Live Review: Karnivool, Cairo Knife Fight

Karnivool fans were in for a good time as things got intimate, sweaty, wild and loud, the band celebrating the tenth anniversary of their debut album, Themata, with Perth the last leg of the national tour, the birth place, of course, of Karnivool.

Kiwi two-piece Cairo Knife Fight took to the stage with a sense nervousness in the air as it’s a big deal to be a supporting act for Karnivool. But once the music started, the crowd welcomed their noise, which could only be described as magical but intense. Guitarist George Pajon had some mad guitar skills while Nick Gaffaney blew the crowd away with his incredible technique, able to beat the life out of his drum kit while singing without skipping a lyric. 

The countdown was on until Karnivool hit the stage, with anticipation building as a robotic voice announced three minutes and counting down before the lights went out and the crowd went wild. Bodies were slammed against the barrier, heads banging and arms punching the air. It almost looked violent but the energy was ecstatic as the boys performed the entire Themata album, starting off with C.O.T.E. During L1FEL1KE, Roquefort and Change the crowd became a wild moving mass which saw people plunge into the sea of hands that flung some across the room, from singalongs where fans knew every word to Ian Kenny hitting the high notes while moving swiftly in the coloured lights. 

Acoustic guitars were used during Change and Sewn & Silent, changing the heavy progressive rock atmosphere into a mellow, slow, intimate performance where Kenny’s voice was perfection.

The boys performed New Day, We Are, Eidolon and Simple Boy from their other two albums before letting the crowd hear a new track, hopefully be hitting the airwaves soon. 

The band thanked the crowd and some of the important people in their lives that made the debut album a possibility before ending their intimate, intense set. It was incredible to see how far they’ve come in ten years; hopefully there’ll be another ten years of music to come for Karnivool.