Despite this being their third visit to Australia, for UK alternative rockers Deaf Havana, this current run of shows was their first as headliners in their own right. With tonight’s turnout at Max Watts being a very mixed crowd demographic, it’s wasn’t a complete surprise given the bands evolving sound over their history. Having started out in the post-hardcore with a touch of screamo territory, evolving into a harder edged Springsteen’esque stadium rock, this headline tour has seen the band on the road for the past year touring Rituals, an album with it’s distinct synth pop sounds.
Hitting the stage to an intro track, the first cab off the rank was one of my personal fav songs from the band, the anthemic alt-rocker Boston Square from their 2013 album Old Souls. Perfect way to kick off, with the crowd launching into a sing-along right from the outset. Fever kept up the intensity with it’s driving bass line and angsty vocals from James Veck-Gilodi.
Dropping the guitar (quite literally) it was time for a double shot off latest album Rituals with Hell and then Holy. Without a guitar around his neck and fingering some synths, frontman Veck-Gilodi at first looked uncomfortable, dancing rather than rocking around the stage, but these songs started to come into their own, once again propelled again by an enthusiastic crowd who clearly know their way around the words of latest album Rituals.
“Great to be back here in your lovely expensive city….”was an appreciative Veck-Gilodi on the back of expressing their mixed recent couple of weeks of countless flights, hot venues and seemingly mixed crowd attendances on their previous Aussie dates. With guitars well and truly back again, Cassiopeia and Sing from their killer All These Countless Nights album reinforced to me that this is where the band seem most comfortable, rocking out and delivering their brand of lyrically stunning alt-rock that has seen them conquer festival crowds back home all over the UK and Europe.
As much as the Veck-Gilodi brothers are the focal point of the band, on songs like Mildred and Trigger it was the powerhouse drumming from Tom Ogden that stood out. For those familiar with the band in a lyrical sense, which could only be described as raw and confessional, Happiness was one of the set highlights, with the vocal delivery from James totally on-point.
Whilst not a super packed room tonight, the crowd certainly made up for it with enthusiasm, equally as much getting off on songs from All These Countless Nights, as much as current album Rituals. Which was how the 65 minute set ended, with Pensacola, 2013 backed with the upbeat pop energy and glorious crowd sing-alongs of Sinner, which was clearly appreciated by the band, who on numerous occasions throughout the night remarked “we needed this gig, Melbourne”.
In one of the more abrupt endings to a gig, house music kicked in barely as the band had left the stage at the end of Sinner. For me personally, was great to finally see one of my listened to bands in recent years and hear those songs delivered with such a raw emotive intensity.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Scott Smith: Lens Of Rock
