Live Review: Neurosis, Dispossessed

Over the past 30 years, tonight's headliners have (justifiably) developed a reputation for providing an almost religious experience for their followers — both on record and in live performances. But, as tonight's crowd rumbles out, there's a simple truth to confront: the most powerful experience of the evening did not come from the headliners.

That honour fell to openers Dispossessed — whose performance really defies easy description. In coverage of the local outfit, much has been made of the ideological fury and focus of their work (and rightfully so). But, it's equally important to emphasise that, on a pure sonic level, they are also a unit of astonishing power and versatility.

Augmented by the surprising addition of Collarbones' Marcus Whale on vocals and electronics, Dispossessed effortlessly shifted from pendulous doom to thrash, hardcore and industrial. The precision and dynamism of their musicality, coupled with their laser-sight ideological drive, made their set an almost completely pure experience. Almost faultless.

Neurosis, in another time, might have offered a similarly singular vision. For many years, their albums and performances were consistently seminal events — pushing the art of aggressive music into new timbres and territories with every iteration of their sound. In recent years, they've started to focus more on refining their vision than significantly expanding it.

Tonight's set reflected those more modest ambitions. The potency of their set was, unsurprisingly, undeniable throughout. Even just the sampled introduction of 1993's Lost felt charged with aggression. When the plaintive roar of the opening vocal and the tolling notes of the bass finally gave way to the production's actual riffs, the impact felt truly devastating. Similarly, their reading of 1996 classic Locust Star almost inspired one to abase themselves in terror and humility. There simply are not words to describe the true weight of that song in a live context.

But, sadly, Neurosis' set was rarely anything besides crushingly heavy. Despite their considerable legacy of experimentation with different dynamics and instrumentation, the band forewent any sustained exploration of the weirder corners of their catalogue — largely sidestepping the folk flavours of A Sun That Never Sets or The Eye Of Every Storm's space-rock textures.

Again, there's no denying the ferocity of what the band did deliver. But, some were left wanting more.