Live Review: Horror My Friend, Archers, Relying On Luck

What better concoction to be consuming on a bleak Saturday evening than Dark Ale? And what better venue to be consuming said concoction within than The Exeter Hotel?

However, Dark Ale was not the evening's only offering. Adelaide indie rockers Horror My Friend and their psychedelic comrades, Archers, were joining forces to unleash new singles.

Thrash-punk three-piece Relying On Luck kicked things off to an underwhelmingly quiet room, although this didn't hold them back. With a frontman sporting an Iron Maiden tee and a flying- V guitar, the outfit blistered through their opening tracks with the licks and solos of an '80s metal band layered on hardcore-punk foundations. By the time their third track rolled in, the room was three-quarters full. The intro to the track, reminiscent of Misery by Gallows, saw bassist Josh Healey's huge tone shine through. The trio didn't slow down and the set was summed up when Healey jested, "Now for a heavy one... They're all f***ing heavy, but this one's heavier." This was received well by the growing, eager audience. The beers were flowing on and off stage as the band raced through their recently released single Jawbreaker. In a flash, Relying On Luck left the stage, leaving the audience with ringing ears.

Next up were Archers, launching their single More Than Gold, and what a contrast! Archers are a band that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Listening to and watching this quintet is like being in a dream-like state of psychedelic suspense and this could be witnessed in each audience member, standing captivated with looks of satisfied approval on their faces. Each unrelenting song featured spacey guitar leads, driving basslines and urgent drums before bursting into a chaotic crescendo, all perfected by soaring, anthemic and versatile vocals. With little said between songs, and little needed, the band continued into a rendition of More Than Gold that was identical to the studio version. Archers concluded the set with an explosion of reverb and tremolo. The audience was brought back to earth when the house music came back on through the PA.

Headlining the night, Horror My Friend hit the stage with their signature mix of happy chords and emotive vocals; innocent tunes that pack the punch of a punk band. Sincere thank yous to everyone for coming were made between songs. The crowd was littered with Horror My Friend beanies and grew more and more rowdy as each track rolled on. Three tracks in, they dropped brand new sing-along single, Stay In, which was received well by the now-enthusiastic crowd. After urging everyone to buy Relying On Luck and Archers' merch, the guys concluded their set with a cover of Silverchair's Freak, which saw Tom Gordon simultaneously crowd surf and perform mic grabs to a bouncing and singing along audience. An apt conclusion to an evening of stellar performances.