The mysticism around …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead's live show is a major drawcard for those new to the band, while for longtime fans it is the chance to relive some of their bigger moments that have littered their Australian performances over the years. Tonight's crowd at the Hifi is a modest one with the mezzanine level being closed off in a rare occurrence for the band and Friday night shows at the Hifi in general.
To The North start the night off with their blend of At the Drive In like punk to a reasonable but still thin crowd. Vocalist Cam has a rather interesting voice which has a thick Australian accent quality to it which projects in between almost spoken word like vocals to strained shouting.
An interesting surprise lies tonight at the merch desk, where the only merch from Trail of Dead were drawings and artwork by frontman Conrad Keely. All of which varied from animals and birds to Seth Rogan as an English duke. All artwork was personally signed and numbered by Conrad as well.
Brisbane band Nikko are a very appropriate support tonight with their blend of Dirty Three/Nick Cave like post-rock sound.
The band were powerful as a unit with each member performing to the extent of their potential from the experimental screeching strings of violin player Adam Cadell to the ferocious attack on the groups drum kit by Blair Westbrook. Moments of atmospheric silence moved into moments of built up tension as the band leave no stone unturned within the venue. Latest single, About The Spirit saw the group develop their sound into a dark blues version of Pink Floyd's Darkside of the Moon which marked a notable departure to the more straightforward nature of 2010 debut The Warm Side and the new direction is a more than welcome one. Perhaps a little shy on the banter front, Nikko are definitely a band that lets their music and the stage show do the talking.
Arriving on stage to the grandeur of Ode to Isis, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead enter the arena as kings and they launch into Strange News From Another Planet which pricks ears up throughout the venue. By the time they played their second track Spiral Jetty, drummer Jamie Miller had already broken a number of drum sticks matching the intensity of the rest of the band. During the slightly more relaxed nature of Tao of the Dead track Ebb Away the endless Autry Fubright proves he is the most flexible in the band curving his spine as he leans back with bass in tow almost having his head go back through his legs in a perfect circle.
The sound is faultless throughout the set with the Hifi's acoustics seeming to be a match made in heaven with the post-rock assent/decent of Trail of Deads punk-like tension. Worlds Apart track Will You Smile Again For Me is an intense affair as the tight drumming and guitar work build up with an explosion of sound until it once again calms and allows room to breath with a hint of dark attitude. Jason Reece looks like a monster, as the muscled up guitarist stares down the audience as he thrashes himself around the room drenching himself in sweat (and alcohol) in the process.
The first taste of their critically acclaimed masterpiece Source Tags and Codes is the atmospheric It Was There That I Saw You which lead into the slightly more pop How Near How Far. The band then went back into territory of their debut with Fake Fake Eyes to which Reece announced that it was the first time this track had been played in over five years.
A bizarre hold up occurred with the band allegedly getting a noise complaint, it was then the band jokingly launched into an 'acoustic' version of Another Mornning Stoner which saw a huge spike in the audience and caused the ground to shake from the self proportion of the crowd. A Perfect Teenhood saw Keely take the drum kit and the group constantly rotate with Reece also assuming the role as drummer for Claire De Lune.
After a heat filled set, the band finish with the first track they ever released, the punk infused madness of Richter Scale Madness which is a full on assault on the senses with the band giving it their all for those last few minutes on stage.
Although no encore was played or equipment smashed …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead played an awe inspiring set which left everyone within the Hifi content and talking about the chaos on stage. The wit and personas of all the members of the band were the icing on the cake of this performance and while tonight's energetic set did not sell out and debatably would have been more appropriate if the band were attached to a festival, this performance will be reminisced about like their infamous Livid set
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