A Special Time

One of the concert highlights this year was the Australian metalcore band Northlane.

Formed in 2009 in Sidney, the quintet currently comprises vocalist Marcus Bridge, lead guitarist Jon Deiley, bassist Alex Milovic, rhythm guitarist Josh Smith and drummer Nic Pettersen, after a slight change in their line-up in 2014. So far, they released the six-track EP ‘Hollow Existence’ (2010, self-released), as well as four full-length albums which are ‘Discoveries’ (2011, UNFD), ‘Singularity’ (2013, UNFD), ‘Node’ (2015, UNFD) and ‘Mesmer’ (2017, UNFD). An additional EP which is called ‘Equinox’ (2016, UNFD) was released as collaborative release together with In Hearts Wake followed by a collaborative headlining tour. Northlane’s musical style can be described as metalcore, progressive metal and progressive metalcore. They combine electronic samples with heavy guitar sounds and a mix of clean and screamed vocals which creates a unique spherical vibe. Their last three albums all charted within the top five of the ARIA Charts. After each release the band toured with different bands such as Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice And Men, Amity Affliction, Thy Art Is Murder, and many other bands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Electric Ballroom in Camden where the concert was hosted opened its doors around 7pm for a capacity of around 1,500 people. The venue is part of Camden’s musical character and heritage, hosting shows for bands such as U2, Kaiser Chiefs, Foals, The Killers and many others.

 

Northlane brought three special guests with them. The first band opening the stage was the Australian nu-metal band Ocean Grove who formed in 2010 in Victoria, Melbourne. So far, Luke Holmes (vocals), Jimmy Hall (guitar), Matthew Henley (guitar), Dale Tanner (bass, clean vocals), Sam Bassal (drums) and Running Touch (studio member) have released three EP’s which are ‘Outsider’ (2013, self-released), ‘Black Label’ (2015, self-released) and ‘Black Label – Sublime Vol.’ (2016, UNFD), as well as one full-length album ‘The Rhapsody Tapes’ (2017, UNFD). Their erratic and bizarre style combines heavy guitars, rap, clean vocals and screamed vocals, creating their own kind of ‘odd world music’.

 

 

The second band was the US metalcore band Invent Animate who was formed in 2011 in Port Neches, Texas by Ben English (vocals), Trey Celaya (drums), Keaton Goldwire (guitar) and Caleb Sherraden (bass). So far, the self-released their first EP ‘Waves’ in 2012, followed by two studio albums which are ‘Everchanger’ (2014, Tragic Hero Records) and ‘Stillworld’ (2016, Tragic Hero Records). Musically, Invent Animate combine a mix of mainly screamed and clean vocals with heavy guitars, creating an interesting dynamic.

 

 

 

The third guest was the American progressive metalcore band ERRA from Birmingham, Alabama. The quintet formed in 2009 and currently consists of Jesse Cash (guitar, clean vocals), Alex Ballew (drums), Sean Price (guitar), JT Cavey (vocals) and Conor Hesse (bass). Until now, ERRA released their first two EP’s ‘ERRA’ and ‘Andromeda’ in 2010, followed by their debut album ‘Impulse’ in 2011 and their second full-length album ‘Augment’ in 2013. After a slight change in their line-up, the new formation released another EP ‘Moments Of Clarity’ in 2014 and a third full-length album ‘Drift’ in 2016 via Sumerian Records. Musically, they try to use their creativity, energy and technical sound which is influenced by bands such as Misery Signals, Born of Osiris, As I Lay Dying and Saosin to offer a fresh sound. They combine a mix of clean vocals in their choruses and screamed vocals in the verses with heavy guitars.

 

 

 

The audience was quite mixed but mainly younger adults. As soon as the Ocean Grove entered the stage and started their set, the crowd used all their energy and engaged in the performance. There were loads of crowd surfers right from the beginnings, many people in circle pits an everyone was jumping and singing along. The energy did increase with each band following having crowd surfers and mosh pits with every set. The bands also gave their absolute best on stage and had an amazing time. Northlane kept the energy and were impressed by the instant feedback of the crowd who sang on the top of their lungs, formed circle pits and had a lot of crowd surfers. Two members of Ocean Grove used their chance during Northlane’s set, run across the stage and jumped into the crowd to be carried by the audience. The set was well mixed, offering their new songs, but also some of their older well-known songs which was highly appreciated by the audience. The sound and was good as well, as the mix between instruments and vocals was well balanced. Northlane had an amazing light show which supported their atmospheric music and created a magical vibe. Especially Marcus Bridges vocal performance was very impressive and amazing. His voice was on point and every member delivered a great performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, the concert evening was amazing. There was a high energy onstage as well as in the audience. The bands’ performances were on point which was highly appreciated by the audience. Everyone both the bands on the stage as well as the fans in the audience seemed to have a special time, a great evening and loads of fun!

 

 

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