Static-X

w/ Devilution and This Collision

Hi-Fi Bar,Brisbane – 5th November 2009

Tuesday nights at the most chilled venue in town and jizzworthy metal moments might not seem as if they go together, but the same could be said about hair boners and footlong goatees. Static-X hit Brisbane’s Hi-Fi Bar on Tightass Tuesday, bringing with them Devilution, This Collision, and 15 cans of hairspray.

Hailing from “Bitch City”  – a new name for Queensland’s capital that hasn’t  quite caught on yet – fellow Brisbanites Devilution kickstarted the night’s proceedings, showcasing their interesting take on industrial metal to a half full and mildly inebriated Hi-Fi Bar. You’d be forgiven for thinking the band were satirising the industrial genre, as they come complete with mildly cringeworthy pseudonyms, rap rock-esque bandannas, and a bass player that may just be Judah Friedlander’s doppelganger.

Fortunately the band prove that looks aren’t everything, busting out an interesting mashup of old school guitar solos, nintendocore –esque sampling, and vocals that alternate between thrash and power metal stylings. Although frontman J. Dracman’s vocals fall short of soaring, his guttural screams are promising, despite occasionally drifting into nu metal territory. The band does show genuine musical talent, however, and if the amount of dancing metalheads in the room is anything to go by, Devilution show real potential for success on the larger Australian circuit.

Dismay fills the room as the audience learn that another support band stands between them and Static-X, but Bris Vegas natives This Collision do their best to entertain. Though they look like they’d be more at home supporting an indie outfit, these rockers compensate for their lack of facial hair and black attire with a sound that could be described as the middle sibling of Killswitch Engage and The Butterfly Effect. Recordings simply don’t do this band justice, as vocalist Shaun consistently delivers surprisingly powerful vocals akin to a Hammerfall edition of Singstar, silencing the naysayers and critics of his glorious purple shirt.

After a long and torturous wait, Wayne Static and his notoriously erect hair make their way to the stage, with guitarist Koichi Fukuda, bassist Tony Campos and drummer Nick Oshiro immediately opening the set with Push It. It’s apparent right off the bat that we’re in for a manic, energetic and entertaining evening, as everyone in the immediate vicinity starts dancing – motherfucking DANCING – to this evil disco act.

When touring in support of a new record, many bands tend to ignore crowd favourites, instead opting to play a large amount of material from the new album. As a result, many members of the audience are left headbanging soundlessly, rendered dumb and mute by unfamiliarity with the album. Yeah – that’s not the case tonight. Static-X turn that formula on its arse, preferring instead to play their long catalogue of crowd favourites, with only a sprinkling of tracks from 2009’s Cult of Static.

Playing in front of wind machines that leave Fukuda in a constant state of Blue Steel and Mr. Static with a bent perma-goatee-boner, the band work their way through Black and White, I’m With Stupid, The Only,  Destroyer, Dirthouse, Cold, Bled for Days, Love Dump and Cannibal. If anything, you have to admit that Static-X know how to put together a motherfucking setlist. There’s nobody attempting to look fashionably disinterested, the crowd are genuinely energetic and excited, and surprisingly non-violent.

Dedicating songs such as Destroy All and Sweat of the Bud to the old school fans, Wayne Static punctuates this several times throughout the evening with celebratory shots – served by his adult film star wife, Tera Wray. She appears several times in varying states of undress, no doubt appealing to the overwhelmingly male audience with her attempts to sing, dance and spank herself. With songs such as Tera-fied and Stingwray making it onto the setlist, here’s hoping Wray and Static last longer than similarly named Tera Patrick and Biohazard member Evan Seinfeld.

As is the case with nearly every show, the band makes a half-arsed attempt to leave the stage prematurely, inciting the crowd to call for an encore. Eventually Wayne Static and crew return, to kick our teeth in one more time with This Is Not and Get to the Gone. Polishing off a couple more shots and tossing the remnants into the crowd, Static, Fukuda and Oshiro ultimately depart the stage, leaving Campos to generously hand out dozens of guitar picks for an extended period of time.

It’s been a few years since their last tour, but after tonight there’s no doubt in anybody’s mind that Static-X have lost touch or grown irrelevant. With a blistering back catalogue and crowd pleasing setlist, the band pummel out tracks as if they were here yesterday.  The band work as hard for their fans as that extra hold hairspray does for their frontman, and here’s hoping they keep producing their crazy brand of evil disco and energetic live shows. Now where’s my shot?

Rating 9.5/10

By JerryDazzlepants