Karnivool

w/ MM9 and Sleep Parade
Hifi Bar, Melbourne – Tuesday July 6

To set the scene: It was a daaaaaaark night, and the moooooon was full…

T”was a Tuesday night at the HiFi bar in Melbourne, with Karnivool on their third tour around the country in support of the epic album #2, Sound Awake. The band was set to warm up the Melbournites from the sting of this cold winter, and brighten up an otherwise regular weeknight. Once we approached the venue, we noticed some of the usual suspects, some of which we had seen at The Butterfly Effect gig at the Ferntree Gully Hotel (or ‘the Gully’ as Clint Boge, refers to it) the week earlier.

After missing Melbourne’s Sleep Parade, the first act of the night was Sydney’s MM9, playing to an ever filling HiFi bar. Having never heard the band before I was impressed by their sound, reminding me in parts of Enter Shikari with their phat electro beats, and eccentric characters, most noticeably the drummer who struggles to stay seated on his stool, but without the hardcore-esque sound of Enter Shikari. So if you’re after what they sound like, have a listen, its easier than me trying to do their sound justice!

I remember the atmosphere being described as electric by front-man Ian Kenny who seemed to be enjoying it as much as we were. Entering the stage to loud cheers, and once the band kicked-off with the bee buzzing introduction of Set fire to the hive, you could feel the vibe of excited frenzy in the air, and as the Don would say; it was “so chunky, you could carve it”. He was right, Karnivool was only amplified by the surrounds of the intimate HiFi bar.

Shortly into the setlist, it was clear to see Karnivool were not holding back, rolling out the crowd pleaser’s from the get go. Saving Cote, Roqueforte and signature song Themata from 2005’s Themata album gave a predictably massive reaction from the crowd and a second wind to an awe inspiring performance. The lighting and production were near perfect with timely changes shifting the mood and stage effect.

The originality and professionalism of Karnivool set them apart in the local metal scene, the antics and on-stage performance of Ian, as well as the other members create a notable performance. Jon Stockman (bass guitar) really stood out on the night bringing some real energy and enthusiasm to the show throughout the night. After being slightly concerned about the state of Ian’s hair during Umbra, I thought to myself, someone who can hit notes and range that good at a live gig can have whatever bloody hairstyle he wants! Karnivool break out of the box and give the impression that they do what they do because they enjoy what they do.

Fade, from the Persona EP, made a pleasant return after having been absent from the setlist since the Themata days, before the last song in the set before encore,  ‘New day’, the namesake of the tour, which sets itself up as a nice last hoorah, leading the crowd through the awesome experience that is New Day live, but it was the epic encore of ‘Change‘ with its nice little acoustic solo piece at the end, and incredibly drumming through the entire 13 minutes from Steve Judd that found a great way to finish off the night. All together… fucking good!

It was nice to experience the power of Karnivool live in an intimate venue again, and feel everyone from the band to the entire crowd involved in the gig. The made a conscious decision to play smaller venues, and it was appreciated. Just like a fine wine, Karnivool get better with age!

Setlist:

Set Fire To The Hive
Goliath
Simple Boy
Umbra
All I Know
The Medicine Wears Off
The Caudal Lure
C.O.T.E.
Themata
Roquefort
Fade
New Day

Encore:
Change

Review by Michael Harris