AlexisonfireSweat and smiles. That is how one could best sum up Alexisonfire's farewell show at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion. House Vs Hurricane started things off in good fashion, wasting no time whipping up the crowd into a circle pit from the first song in their set. The Melbourne five-piece tore everyone in attendance a new one, blistering through their half-hour set with incredible ferocity. There is no doubt that these ARIA-nominated guys have a big future in Australian music and proved they are definitely one of the big players in the hardcore scene.
With the staged bathed in red lights, Alexisonfire took the stage to an ear-deafening roar. With a sly grin spreading across front man George Pettit's face, Alexisonfire launched into Young Cardinals, closely followed by Boiled Frogs and Heading For The Sun. The set was an awesome blend of their four albums, setting the room on fire with killer renditions of No Transitory, Dog's Blood, Midnight Regulations, Get Fighted and .44 Caliber Love Letter, just to name a few.
Dallas Green was in good voice, harmonising fantastically with Wade MacNeil's raspy backing vocals and George's screams, making songs like Born & Raised, Drunks, Lovers, Sinners & Saints, Accidents and Water Wings go down a treat.
Despite being their final time to play in Sydney, there was no air of sadness. There was no animosity between the band members, no feeling this farewell tour was done out of obligation. They were genuinely psyched to be playing the show as they joked around on stage, George and bassist Chris Steele playfully spitting water at each other. George went through five T-shirts, ripping each of them off Hulk Hogan-style to the pure delight of the crowd.
Sure this was a gig where elbows were connecting with faces on a regular basis, but needless to say there was a lot of love in the room. The band was devoted to the fans and the fans worshipped the band. Songs like Control and This Could Be Anywhere In The World were sung with conviction by both parties.
Closing out with The Northern, This Could Be Anywhere... and Happiness By The Kilowatt, the Canadian post-hardcore heroes delivered the performance of a lifetime, and although they will be sorely missed, they will never be forgotten.
