Live Review: The Amity Affliction

We sure have a good time singing along to Journey's Don't Stop Believin' while we try to hustle a position closer to the front in preparation for The Amity Affliction. Sweat (A La La La La Long) by Inner Circle and Earth, Wind & Fire's Let's Groove also keep the mood light while we wait, which makes the Gympie post-hardcore/metal outfit's arrival even more masterfully brutal.

The Amity Affliction live is a communal outpouring of angst, but that's not to say their music lacks nuance or dynamics; even those with a strong aversion to the heavier side of the musical spectrum would find an appreciation for what this band do. The mosh is a furious tide, ebbing and flowing and spitting out a constant stream of crowd-surfers into the photography pit. This venue is perfectly designed for moshpit action and The Amity Affliction stir up the entire front stalls for circle-pit mayhem. Fans yell back Open Letter's lyrics ("Let me give you my life/Let me give you my fears") and this song is the perfect demonstration of the band's ability to inject personality and melody into their heavy sonic landscape. Vocalists Joel Birch and Ahren Stringer have contrasting styles that match aggro with beauty - The Amity Affliction's trademark. We struggle to single out a favourite between these two skilful, charismatic performers. 

Up on stage it's all tats and all-black threads (Stringer's Municipal Waste T-shirt, which features Donald Trump blowing his own brains out, is a doozy!) and The Amity Affliction are constantly reaching out to press their fans' flesh. "Am I doing alright?" Birch inquires and we screech our affirmation. The sound mix here is excellent, even if you're nowhere near the sweet spot.    

The Amity Affliction's ribcage-design backdrop reflects the humanity within their lyrical content. All Fucked Up comes in with gently plucked guitars, before the poignant repeated closing "Will you save my life?/Or just say goodbye?" questions are posed. Fight My Regret is another standout track with its screamed verses. This band gives those among us facing struggles a voice and the crowd's familiarity with material from their new This Could Be Heartbreak album is remarkable given that we've only had a very limited amount of time to digest it.

Every single musician up there is completely invested, the bass absolutely rumbles throughout 170 Russell and The Amity Affliction are well and truly on top of their game right now. No wonder they're in demand the world over.