Review: Joshua Hobbins
Photography: Nate Rose
There’s a whole generation of newer heavy bands now pulling equally from metalcore, shoegaze, post-hardcore and alternative music without really caring where one genre ends and another begins. Last night, Loathe and Static Dress showed a sold-out Tivoli exactly where that evolution has led.
Static Dress hit the stage looking and sounding like a band completely unconcerned with staying inside genre lines, pulling equally from early 2000s post-hardcore, emo chaos and modern shoegaze textures. Nostalgia Kills and Push Rope landed early with jagged intensity, before CDP triggered the first real chaos of the night, panic chords giving way to a huge beatdown that immediately opened the pit up inside The Tivoli.
Frontman Olli Appleyard spent most of the set in constant motion, throwing himself around the stage while constantly engaging with the crowd. Human Props and Connor kept the intensity rolling before …Hospice shifted into something moodier and more atmospheric. The latest single from their upcoming album leaned heavily into shoegaze textures and Deftones-esque atmosphere, showing another side of the band beyond pure chaos. Face. followed with strong early 2000s screamo and metalcore vibes woven through the band’s more modern sound.
Courtney, Just Relax brought one of the funniest crowd interaction moments of the night, with Appleyard delivering his best Australian “Wakey wakey, you fuckin dawgs” pit call before the final breakdown detonated the room.
Closing with clean., the band triggered a wall of death, an impressive sight for an opening act playing to a crowd where many were clearly discovering them for the first time. The massive chorus and soaring lead guitar only pushed things further, and by the end of the set, Static Dress had made a serious impression and undoubtedly walked away with a stack of new fans.
As low ambient textures filled the room, Loathe took the stage, and from the opening moments of Gifted Every Strength, it was obvious the band’s dense, immersive sound translated perfectly into a venue this size. The crowd reaction was immediate, with chants of “hey, hey, hey, hey” breaking out during the opening two songs.
Even with bassist Feisal El-Khazragi absent from the tour following the birth of his second child, long-time guitar tech Ryan Chan slotted into the live line-up seamlessly, the low end never losing any of its weight. Throughout their set, Loathe sounded impossibly huge for a four-piece, with the heaviest sections landing as hard as any band I’ve seen this year.
Aggressive Evolution triggered the first major eruption from the floor, while Broken Vision Rhythm and Dance On My Skin showcased just how naturally the band moves between crushing riffs and shoegaze-inspired textures. Two-Way Mirror landed as one of the night’s biggest moments, the melodic vocals carrying across the entire room.
Heavy Is the Head That Falls With the Weight of a Thousand Thoughts was one of the set’s most crushing moments, with Olli from Static Dress joining Kadeem on vocals as the room disappeared beneath massive low end, towering guitar tone and relentless drumming. Drummer Sean Radcliffe was phenomenal throughout the night, effortlessly shifting between ambient restraint and outright blast-beat chaos.
A Sad Cartoon was a perfect mid-set highlight, with guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe’s clean vocals carrying the song beautifully before giving a touching thank you to his ‘best friend’ Ryan Chan for stepping in on bass duties for the tour. Athena, Revenant and New Faces in the Dark pushed the set back toward heavier territory before Dimorphous Display and White Hot kept the intensity climbing.
Closing the main set with I Let It In and It Took Everything, Loathe brought the night to a finish that balanced atmosphere and destruction in equal measure.
As an encore, Is It Really You? showed exactly why the track has become such a breakout moment for the band, with phone lights filling The Tivoli as Kadeem, Erik and the crowd locked completely into the whole song together. Gored then closed things out in violent fashion, with Static Dress guitarist Vincent Weight stepping out to join the band for the final song.
What stood out across both sets was how fluid everything felt. The transitions between ambience, shoegaze, metalcore and outright noise never felt forced or stitched together for effect. Static Dress brought chaos, emotion and early-2000s post hardcore energy into something modern, while Loathe pushed the genre-blending even further into something immersive and genuinely overwhelming live. Watching the crowd erupt to both bands made it feel like this is the direction heavy music is heading next.
– GALLERY –
