Live Review: sleepmakeswaves, The Contortionist, Tangled Thought Of Leaving

The Rosemount Hotel stage hasn't seen this much combined talent on one bill in a very long time. Three world class acts sharing the stage on a cold Thursday night, one local, one interstate and one international.

The crowd got in early; with the Rosemount main room already half filled when Tangled Thoughts of Leaving took to the stage. This was the debut show for Paul Briggs, who recently replaced Andy McDonald on guitar for the post-rock quintet. If there were any teething problems, they were nigh on impossible to see. These guys are intensity personified on stage. A wall of sound which batters the crowd into submission, that only offered relief as the final notes of Yield To Despair faded into a tinnitus hum.

Progressive metallers The Contortionist were up next. It speaks volumes about the headliners, that they were able to get a six-piece international act to tour nationally and open for them. Opening with a few cuts off their recent album Language, it took a few songs to move into high gear. But by the time Oscillator dropped, the band were working together in full stride. The best thing about The Contortionist are their brutal yet groovy breakdowns, which saw crowd members actually dancing and not just slamming and moshing to the sonic bliss.

With a low drowning synth and the sounds of birds chirping, sleepmakeswaves took to the stage. Opening with To You They Are Birds, To Me They Are Voices In The Forest, the four-piece quickly showed why they are one of the premiere acts that straddle the line between post-rock and metal. Able to balance the gentle against the brutal; the ethereally beautiful will quickly devolve into a sonic barrage that shakes at the listener's core.

For an established act that have been together over a decade, their back catalogue is a little limiting. With only two albums and a few EPs of recorded material, the show was a nice mixture of selections, with special mention to We Sing The Body Electric off the split EP recorded with Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving. However, the third album is on its way promised de-facto frontman and bass player Alex Wilson, with recording sessions planned around Christmas after touring has completed. Hopefully we will not need to wait long for a return tour for this new album.