Live Review: High Tension, Lo!, Arafura

Grim T-shirts, skinny jeans and old Vans were the uniform of the day at gritty Sydney institution the Lansdowne for the deathly double billing of Melbourne’s High Tension and Sydney’s Lo!.

Punters braved a blisteringly cold evening, unbearable winds whipping down Parramatta Road, to see some blackened hardcore. Local supports Arafura were an appropriate pick to kick things off. Performing cuts from their to-be-released debut EP, the group's brand of aggressive, minimalist hardcore generated plenty of early interest. A band to keep an eye on.

Lo! have been mainstays of the Sydney metal circuit for years now, and their depth of experience showed. Breezing through a wonderfully flowing set, with next to no momentum drops between tracks, cuts Orca, Locust Christ and the choppy Butcher Birds were wonderfully executed, the band proving their prowess once again.

High Tension have never had the attention they so desperately deserve, but the initiated are always all-in fanatics. This was evident from the start of the quartet's set, with the usual Sydney shyness abating almost instantly. Early highlight Bully transformed the top floor into a mass headbang, with frontwoman Karina Utomo in the face of every punter on the dancefloor.

High Tension @ Lansdowne Hotel. Photo by Clare Hawley

Likewise, newer cuts Bite The Leash (Burn) and blast-a-thon Veil were enthusiastically received by all, with each new riff whipping those assembled into a frenzy. The band’s most recent effort Purge was by far one of the best Aussie releases of last year, and it was great to see the band shed the older classics for emphasis on the new material. Red White Shame was surprisingly moving as a mid-set interlude, while Ghost To Ghost had the band playing with an almost frenzy, with drummer Lauren Hammel unleashing one hell of a battering on her kit. 

High Tension closed out their set with Rise. Many death-metal shows can feel dragged out, given the intensity of the music. With High Tension, some of the most aggressive metallers in Australia, it felt like it was over all too quickly. The band sure know how to leave a crowd wanting more, and they will doubtlessly be rewarded with another strong showing the next time they hit the stage.