Live Review: Chiodos, StormThe Sky, At Fates Mercy, Emecia, Drown This Fury

Drown This Fury opened the night with an enthusiastic display of metal-core bringing a decent and diverse fanbase to Fowler’s Live, regardless if it majorly consisted of their own relatives. Though the band didn’t successfully bring anything heavy music hasn’t heard before, the abundance of Drown This Fury tees was impressive, as were the beach balls the five-piece employed, which remained a consistent feature of the night. Their performance then paved the way for the second of the ambitious five-band line-up. Emecia gave the 150-strong audience an interpretation of punk rock that probably could have been left off the bill; the four piece was the weakest act of the night. Simply put, this act needs a lot of refinement and a stronger presence in the vocal department. However, At Fates Mercy restored faith in the depth in the Adelaide music scene by claiming the night’s strongest local performance. Singer Benn Cox demanded the attention of the crowd through a passionate yet modest performance while proving running backwards across the stage is not always the best approach as a frontman. The band shone, with their single, No Reflection, giving rhythm guitarist James Hurford a fitting final show with the boys.

Professionalism and showmanship are the most appropriate descriptions for six-piece Storm The Sky, who have been kicking some major career goals as of late with various major label signings and a flurry of Australian tours, and it wasn’t difficult to see why with this performance. The band was tight, mesmerising and almost outshone the headlining act. Clean vocalist, William Jarratt, showed incredible improvement, having struggled to remain comparable to recordings in past Adelaide performances. Storm The Sky are definitely now a force to be reckoned with. Finally, Michigan’s Chiodos brought the whole night together with a fantastic display that contained a ridiculous amount of energy. Vocalist Craig Owens, not happy with the reception from the crowd, asked that between songs the audience scream the names of celebrities so as to save the awkwardness. Never have I heard “Tony Abbott” and “Barbra Streisand” yelled in the same sentence; I guess there’s a first for everything. The beach balls returned and Storm The Sky partied in the media pit to classic tracks, a stand-out being 3am. There’s one thing for sure, Chiodos know how to bring the party on a Tuesday night.