With a solid undercard put together tonight, there's a genuine buzz in the room as local quintet Milestones take their positions. The quartet tear through tracks like Lost Boy(s) and Safe And Sound with vigour, the melodic slabs of punk keeping the solid early crowd entertained. Although the boys wearing straps seem generally more focused on their frets than the faces, Josh and Dakota are engaging and energised throughout, the vocalist and drummer showing nothing but passion during their short and punchy opening slot.
The Dream The Chase walk the tightrope between harmonious and jarring with an undeniable ease, their tracks continually lulling you into a false sense of security before bludgeoning you cold. The guitar work throughout reminds of Thrice's Artist In The Ambulance days and behind frontman Zach Britt's soaring vocals, songs like Distance take the audience on an explosive journey through a variety of different emotional shades.
Goldy crew Skyway don't let the momentum wane for a second, keeping the party rolling with an tight and inspired set that generates the first signs of the pit mayhem to follow. While Rohan Chant and Mike Driver dance around each other to the left, Dan McMaster nails his notes, the frontman clutching the mic with a stranglehold grip. Their cover of Chisel's Cheap Wine maintains the surliness of the original but gives it an up-tempo working over; however, it's original numbers like Bright Eyes Never Die that give far more reasons to push to the front.
As solid as their supporting cast is, Silverstein leave no doubt that they are the benchmark here tonight, their performance intense, rousing and pretty much flawless. Although the Canadian quintet are getting increasingly long in the tooth, the band dance all over the memories of their underwhelming slot at Soundwave 2009 with a punishing set that shows a level of fire undocumented in their studio work. Positioned with one foot on his foldback for the most part, Dimmu Borgir repping singer Shane Told is animalistic, leading the band through their entire back catalogue, including Brookfield, Discovering The Waterfront and a rapturously received Broken Stars, and the passion that the band shows onstage is reciprocated tenfold by the packed house; everyone singing the lyrics, the pit a chaotic mess of clenched fists, sweat and smiles. An acoustic version of Replace You late in the set breaks up the crowd melee nicely before My Heroine brings the noise once again. And just in case there are still any non-believers in the room, the Canadians return to the stage to close with a four-song encore that simply compounds the notion further that tonight, Silverstein are unstoppable.
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