Miss May I were last here four years ago when they were nothing more than just boys. Today, they arrived back in Adelaide as men—men with an amazing back catalogue and an awesome stage performance. Men prepared to set Adelaide ablaze on a sultry Saturday night, as they tour their new album Shadows Inside.
Before the guys burned up the stage, we had three pretty awesome support acts to kick off the night, starting with local band Falcifer. The female fronted hardcore band tore through a set that made the nether regions of your soul move towards the pit. Unfortunately though, only a small crowd was there to greet the brutality of their show. Next month they are supporting The Acacia Strain at Fowlers and you’d be well advised to check them out!
Falcifer were followed by Justice of The Damned, who will be joining Miss May I throughout their tour. The guys tore up the stage with their brand of metal that had heads banging in unison. They’ve been making a name for themselves recently and it’s easy to see why, with breakdowns that drew a few ‘old school two-steppers’ to the front and centre of the stage.
Sylar—from New York City, as they kept reminding us during their half hour set—is a blend of old school NYC hardcore, with a modern Linkin Park style. The slowly growing crowd became suitably warmed up and ready to go. Their first sojourn into Australia left an indelible mark on this audience. Next time they’re here, make sure you’re ready to get to the barricade to feel the real intensity of their performance.
Finally, the headliners took the stage. Ohio boys, Miss May I, have released an amazing six albums in the last 10 years, and this current offering, Shadows Inside, is their best yet. The setlist was heavily loaded with the new album; the small but raucous crowd lapped every moment up. Levi Benton has become quite the frontman over the last 10 years, and he was, amazingly, backed up by the same band that started it all back in 2007.
Songs like ‘Hey Mister’ and ‘Casualties’ were crowd favourites, before the soon to be classic ‘My Sorrow’ turned up the volume, and the intensity. UniBar has always placed its grace in the energy it can create and last night was no exception—until the last few songs though, where the volume noticeably turned up making the show-stopping tunes become a little less audible. None of this detracted from the performance the band gave the crowd though. And although disappointingly small in number for a band this excellent, like the song ‘Shadows Inside’ itself, the crowd that did turn up truly had ‘been set ablaze.’
TOUR DATES
Sunday 26 November – Perth, Amplifier Bar 18+
Tickets available here or at Oztix outlets.
Find more photos here.
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Photos: Josh McCawley
