Progressive rock isn’t for everyone. Known for its complex song structures, shifting time signatures and lyrics that delve into the abstract, the genre’s frequently too challenging for mainstream ears. However, if you like your music thought provoking and as fluid as water, then you really can’t go past a band like Caligula’s Horse.
After support sets from Melbourne’s Enlight and Perth’s Chaos Divine, Caligula’s Horse walked onstage to a roar of applause before tearing into Rust from their 2015 album Bloom. “Get friendly,” vocalist Jim Grey quipped to the crowd. “I want to see you jump, from the front to the back.” The proceeding songs – including Daughter of the Mountain, Atlas and A Gift To Afterthought – bled into one another, becoming dizzying walls of sound.
Guitarists Zac Greensill and Sam Vallen extracted only the sweetest nectar from their 7-stringed beasts, mixing twangy clean passages with flourishes of jazz and Steve Vai-esque lead magic. Unlike cranium-shattering djent lunatics such as Meshuggah, Caligula’s Horse craft beautiful oil painting prog that elicits a range of emotions. Tonight was not about crowd surfing or head stomping – it was collectively shared bliss amongst a sea of sounds.
Grey elevated the band to the next level. He has a voice like honey poured over razor blades, and it pierced the room and seeped into ears in the most satisfying way. Tonight he wore a “Real Australians Say Welcome” singlet and criticised the government’s treatment of asylum seekers before launching into set highlight Turntail. The heartfelt sentiment made the track all the more poignant.
The encore consisted of the thunderous The City Has No Empathy followed by fan favourite Dark Hair Down from 2013’s The Tide, the Thief & River’s End. Back to back, these tracks acted as a perfect coda to an evening celebrating some of the best in Australian progressive rock.
BY JACK PILVEN
LOVED: Jim Grey’s singlet.
HATED: Very little, to be honest.
DRANK: Carlton Draught.
