Live Review: The Delta Riggs, The Moving Stills, Batz

The scene at Max Watt's is definitely not what was expected; a few groups of fans, clustering mostly around the bar, speaking quietly and not kicking up a fuss. It is not to last. Right from the moment BATZ first come on stage and smash out their sound, there is a visible change in the audience. They begin to get drawn in; they get louder, more animated. By the time the first few songs are finished, they’re wild. The band does everything to keep them that way. Every one of them looks psyched to be there. They love what they do as much as the fans do. Their last song ends with an applause that’s half cheering, half screaming.

By contrast, The Moving Stills seem to calm things down. While their music is as heavy as any other, it has a slower, almost haunting melody at first, before cranking things up towards the end. It’s a roller coaster, with highs and lows that barely give you enough time for them to sink in before switching cadence. The band keeps a steady head throughout. They're confident, even a little cocky. The crowd loves them for it.

The constant, rapid, even jarring shifts in emotions from the first two performances have left the atmosphere on edge. It is absolutely tense. The mosh pit is erratic even before headliners The Delta Riggs strum their first note. When that note plays, the whole bloody place erupts. Their music is loud - so loud that you can’t tell if it’s the audience pounding their feet to the sound or simply the instruments that make the whole theatre vibrate with every beat. By this point, the smoke machines have kicked in and a devilish red light sifts through the fog. The band are silhouettes, giving the whole place a mad, otherworldly feel.

“How ya doin’ Melbourne?!” is all frontman Elliot Hammond says after their first song. It’s all he needs to say. The audience gets louder than one would think they possibly could, including Hammond himself, judging by the big grin on his face.

Wasting no more time on ceremony, the band simply picks up and crashes into the next song. Throughout the rest of the night, they don’t slow down. Neither does the audience. Nor the feeling that you’ve just had one of the best nights of your life.