reviewer caught them, even if their polyrhythm-heavy approach still owes such a debt to Karnivool that Ian Kenny's lawyers should be showing up at their front door any day. Airing a new track reinforced this, while Orion added a distinctly Tool-like flavour to the Sydney mob's proggy heaviness. Vocalist Matthew Quayle appeared most confident when accompanied by the backing harmonies, occasional flourishes of tribal grooves further fleshing out their sound. A sizeable degree of intensity helped their cause, hitting their stride during the closing pair of Cassandra Syndrome and Time Traveller.

Conversely, the headliners needed little if any time to click into gear. From opener Kingdom onwards, Twelve Foot Ninja efficiently went through their genre-defying hard rock paces. Utilising King For A Day…-era Faith No More and Meshuggah as their hefty sonic basis, they segued from bossa nova to jazz, funk and even Ain't That A Bitch's lounge vibes in a manner so effortless they made it appear as if such styles simply belonged together. Taut and energetic in delivery throughout, the crowdfunding Melburnians were greeted with much head-banging from the modest turnout, while a handful of female fans danced as if nobody was watching to Manufacture Of Consent.

Patton-esque vocal acrobatics aside, frontman Kin underlined his increasingly enhanced confidence and engaging qualities as a performer, even ribbing one attendee who appeared obsessed with the singer's nether regions. He also amusingly discussed their impending foreign jaunt, including a trek to a heavy-duty German festival, where they'll aim to “claim gold in the metal Olympics”. Following a brief foray into acoustic territory, a blistering, grooving triumvirate of Mother Sky, Coming For You and Shuriken capped off their hour-long display. Although the quintet seem positioned for greater success abroad, largely thanks to deft marketing and utilisation of online tools, with more performances of such a high quality these giant-sized, proudly independent warriors won't be lurking in the local music industry's shadows for too much longer.