Polaris went on their first UK and Europe headlining tour and played a sold-out show at The Dome.
The Australian metalcore band comprising vocalist Jamie Hails, both guitarists Rick Schneider and Ryan Siew, bassist Jake Steinhauser and drummer Daniel Furnari started the year touring with Architects and came back for their first solo headlining tour across Europe and the UK. Since the release of their debut full-length ‘The Mortal Coil’ via Sharptone Records in 2017, which followed their two self-released EP’s ‘The Guilt & The Grief’ (2016) and ‘Dichotomy’ (2013), they toured relentlessly, growing a solid fanbase. Musically, they combine heavy metalcore guitar riffs, rhythmically grooving drumbeats, melodic and anthemic choruses as well as energetic breakdowns. Jamie Hails and Jake Steinhauser alternate between mostly screamed vocals in the refrains and huge melodic coruses which creates an electrifying atmosphere that resolves in heavy breakdowns.
The sold-out 500-capacity venue, The Dome, opened its gates around 7pm and let the patiently waiting fans fill the space in front of the stage quickly. First up was the British hardcore band Polar who started the evening with loads of energy. Their buzzing guitar riffs and heavy breakdowns got the crowd moving in circle pits and crowd surfing their way to the stage, while the anthemic choruses saw the audience singing along.
Having been well warmed up, the crowd went absolutely mental once they heard the riffs leading into ‘Lucid’ and did not slow down for ‘Relapse’, followed by ‘Regress’, ‘Sonder’ and ‘Frailty’. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves in a huge circle pit right in front of the stage. ‘In Somnus Veritas’ lead into their debut album’s anthemic lead single ‘The Remedy’ which saw the crowd screaming the lyrics back to the stage even louder than before. The energy stayed high with ‘Casulty’, while the melancholic guitar melodies and emotionally sung vocals of ‘Dusk To Day’ created an almost haunted and vulnerable atmosphere. Leading into the grand finale, ‘The Slow Decay’, ‘Crooked Path’ and ‘Consume’ seemed to have floods of crowd surfers making their way to the stage just to jump back into the crowd. ‘Unfamiliar’ was the closing song of the set and saw the crowd lose their minds once more. Polaris played a good mix of songs, mainly of their latest release but also some older songs from their EP which was well received by the fans. The band was overwhelmed by the warm welcome and the high energy of the crowd, and seemed to have had a blast on stage. The sound for both sets was well balanced, and the light show helped to create the atmosphere and vibes of each band.
Overall, it was a special time with talented bands, good music and an energetic crowd who seemed to have a great time. The bands gave their best and highly appreciated the fans’ participation. It will be interesting to see what Polaris have planned for the rest of the year after they finished the rest of their tour in Europe.
Venue: The Dome
Band: Polaris
Support: Polar
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A Special Time 