Last night The Amity Affliction played a sold-out show at The Bridgeway Hotel in Adelaide (Pooraka). There was a line down the street before the doors opened at 7pm and it wasn’t long into the night before the venue was absolutely packed. It was a very impressive turn out and awesome to see.
Run kicked things off with some killer instrumentals. Their final song, ‘Everyone’s Cancelled, Everything’s Cancer’ was probably the highlight of their set as it was impactful due to the topic matter. Frontman Lochlan Watt shared a story about his battle with cancer and how he poured all of the negative emotions from battling a brain tumour during the pandemic into the lyrics.
Kudos to whoever was picking the music between sets because the song choices were hilarious. It was funny to see a metal band walk out to Megan Thee Stallion (or whoever it was) and the front woman dancing around before flicking the switch and turning brutal AF. This band was Terminal Sleep and they really stepped things up a few notches. It’s not everyday you see a beautiful tatted-up female in gym shorts and a sports bra kick the air with a smile from ear to ear while screaming like a Tasmanian Devil. Personally I’m not usually the biggest hardcore fan but the energy on stage was infectious and their music had enough melody blended in with their hectic rhythms and filthy breakdowns to make it palatable.
After they finished we listened to some Doja Cat, before the crowd started singing along to Good Charlotte, then Alpha Wolf walked out to a wild reception. The last time they were in Adelaide was two years ago. Lochie Keogh, their lead vocalist, pointed out that they haven’t played very many Australian shows since then. To think about everything this band has done in that time is mind boggling. They’ve been busy dominating the world of metal overseas and received a hero’s welcome upon return.
To be honest, I only went to this show to see Alphawolf and I feel that a significant portion of the crowd was there for the same reason. Which was apparent based on the energy in the room when they came out. Things got crazy from the moment they stepped on stage and it wasn’t long before they had the crowd in the palm of their hand. Lochie said crowd surf, half a dozen people started crowd surfing. Lochie said push that shit back and instantly a massive circle was formed where people started getting loose. A lot of windmill action and a couple folks getting cracked while others ran around clashing into people while piggybacking their friends. It was intense.
People sung along to Teenage Dirtbag while waiting for the final act. Soon after The Amity Affliction walked out and it was very clear that this was their crowd. A lot of people lost it in a way that only someone with a deep and nostalgic connection with a band’s songs can react after a few beers. It was a more passionate than usual response to a band and it wasn’t long before the crowd was even more hectic then it was during Alphawolf’s set. Take all the pit action mentioned earlier and times it by three. Also a massive row boat formed while people were throwing down around them, which I havn’t seen in such a wild crowd before.
On a side note, shoutout to whoever did the light design for this set. It was one of my favourite aspects of the performance. All the lights were behind the band, and when paired with the smoke machine, it made them look like an epic, cinematic silhouette with a backdrop of wild colours. Every now and then they would turn on the front lights and reveal everyone in perfect sync with the music.
Its been a while since I’ve listened to The Amity Affliction and their performance was so good it made me wonder why. I think maybe it was because some of the vocals in the older songs they played sounded like Tom DeLonge huffed a balloon of helium. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I just forgot how emo they were. However, as a friend pointed out, their newer music is a lot heavier and I really enjoyed it. Overall, it was an epic show.
Review by Brad Hapke
