Written by: Jimmy Wah
Photos by: RA >> See full PHOTO ALBUM
Saturday 25th May 2023

The Wait Is Finally Over

After 3 days of clear Autumn skies, the airwaves in Sydney seemed destined for a perfect storm of sonic indulgence. On Saturday night we had access to the ideal location with the ingredients to make it happen. Liberty Hall played host to the long-awaited Sydney leg of KARNIVOOL’s Tri-Continental Drift Tour - their first headlining tour in Australia since MONOLITH Festival in 2022. This made for a night of killer music from some of Australia’s best entertainers, played to a loyal crowd who lifted the energy beyond the music.

First up was hard-core Adelaide outfit SLEEP TALK. As the crowd filtered in to cover the floor and the lights turned blue, a grinding sonic tone filled the room. Five ominous figures lined the front of the otherwise shrouded stage swaying back and forth, each to their own rhythm. Like runners eager to start a race they launched into their opening song with sludgy tones of a doomy groove reminiscent of (the) MELVINS. These tones were met with desperate vocals shredding the airwaves and powerful drums holding the line. After the opening track, vocalist Jacob Clement greeted the crowd with an energetic 'Sydney what the fuck's up?' before the band upped the pace for the second song and his vocals once again, showcasing the diversity of their catalogue. As the lights became more dynamic with strobing yellow tones and purple moving accents one thing remained consistent, the grooves were unrelenting!

When bassist Josh Healy led the vocals for the opening of one of the songs I took a step back to scan the rest of the crowd. It was impossible to ignore everyone’s eyes glued to the stage, transfixed by what they witnessed and unconsciously moved their heads to. The bass dropped and a mini disaster-pit formed in the middle of the crowd as Jacob’s vocals once again roared across the music. If you ignored Lewis Tito and Fraser Ray both lost in cascades of their own hair and saw what they were doing on the guitar, the complexity of the music behind the wall of sound became apparent. When added to the metronomic blast beats and complex rhythms of Michael Belletti behind the drums, the magnitude of the performance proved that they could easily command an uncovered stage.

Haze continued to fill the room during the break while fans had the chance to buy drinks, merch and attempt to part the sea of people to find friends. The lights dropped with eager cheers from the audience, the familiar drum intro of the latest release ‘All It Takes’ began with Steve Judd, illuminated at the drum kit. The rest of KARNIVOOL filtered onto the stage during an extended intro with Jon Stockman filling in the bass sequence before guitars kicked in and the show was on! This track has quickly become a fan favourite, as evidenced by a wave of grooving heads and emphatic singing.

Ian Kenny’s heartfelt charisma was evident from the moment he spoke after the first song; “Sydney, how are you all my friends? Tonight we’re gonna do everything we can to give everyone what they need, and lift the roof off!”. His eyes were fixed on the crowd like he knew each and every person he was looking at. As if to hold him to his word, the audience immediately locked into the next song ‘C.O.T.E.’ which prompted Kenny to compliment them on their singing, saying that they were going to make his job “very easy”… as if he needed the help! ‘Goliath’ had the exact same effect, as though everyone finally had the chance to open the car windows and belt out the soundtrack of their lives that they usually did with the windows closed.

Seeing songs played live that I’ve listened to countless times always blows me away, not just cos I feel it in my bones but because I always see parts I never picked up on just by listening, like which parts are played by who or which notes are being delayed or effected. I noticed Mark Hosking plucking the xylophone notes of ‘Simple Boy’ on his guitar this time and Drew Goddard singing parts that I imagined Kenny sang on the recording, showcasing the diverse talents on stage. The new song ‘Aozora’ threw everything into question. A fast-paced poppy drum beat dominated the opening third of the song before the signature KARNIVOOL drop into vast and lucid tones as the vocals fell away to let the instruments speak. As the momentum built back to a syncopated groove, everyone nodded in agreeance. One vocal line stuck in my head with that dominating hook; "If I held your face to the mirror, would you smile?” I found it was hard to get into at first but it definitely has staying power. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the recorded version.

I found myself towards the edge of the mosh-pit by the time ‘We Are’ was played and I have to say, it was definitely the biggest and wildest pit of the night… or so I thought. ‘Set Fire To The Hive’ immediately disproved my thoughts, feeling exactly like the name suggests. The floor was absolutely buzzing with fast paced energy and burning vocals among the crowd. Everyone jumped, moved and danced to their own beat, whether above the floor on the mezzanine or on top of people’s hands. Beloved classics ‘Roquefort’ and ‘Themata’ were played back to back, the escalating intensity, prompting Kenny to address the crowd once again saying “Sydney, I thought Brisbane was good but you guys are something else!” The sombre tones of Aeons filled the room with a more mellow crowd. After, he thanked the audience before saying “We thought it would be a bit weird to finish the night off with ‘Aeons’ so we thought we better add New Day on the end.” ‘New Day’ made it feel as though everyone’s hearts echoed throughout the room.

It wasn’t until a few band members were on side stage soaking in the chants from the roaring crowd, after a flawless performance, that I noticed one of my favourite songs ‘Shutterspeed’ was missing from the setlist. Funnily enough I didn’t care. The whole night was that good.

Photos by: RA
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