I arrived on the rainy Friday night to an absolutely packed Metro Theatre, I’ve no idea how they fit all these people in!
Unfortunately due to work, I all but missed Future Static. But from what I did see they sounded fantastic and the crowd were very receptive of their set.
Tesseract have been one of my favourite artists for quite some time, all the way from the monstrous debut One. Their latest offering, 2023’s War of Being brings them back to Sydney and their song quality hasn’t dropped. A phenomenal album which on my latest listen really hyped me up of tonight.
The lights go down and the cheers go up as Tesseract signal their arrival. Sinister lighting and sounds emphasise the already electric atmosphere. Filling the Metro with that trademark djenty sound Tesseract open with Natural Disaster , what a cracking way to start. As vocalist Dan Tompkins went to meet the fans in the front row, Tesseract, launch into Echoes and the crowd love it.
The band sound incredible, as a unit they shakes the walls of the Metro as the beginning tones of Of Mind – Nocturne rip through the air. A big favourite of the crowd as we all sang along. I swear the sound person is cranking up the volume when those big riffs hit, the tone of Amos Williams (Bass) combining with the twin guitar attack of Acle Kahney and James Monteith is colossal.
Dystopia receives yet another roar from the sold out Metro, getting the eager mosh pit jumping. Like a steamroller of sound King flattens the fans in the best way. As Dan Tompkins Unifyed the crowd through the display of phone lights we all sing along again. It really does seem like Tesseract are trying to blow the house PA tonight, their use of dynamics is inspiring.
The monolith that is War Of Being is up next, clocking in at just over 11 minutes where every second is vital, a phenomenal song that sounds even better live, with Dan sounding inhuman during the finale. I also have to mention drummer Jay Postones, his foot and hand work were insane and he made it look easy. Smile lives up to it’s name as I could see nothing but grins all around from the crowd as they banged their heads in time.
The Arrow had one of the loudest crowd reactions of the night, with another massive sing along as Dan once again showed off his outstanding vocal ability. Legion sounded fantastic, the intricacies of the insane bass and guitar lines were just, simply, wow. Another fantastic song from War Of Being.
Teasing us with the old “This is our last song” Tesseract had the place jumping with Juno. I’ll take this time to congratulate the lighting and sound production again, the team behind this band do an incredible job.
As the crowd chanted for more the red stage lights came back up to a huge roar from the crowd. The guys in Tesseract really know how to get a pit jumping, they went absolutely mental for The Grey. Thanking the fans of Sydney for not only selling out the Metro but also giving the band “the best crowd they’ve ever had in Australia” Tesseract ended the set with the immortal Deception -Concealing Fate Part Two in which Dan demanded the crowd open up a massive circle pit and they were more than happy to oblige. When a band are able to end a show with a riff the size of Everest, especially after being crushed by the weight and beauty of their sound all night, you know they are a special entity. Tesseract tonight proved they deserve a spot at the top of the heavy music tree. A simply spectacular performance.
Photos by Marc K/Nell Photography & Review by Jonathan Hurley
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Future Static:
