Live Review: Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus, Sleepmakeswaves

The venue's steamy-aired charm welcomes sleepmakeswaves before an early bird crowd on the first show of Karnivool's Polymorphism tour. If tonight's reception of the New South Wales outfit is anything to go by, it's safe to say that by the end of this tour the incredibly hard-working sleepmakeswaves will have added hundreds more fans to their following.
It's a miracle that anyone can actually find the courage to move around to the music given the floor seems extra sticky tonight, but Dead Letter Circus make it hard to resist the urge with their opener The Space On The Wall. Ninja instrument changeovers and very little chit-chat maximises the intensity of DLC's set, which covers their own songs Here We Divide, Cage and Reaction as well as Happy Birthday (dedicated to guitarist Clint Vincent). There are plenty of opportunities to sing and clap along as shirtless singer Kim Benzie does his utmost to include the crowd in the show.
Before the headliners take to the stage, a spokesperson for 'Save The Palace Theatre' gives us a rundown on a proposed property development at the Palace Theatre site, which will see the theatre demolished. The audience boos on cue and reflects on what would be lost if the development were to go ahead before the headliners make their appearance.
Karnivool come out with purpose, clearly excited to be starting their national tour. The first half of their set features songs such as Themata, COTE, Are You With Me? and Illumine. If the band were to finish at the halfway mark of their show, punters would still leave satisfied. Which is lucky, because after the couple of songs that follow We Are, the rocket that they rode in on seems to detour into mellower territory and the energy in the room plummets. Even Ian Kenny's boxer-like physicality isn't quite enough to match the intensity of the beginning of the band's performance.
Rather than seeing the rest of the show out in one block, the band leaves the stage, unnecessarily, only to come back after a minute of lazy applause from the crowd who know all too well that the show isn't over just yet. The obsolescence of encores in general aside, this mini-break isn't quite enough to restore Karnivool's earlier momentum. However, tonight's line-up is surely enough to satisfy any fan of Australian hard rock.