The Mark Of Cain’s victory lap tour in Melbourne was surreal and loud. The Adelaide three-piece’s first tour after an album that has been ten years in the making is always going to be a huge deal, and The Hi-Fi show lived up to expectations. The heavy cerebral riffs came crashing into everybody’s ears as soon as they boys stepped on stage, and it was clear that TMOC were seasoned professionals that had done this at least a few times. Each member’s effortless execution of every part was awe-inspiring.
A particularly impressive display occurred when one of the drummer’s sticks flew into the air mid-song. He panicked for a brief second while continuing to hit the hi-hat with the other hand, then regained composure, deftly snatched it out of the sky and continued drumming. The bassist and guitarist/vocalist were none the wiser, but the crowd, myself included, went absolutely bat-shit over it.
The set was well crafted, taking the audience on a train ride through tempo and intensity, while slowly getting faster and more energetic. The deep, ominous bass lines were punctuated by the bassist standing in the ‘legs apart power stance’ for the entire set. The drummer’s strong technical ability shone through, his booming kick drums setting the up-tempo pace for the show. The guitar bound everything together with its driving riffs and its truly poetic alt-rock melodies.
Every single audience member was barking each and every chorus, getting louder and more raucous as the night progressed. The energy was simply amazing. Even for a relative newcomer to Mark Of Cain’s music, I found myself singing along and banging my head like a boss. Even the security guards were enjoying themselves, but they didn’t even need to be there. The refreshing lack of aggressive wankers at the show provided a happy atmosphere that I was delighted to be a part of. To be fair, I didn’t set foot in the mosh pit, so I can’t speak for the wanker ratio down there. I did get the feeling that it was just a show with a few hundred music fans enjoying themselves, which I find beautiful.
BY REI BARKER
LOVED: The entire vibe.
HATED: Nothing.
DRANK: H20.
