By Joshua Hobbins
Just over a week ago, HELM were back at Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, preparing for a return that a lot of us probably never expected to see.
It was a small, intimate gathering of old friends, family and familiar faces, with even a few young ones there with their parents, as the original lineup ripped through a 40-minute set drawn from their 2008 album Vol. 1: Keelhaul ahead of their return to the stage at Necrosonic Festival.
Huge riffs, huge vocals and those unmistakable melodies filled the room, bringing back plenty of memories in the process. More importantly, the songs still sounded fucking huge.
What was initially intended as a one-off reunion for Necrosonic, thanks in no small part to Kent Haines, has now turned into at least one more chance to catch HELM in full flight.
On September 12, they’ll return to that same room at Mo’s to headline the Gold Coast leg of Save The Black Wreath.
For frontman Lucas Stone, there’s a particularly personal connection to the cause behind the show.
Stone made the trip to the Northern Territory with his current band Hammers to play Blacken Open Air, an experience that clearly left an impression well beyond simply playing another festival.
“Going to Alice Springs itself was an experience on its own, and then obviously once you did the drive out to Ross River, as soon as we went onto the grounds and you’re surrounded by all the gorges, the area was just otherworldly,” Stone recalls.
“The festival itself was set up so well and just had a really otherworldly feeling to the place. I think mentally, being where you are within this country and the history of its original people has a huge effect on everything to do with it.”
For Stone, it was also the sense of community surrounding Blacken that separated it from other festivals he’d experienced over decades of playing and attending heavy music events.
“There was no one telling you what to do and everyone just did the best fucking thing, had the best time and was so respectful. There was no violence. There was none of that. It just wasn’t the place for any horseshit, which I think was one of the most remarkable things about it.”
Having grown up attending festivals like Big Day Out, later playing Soundwave, and experiencing countless smaller festivals along the way, Stone says there’s still something about Blacken that is difficult to put into words.
“I don’t think you can compare many festivals to it. I suppose it’s like an Australian metal Burning Man in a way, where it’s more of a spiritual experience than just a music event.
“It signifies so much to do with Australian unity. Obviously, metal is a subculture that’s quite a niche market in comparison to a lot of other commercial genres, and I think it lends itself to acceptance and all the special things that make doing this as musicians and artists all the more special.”
That connection makes HELM’s involvement in Save The Black Wreath particularly fitting.
They won’t be doing it alone either.
The Gold Coast leg brings together a suitably eclectic lineup featuring Snake Mountain, Blindgirls, Lagerstein with a DJ set, The Bunny Racket, Holystone, Awful Noise and Couch Wizard.
More importantly, every one of these shows is helping support the bigger fight to Save The Black Wreath, with all proceeds from the events going directly to the Pozible campaign.
With the campaign now entering its final stretch, there’s still time to donate and help push towards the $1 million target needed to help secure the future of Blacken and The Black Wreath.
Whether you’re heading along to a show, throwing some money directly behind the campaign, or both, there’s still time to get behind something that clearly means a hell of a lot to Australia’s heavy music community.
And if there was any question about how HELM would sound after all these years, Necrosonic answered it emphatically.
The love they received for their return was huge, but so was the sound coming off the stage.
These songs haven’t lost their weight. Keelhaul still delivers the enormous riffs, melodies and vocals that made HELM such a memorable part of the Australian heavy scene in the first place.
On September 12, they’ll do it again, back in the same room where we were lucky enough to watch the original lineup preparing for their return just a few weeks earlier.
For those who were there the first time around, it’ll be another chance to experience those songs the way they’re supposed to be heard.
And for the younger faces who weren’t?
Now’s your chance to find out what all the fuss was about.
Hammers – The Kooks of Hazzard
Tickets for Blacken Forever at Mo’s
