Live Review: Slaves, Storm The Sky, Just Like Clockwork, Aspirations, Old Ghosts

You know those people that are just way too talented for their own good, to the point where it’s almost annoying? The type of person that can get absolutely inebriated to the point of no imaginable return and still step on stage and leave an audience stunned, saying “how can someone be that good?”?

Enter Jonny Craig of Slaves. But before I was left scratching my head unable to comprehend such a talent, the Enigma bar saw four other acts.

Melodic and emotional, post-hardcore six-piece Old Ghosts were the first to throw down some tasty tunes and did so in decent enough fashion before a very mild and timid crowd. They were followed by up-and-coming five-piece Aspirations, who got the small crowd amped, regardless of having 40 per cent of members injured, one of whom hopped straight back onto the crutches immediately after performing. The crowd was then presented with Just Like Clockwork, another post-hardcore outfit that sat well on the bill, especially in the vocal department, with songs such as Victims challenging the almighty Jonny Craig in range, a pleasant and unsuspecting surprise judging from his appearance alone.

Main support Storm the Sky then gave the heaviest offering of the night with screaming vocalist, Daniel Breen giving a decent display of both highs and lows, rounding out a sound similar to that of Dream On, Dreamer, an eclectic mix of clean vocal melodies from Will Jarratt, rhythmic breakdowns and a heavy use of samples.

But then it was finally time for the main event. Sure, Slaves isn’t overly a new direction sound-wise for Craig as (in between getting extremely jealous of the singer’s ridiculous vocal ability) this reviewer was drawn to the soaring, reverberating guitar melodies longtime fans of Craig are accustomed to hearing in his former acts such as Emarosa and, to an extent, Dance Gavin Dance. Yet, it’s not a big deal as Craig’s vocal suits this style of post-hardcore rock perfectly. The vocalist, cool, calm and relatively collected walked aimlessly across the stage belting out in that undeniable vocal tone whilst stroking some of his band mates from time to time.

Unfortunately, due to a certain airline carrier losing the entire band’s luggage, including gear, the set was cut short. However, the quick musical display definitely left me wanting to see Slaves again and again.