Live Review: This Will Destroy You, Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving & We Lost The Sea

A very emotional tone was set early on in the night with post-metal rockers We Lost the Sea playing their first (perhaps only) show following the tragic passing of their singer Chris Torpy. Even without his impressive vocals, the now six-piece knew how to rock. The group operates totally outside of 'crescendo-core' post-rock, simply playing driving, hard-edged instrumental metal. Bravely, the group allowed the would-be vocal passages to sit in the air without interruption. It was an emotional night for the group, whose performance reminded the crowd just how special a person the Sydney scene has lost.

Following them were Perth post-rockers Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving, who continued the melancholic and contemplative tone with a mid-tempo and reflective set. Not to say that the guitar/bass/keyboard/drum combo couldn't rock when they needed to; the group interact in a very natural way, pushing into the heavier sounds when called for and knowing when to calm down. For all their noise and electronic bleeps, it was a very organic performance, perfectly suited to what was to come.

And what was to come, shrouded in a purple mist, was brilliance. Texas quartet This Will Destroy You have always been uncomfortable with the 'post-rock' label, and that frustration channels itself into some truly stellar work. The group, at their core, have two sorts of songs: their earlier work that plays with dynamics, such as brilliant opener, A Three-Legged Workhorse, and their more recent, shoegaze and doom-influenced material, reacting to the labelling, that builds on sustained tones and repetition to reach catharsis. Fortunately, with this being the group's first trip Down Under, the packed-out Annandale was treated to a mixture of both styles, as well as several new tunes from what could be a very exciting late 2013 album.

Despite their possible complaints regarding labelling, This Will Destroy You are simply one of the most exciting and challenging post-rock bands operating today. Whether showing off their mastery of 'traditional' crescendo-driven rock, veering radically close to noise (during set highlight, Little Smoke) or delivering Steve Reich-influenced minimalist music between song interludes, there's no denying the expertise, passion and utter relevance of TWDY. For all their recorded brilliance, Australian audiences are now finally aware that This Will Destroy You are, ultimately, a live band.