There are a number of two-piece bands doing the rounds at the moment. New Zealand’s Cairo Knife Fight are the latest to join a list headed up by the likes of Jackson Firebird, King of the North and Over-Reactor. However, Cairo Knife Fight are a very different beast to the other three. They’re not gutsy, blues based raunch-rock like the former two, nor are they eclectic rap, rock and metal like the latter. They have more of an alternative rock vibe going on. And they do it rather well.
A singing drummer is another point of difference for these guys. When the set-up’s just guitar, drums and vocals, obviously the guitarist has to play around with his sound to ensure that the overall impact is nice and full. And such was the case here; these guys sounded huge. Their tunes were interesting, especially the closer, which was long, experimental and built to a massive climax that received an uproarious reception from the already packed crowd. Despite that, call me a traditionalist, but I still like to hear a great rumbling, fat bottom end in rock music. But even with the absence of bass guitar, Cairo Knife Fight put on a very satisfying warm-up set for the main act.
It’s great to see a band like Karnivool in a relatively small pub venue. The setting and the fact that they were playing Themata end to end seemed to give them a more relaxed vibe. That said, the delivery of the album material, and then a bunch of stuff from their other two albums, plus a classic track from their second EP, was utterly flawless. They even treated us to a brand new tune, which may or may not be called The Great Escape. The band seemed a smidgeon tentative about it, but I’m sure once developed further, it’ll become huge.
This gig was a celebration of the album that kicked everything off for Karnivool (even though they’d been around for several years beforehand). One of the things that makes Themata so special is its accessible nature. In fact, rarely has complex progressive rock been more appealing (even in Karnivool’s own career: second album Sound Awake was heavier and a step further into left field, whilst third album, 2013’s Asymmetry, took that step to the left and turned it into a giant leap). And that appealing nature comes across beautifully in a live setting as well. They closed with an epic version of New Day, a song of longing and hope, and band and capacity crowd alike had a sensational time on this cold Melbourne night.
BY ROD WHITFIELD
Loved: Knowing what song was coming next.
Hated: Knowing what song was coming next.
Drank: Light beer (driving).
