Tonight, Defeater return to our shores following the release of their fourth studio album ‘Abandoned’, that saw the light of day back in August last year.
Holy Roar newbies Giants get the evening underway offering up a steady selection of material lifted off their debut album. Due to some fairly intense and thorough bag searches on the door, the room is slow to fill up but everyone is in to witness the overwhelming delivery of a new song entitled ‘Evergreen’ that sends shivers down the spine with a crescendo of raw emotion.
Kids Insane from Tel Aviv instantly pick up the pace with their unique crossover sound. Think melodic hardcore with southern rock twinge in the vain of band such as Blacklisted. Hyperactive front man Corey races from side to side of the stage animating lines of lyrics as though he were a puppet being controlled by some other power. It quickly becomes obvious as to why this band were hand picked for the tour.
Break Even explode into action with a high energy performance and ferocious delivery. They are clearly having a lot of fun. Heartfelt speeches between songs discussing topics ranging from travelling the world to cherishing those closest to you instantly establish a connection and strike a chord with the everyone in the room .
Looking and sounding refreshed, Defeater kick start their set with a selection of newer songs but the room erupts to the sound of ‘Bastards’. Despite Derek Archambault’s poetic lyrics telling stories of various characters from their overall narrative, every line of every song is venomously released by crowd and band members alike. Defying any expectations or pre-conceptions anyone may have had, Defeater perform a totally fresh and unpredictable set before closing out the evening with fan favourite ‘Cowardice’ as an encore. Completing the circle and ending their set back where they started with the song that first introduces the main protagonist from the new album surely has to be more than just a coincidence, which just goes to show that Defeater are back on top of their game and on full form.
JAMES DAVENPORT