Live Review: Slaves, Avastera, The Other Eden, Finders

Fans were lined up outside of Amplifier Bar on a chilly Wednesday night to watch controversial frontman Jonny Craig smash it out with his latest band, Slaves.

Perth locals Finders were up first, tasked with warming up a half-empty room. The five-piece began their set in a boy band-ish tableau, with their backs facing the audience in line. Rich bass lines and ample screams soon shattered this first impression, injecting an instantaneous jolt of energy into the crowd. The boys managed to manoeuvre around the tiny Amps stage with relative ease – though at times they were jumping on top of each other.

This Other Eden performed next, and with five bearded lads all sporting white shirts they were arguably the manliest band of the night. Lead vocalist/screamer/most impressive beard owner John Kelly knew how to work the crowd, interspersing his soaring vocals with delightfully niche Simpsons quotes. Their slightly off harmonies in some parts didn’t detract from the overall impressiveness of the set, and the boys managed to get most of the crowd to ignore the allure of private conversations and smartphones for a solid 30 minutes.

Avastera’s set had an oddly premature start, with the backing track and lead vocals beginning before most of the band had even made it on to the stage. They soon found their feet and, though their set was noticeably softer than the previous two acts, they still managed to convince the majority of the venue to gather ‘round and have a listen – even eliciting a few cries of “fuck yeah” from the crowd.

After a brief intermission, it was finally time for Slaves to hit the stage. Frontman Jonny Craig proved to be spent long before he sang a note, lamenting the fact that the boys had had a “rough-ass time” getting to Perth. The vocalist strutted around on stage with an overwhelming arrogance that would have been off-putting had it not been backed up by talent. His vocal showcase was undeniably incredible, effortlessly transitioning “from 0 to 100” with a beautiful mix of finesse and emotional complexity. Fans were screaming, cheering and fumbling with their iPhones to document every second they had with him. Say what you will about Jonny Craig, the man certainly knows how to put on a show.