Live Review: Sleepmakeswaves, Foxes, Antelope

The fantastic thing about instrumental shows is that what the bands lack in lyrical content, they make up for with their explosive physical energy, and as such, instrumental lovers from all over town flocked to Amplifier knowing that a sleepmakeswaves performance would certainly be the best way to get their fix this weekend. Perth's very own five-piece Antelope confirmed this fact straight from the outset, blasting the modest crowd with a wall of sound in what was a fantastic opener. Lead single Perennial was the most recognised tune and received with enthusiastic headbanging from the audience; however, the track played immediately before that was phenomenal – the dual drumming performances from percussionist Tom Allum and drummer Mitchell Withers were a sight to behold, the sticks a blur and looking ready to snap at any moment. Furthermore, the two guitarists' clear, driving riffs opened a world of imagery for the audience's collective mind to explore.

Local melodic hardcore quintet Foxes supplied the crowd with some intense and emotionally charged vocals. Having to work their way through a 40-minute set, the group remained true to the evening's theme with a lengthy instrumental opener, building the suspense gradually before vocalist Alex Shom's presence on stage was made known by an immediate explosion of screaming by the main man with opener ...So I Walk Alone Into The Dawn Of The Next Day, the first tune from their five-track released early last year. The instrumentalists complemented each other extremely well throughout the set, resulting in a wonderfully heaving, frenzied foundation for Shom, and this was evident in what is arguably their most prominent track, Blue. It was fantastic to see a couple of the boys from sleepmakeswaves standing right towards the front, clearly enjoying the set from the local boys, and the fantastic thing about them is, they're still sounding fresh and full of potential. An album release is highly anticipated.

Sleepmakeswaves had assembled an adoring and passionate fan base whose appreciation is palpable throughout the band's performance. From the moment the group began playing the 11-minute epic A Gaze Blank And Pitiless As The Sun, crowd members were throwing their heads around or simply gazing in awe, making obvious their deep involvement in the band's outstanding melodies, all of which were seemingly built out of nothing. The emotion poured into the sonic rises was overt and deeply engaging, and this was demonstrated brilliantly with the closing and title tune of their latest release, ...And So We Destroyed Everything. The song had everything – mountainous climbs, multiple climaxes and devastating crumbles into chaos and destruction, and the band members illustrated this with their physicality, throwing themselves across stage and encouraging the crowd to act in kind. Come the end of the set, Jonathan “Kid” Khor was grinning from ear to ear, clearly pleased with the turnout. And, the band showed their appreciation by hanging out with punters until the early hours of the morning.