Live Review: mewithoutYou, Foxes, Sail On! Sail On!, Spilt Cities, Kites

Finely crafted post-hardcore with the appropriate amount of punk was the order of the night. Kites were the perfect opener for this kind of show, tension-filled guitar hooks and a massive wall of sound delicately building from the dark depths of their very souls. It’s heartfelt pissed-off passion in a grimy five-piece package, with a vocal tone eerily similar to that of mewithoutYou’s Aaron Weiss.

Reminiscent of Brand New, Spilt Cities make the Long Island sound their own, beautifully blending progressive post-hardcore with the indie/emo/prog side of punk. With heartrending guitar tones and a real understanding of melody, this is band that must be experienced live.

Sail On! Sail On! brought along a level of aggression rarely seen these days. Parting Pt. 1 was a favourite to the growing crowd, which was stirring to life with frontman Skinny O’Leary’s angst-ridden ear-tearing screams and progressive sound.

Foxes had the honour of playing main support tonight, a privilege they didn’t take lightly, as they smashed through an intense set of beautiful and brutal post-hardcore songs. Incredibly tight and very well rehearsed.

The room swelled as mewithoutYou took to the stage. Lyrical wizard and frontman Aaron Weiss swayed and spun, showing us exactly why the slightly eccentric American post-punk indie act had become such an adored icon. It was their first Australian show as a full band and the years of touring has made them a well-oiled machine; unwavering and relentless, they ferociously steered through crowd favourites from their back catalogue. The crowd sang along to standout tracks The Dryness And The Rain, A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains, then with an unwavering vigour, an incredible rendition of Yellow Spider and Orange Spider settled the room between the glorious chaos.

It’s been a long time coming and well worth the wait. Let’s hope it’s not so long before Mewithoutyou visit our shores again.