The Heist is back! These were the words that echoed the return of one of Australia’s most influential alternative acts. Given that at the time of their hiatus I was still in high school I had long reserved myself to never getting the opportunity to see them live, but thankfully the metal gods shone down not only reunited the band (albeit with a new and improved lineup), but also offered this once in a lifetime ‘Don’t Call it a Comeback’ tour.
Opening the night were King Mungi, a band I hadn’t seen live for a very long time. While my recollection of their music was sparse at best, the band put in a decent performance to the few who had gathered up so early for the shoe. While not as energetic as some of the later bands, they still managed to get a few fans moving. Their set was pretty good (as far as locals acts go), and it was a shame that more people started to filter in towards the end of their set (as I’m sure they would have had a few more people moving if they had a bit more time). A worthy opener for the night!
Segression were next and holy moly, how had I forgotten that Australia has some ridiculous world class acts. From the moment that the band took to the stage there was no way that you could deny or argue that the energy that they were bringing wasn’t anything less than impressive. While there was still only a mild turnout at this point there was enough energy in the room that I could blow off the top off a large venue. I was captivated. The riffage was momentous, the bass was on point and the drumming was thunderous – and that was just the first song. What followed was a set that you had to strap yourself in for, and one that left you wanting so much more once the band had finished.
Earth Caller were the penultimate act for the night and I have to admit that it was kind of an interesting choice (for a few reasons). Firstly, compared with most of the other bands these guys were quite young, and the styles didn’t necessarily corroborate each other with Earth Caller playing a more ‘modern’ style of metal with the other bands performing more traditional metal – but it seemed to do the trick with a big contingent of younger fans showing up for the band. There was a lot of energy from the fans, and musically the band got the crowd worked up – which is always the job of a good support. I didn’t mind the performance as they are probably one of the more memorable metalcore acts in the local circuit and are definitely a band that this breakdown lover will check out in the future.
When Superheist hit the stage it felt like the room was transported back in time 13 years and we were in the eclipse of their breakout years in the late 90’s / early 2000’s. There was just so much to like where do I start? New frontman Ezekiel Ox is an absolute machine and it didn’t take long for him to jump down into the crowd, walk the microphone to the back of the pit and start singing from atop one of the barrel tables in the venue. It is exactly this ‘in your face’ attitude that rose Superheist to fame and it’s great to see that even with lineup changes that this intensity, energy and message hasn’t been lost in translation – and it’s something that made this performance that little bit more special.
Singing along to a lot of the songs I remembered hearing on the radio or even watching on RAGE back in my early teens like Bullet, Two Faced, and Have Your Way, was a great trip back to those formative years where my appreciation of heavy music stemmed from, but perhaps the most impressive thing was that with the way the guys were playing on stage it didn’t seem like they had taken a break at all. Musically it was still as tight as what I can remember from watching the videos of the Big Day Out footage, with DW Norton nailing his guitar parts (after what looked like some earlier technical trouble), bassist Drew Dedman bounding around stage at any chance he had, and new drummer Benny Clark taking any chance he could to wave to the crowd down front (all the while nailing his drum parts). Thematically everything about this show just felt ‘right’.
It may have taken some time for the band to have collected its bearings, but Superheist is definitely back, and if their show in Brisbane is anything to go by, then 2017 could very well bring big things for alternative/nu-metal in Australia.