Craig sent me The Count’s Music Review of 2009, which gave DEP their best gig honours of 2009. Here’s their full review of their Melbourne show:
The Dillinger Escape Plan w/ Every Time I Die, Evergreen Terrace and Poison The Well @ The Espy (Melbourne), February 25th
Most people who know my musical tastes are surprised when I say that this gig was not only the best gig of 2009, but the best gig I have ever been to. Not Slayer? Not Machine Head? Not Meshuggah? Out of the hundreds of shows I’ve seen, no single gig has embodied everything I wanted in a show more than this one. Non-stop energy and aggression, a killer set list, crowd participation (often involuntary), perfect audio, ideal venue size and shape, and of course, great music – and that was just from the math-metallers. With The Dillinger Escape Plan headlining a four band bill on a Soundwave side show at St Kilda’s famous Esplanade Hotel, I couldn’t miss it. $50 for a show of this calibre? How could I say no? The Gershwin Room at The Espy is a long, thin venue with a subtle incline towards the stage. I couldn’t imagine a more suitable venue for this type of gig.
I attended alone, however soon saw familiar Adelaide faces who had similarly thought that the interstate journey was worth it. Not being much of a hardcore fan, I was less interested in the opening two bands and made my observations from a distance. But armed only with the knowledge of three songs from Gutter Phenomenon, the Buffalo natives, Every Time I Die, drew me into the dangerous circle pit with their unending energy. A band that combines hardcore with a sludgy, southern groove, ETID tore up the Gershwin Room and I was soon taking fists and kicks to my body (I will never understand the martial-arts-screamo thing, but that’s another story). Their performance, filled with much sweat and spit, warmed up the crowd with great success, and I was stoked to have heard Kill The Music live.
After ETID, I bee-lined my way to the barrier and muscled in to have my ribs pressed against the steel. It was to be one of the first shows Dillinger played with their new drummer; a blonde-haired kid who looked barely 18. Asian Steve prepped the stage, the circle pit closed, bodies pressed behind me and the lights dimmed. Within seconds of Mullet Burden bursting our ear drums, the two guitarists, Weinman and Tuttle, had launched out into the crowd, knees first, and were thrashing their guitars on the heads of the ravenous fans. The singer, Puciato, had bounced off the wall. Wilson was swinging his bass in his manic fashion. And the kid, Rymer, hadn’t skipped a beat.
A minute had passed and I was gassed. But before I knew it, Panasonic Youth was roaring through the speakers, and Puciato was climbing the amps, swinging out onto the lighting rails and tearing the venue’s curtains down. Imagine that sheer energy and aggression lasting for the next 60 minutes, and you’ll have some idea of how amazing this show was.
There were several highlights from the remaining set: Asian Steve racing onto the stage to free Weinman from his guitar strap which had become a suffocating straight-jacket amidst the chaos; Puciato throwing the microphone into my face to scream a line of Milk Lizard; two amp cases being thrown into the pit and crowd surfed all over the Gershwin Room until they got too heavy; the softer Mouth Of Ghosts which was so emotionally intense, I almost shed a tear mid-gig (something not yet experienced); and Buckley from ETID joining Dillinger on stage for the two-song encore, finishing with an amazing cover of Nine Inch Nail’s Wish.
This young gig-goer came away from that show with his breath stolen, a battered drum stick, and several blurred photos. It was a truly enthralling experience, combining the quality of a diverse back catalogue with a live show so violent and so entertaining. A gig worthy of ‘best gig’ honours.
DEP also got a mention in their best event/festival nod for Soundwave Festival. Here’s what they wrote:
Soundwave Festival @ Bonython Park (Adelaide), February 28th
Let’s face it; for someone with my musical tastes, nothing goes past the annual Soundwave Festival. I was interstate and missed Against The Grain 5, was sick for Rock The Bay, and Big Day Out’s only real attraction was Fantomas. But the 2009 Soundwave had an incredible line-up, headlined by Nine Inch Nails and the second coming of Alice In Chains. There are always two main criticisms of Soundwave: 1) the audio clashes due to Bonython Park’s size and number of stages, and 2) the timetable clashes. None was more frustrating in 2009 than Lamb Of God clashing with NIN. Thankfully, I had made a separate trip to catch a LoG side show in Melbourne four days prior, and reserved my Soundwave experience for the main attractions. It appears that the 2010 Soundwave timetablers have learned their lesson, and the largest metal acts will not be clashing with headliners Faith No More this year.
2009’s main drawing power for this punter came from The Dillinger Escape Plan, Lamb Of God, Devil Driver, Alice In Chains and Nine Inch Nails. In addition, I caught some of Every Time I Die, Lacuna Coil and In Flames. DEP were as awesome as ever and Puciatio’s stage presence was not diminished at this open-air event. But the highlight of the day was seeing Alice In Chains. The entire set was a celebration of years long gone, and the joy and excitement of the fans was mirrored in Cantrell’s face. It was more than apparent that the band was thoroughly enjoying playing together again. Their new recruit, DuVall, invoked the spirit of the late Layne Staley and performed amazingly well. His vocals were clean and he mastered the most recognised AiC tunes; he looked like he belonged on stage with the legendary hard-alternative act. Closing the set with Rooster, the band had the thousands crooning in harmony with them.
Nine Inch Nails took the stage as night set in and blew the audience away for 90 minutes. It was an amazing show, potentially NIN’s last live tour in Australia, and Reznor commanded the stage with his band in support. Most of the well known classics were performed, and the show closed in predictable yet satisfying fashion with Hurt. One last highlight of the day was Reznor’s invitation to Puciato and Weinman from Dillinger to perform Wish with NIN on stage. At that point, Adelaide had been the only city in which this had occurred, and it was as enjoyable as the cover I’d heard only nights before. Soundwave is clearly taking over from the Big Day Out as the premier alternative music festival. With BDO focussing more on popular performers, Soundwave continues to land huge artists and deliver rock/alternative/metal fans Australia’s best festival.