There’s a lot to love about High Tension, regardless of whether they’re supporting or headlining. They’re one of Australia’s best heavy acts at the moment, not only because every band member is talented in their own right, but also because there’s a mutual love between the band and their fans. The majority of their set saw most heads in the audience heaving in unison as vocalist Karina Utomo howled out into the tide. Her ability to shift from an overbearing style of singing into ghoulish shrieking perfectly complemented some of the moodier tracks. The combination of those darker moments plus the sludge/rock fusion of the other songs made for a varied and interesting set. Their live show is full of unexpected surprises, which is as it should be with every good band.
In some ways it’s difficult to watch Deafheaven live. Their recordings develop a deeply personal attachment in the listener, and to swallow that in a busy music hall changes the experience. But despite this, their performance did justice to the precision heard on their three albums. The swaps between pulverising black metal to airy post-rock couldn’t be faulted, but with the setlist consisting of New Bermuda in its entirety and some tracks from Sunbather, it’s fair to say seeing them play live didn’t add much to the music.
Baby Blue was a good example of this – it’s a slow track on the LP and despite flawless execution from all musicians, it still felt slower than the rest of the set. There wasn’t that sense of awe that came from the drumming in opening track Brought To The Water, or any of the wistful crescendos, ghastly shrieks, sweat, spit and energy that characterised the show up to that point.
After wrapping up the journey through New Bermuda with Gifts for the Earth, Deafheaven ripped out Sunbather’s title track and it was a thing of beauty. The rising beginning, the shifts in mood, the airy breach into pummelling drums – it accentuated what makes this band’s songwriting so great. The set came to a close with Dream House, but the sound quality was a bit jumbled – the drums, while amazing, swallowed the riffs and left something to be desired.
BY TOM BRAND
LOVED: The drums at the start of Brought To The Water.
HATED: Some fuckwit got called out for groping girls in the mosh during High Tension. Don’t come back.
DRANK: Two beers and still ended up hungover. What the hell!
