We knew it was coming for some time now but you can never really prepare yourself for such a thing. The final time we will ever get to see The Dillinger Escape Plan (pending any possible future reunions and comebacks which seems very unlikely from this band) and their crazy antics, both musically and live on stage is something that has to be witnessed even if you were not a hardcore fan. The ability to put on a spectacle was always one of the biggest drawcards about this band over the years, an element that involved unbelievable moments in and amongst serious injuries and even deaths and while they may get a few people wondering what the hell this band is genre-wise on the music front, the progressive nature of The Dillinger Escape Plan in every aspect that they drew upon has always been about pushing the envelope and seeing how far they can take. Perth was lucky enough to witness one of the first of the final Australian shows to give one last send-off to a band that has given so much to their fans.
Handling the tough job of opening the show tonight were local hardcore band Forstora who seemingly slotted in just nicely as the support act for the night, an intense and brutally raw affair that threw down a ball of energy and a sound that was both on point and in your face. While the band haven’t been super active in recent times, they showed no signs of a lagging performance or any rust coming through at all and had just the right ingredients for what was to come.
The Dillinger Escape Plan are no strangers to Australia and even to Perth. Numerous visits over the years has seen their rabid fanbase embrace the band’s eclectic and abrasive sound that, a feat that’s as impressive as Dillingers crazy stage antics and wildly unapologetic style. Tonight the Perth fans were here to see the mighty mathcore instigators one last time before they call it a day, this tour being a final culmination of all that is TDEP and all the hype and expectations that were swirling around in people’s heads in the lead up to the tour were met with exceedingly excited relief.
A sprawling set covering everything from their debut monster “Calculating Infinity” to their final album “Dissociation”, it was a best of what the band had to offer and then some. All the crazy and wacky proggy stuff was thrown in, old and new to the more melodic groove hitters like the brilliant title track “One Of Us Is The Killer”. The crowd got it all in a mixed bag of what could be considered the ala carte of TDEP’s repetoire of unique music but just as, if not more importantly, it was the stage show itself that really caught everyone’s attention as it always has been over the years. Frontman Greg Puciato was in and out of the crowd like there was no tomorrow (which in this case for the band is not far off!) as he shared the floor with the moshpit as well as handing the mic to several punters all eager to scream the lyrics for Greg who seemed to absolutely love and embrace the interaction he got from the crowd. Guitarist Ben Weinman was about as energetic as one could be, literally jumping on everything that would hold his weight and that’s part of the excitement of seeing TDEP is that you simply don’t know what to expect except complete mayhem.
Of course aside from all the commotion made on stage and in the crowd, the band still had a focus point to put across to the packed crowd as the band tore through the set with very little talk in between tracks. Plowing through in an hour and a half is not only exhausting for the band but it’s a lot to take in from a punter’s point of view. I’m sure there were many moments not included here from the night which seemed to be just a blur of chaos and loud messy metal but there’s only one way to truly know what it’s like to know what The Dillinger Escape Plan is like live and that’s to see them live in person. Unfortunately that opportunity has almost come to it’s sad but enthralling end so those that do witness this final tour will be talking about it for years to come.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by André Avila at Redwood Visions
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
TOUR DATES:
SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER – CAPITOL, PERTH 18+
TUESDAY 17 OCTOBER – FOWLERS LIVE, ADELAIDE 18+
WEDNESDAY 18 OCTOBER- BALD FACED STAG, SYDNEY – SOLD OUT!
THURSDAY 19 OCTOBER – CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE 18+ – SOLD OUT!
FRIDAY 20 OCTOBER – CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE 18+ – SOLD OUT!
SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER – METRO THEATRE, SYDNEY 18+ – SOLD OUT!
SUNDAY 22 OCTOBER – MAX WATTS, BRISBANE 18+
Tickets for all other shows are on sale now.
www.tickets.destroyalllines.com
