This night marked only the second visit to Perth by the Dillinger Escape Plan and was a savage reminder of why this band has the reputation of being one of the most intense live acts in existence. Ably supported by Perth’s Eleventh He Reaches London and Five Star Prison Cell from Melbourne, the Dillinger boys put on a high-octane display of their totally unique fusion of extreme metal, rock and electronica to a receptive crowd.
Local stalwarts Eleventh He Reaches London were an interesting choice to open this show, their more languid pace and atmospheric rock excursions far removed from tonight’s headliner. But the band was warmly received by the home crowd, and impressed with not only a crystal clear sound, but in their showcasing of new material. A hard-working bunch who have deservedly built up a strong reputation in the local scene.
Victoria’s Five Star Prison Cell were the surprise of the evening, delighting the punters with an oddball mix of death metal, bizarre Mike Patton-ish vocals and off-time grooves not unlike Meshuggah. The band was incredibly tight, engaged the crowd, and successfully bridged the musical gap between the 2 bands they were sandwiched between tonight. An impressively innovative and tight unit, Five Star Prison Cell is sure to make their mark soon.
An Intimidating Live Act
Dillinger Escape Plan hit the stage with minimum fuss and maximum volume as they tore into ‘Panasonic Youth’, the opening cut from 2004’s Miss Machine. The sound was rough early (not unusual), but evened out as the set progressed. This Australian tour is the first chance for fans across the country to see new members Gill Sharone (drums) and Jeff Tuttle (guitar) in action, and the pair did not disappoint. Sharone in particular put on a blistering performance on the skins, stepping out of the sizeable shadow cast by former drummer and founding member Chris Pennie.
Zero Nonsense, Maximum Impact
Playing for about an hour, Dillinger didn’t waste a second, and burned through a generous list of songs spanning all of their major releases. The Miss Machine material comprised the majority of the set, and fit in nicely between the more manic tracks off the recent Ire Works album. Only the rock-flavored 'Black Bubblegum' and 'Milk Lizard' from the latter provided any sort of respite from the otherwise unrelentingly extremity of most of the songs aired tonight.
While the overbearing layers of white noise made it somewhat difficult to tell songs apart, there were a number of highlights. Old favorites ‘Sugar Coated Sour’ and ‘43% Burnt’ from the band’s incendiary 1999 debut Calculating Infinity were met with rapturous applause and action up front, as was ‘When Good Dogs Do Bad Things’ from the Mike Patton-fronted Irony Is A Dead Scene EP. A surprise inclusion came in the form of ‘The Mullet Burden’ from the very early Under the Running Board EP, capping off a well-rounded set.
Dillinger Reaffirms Its Leader Status
As far as the performance went, Dillinger Escape Plan didn’t disappoint, with enough energy and flaying around to tire one out just looking at it. It would have been nice to have heard more of the band’s ambient/experimental tracks to break up the metal onslaught, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind. Also, Greg Puciato’s vocals were screamed for most of the set, even during parts of songs that are sung on record, which was a shame given his considerable talent and range.
Overall though, Dillinger Escape Plan put on a tight, high-energy performance of some of the most intense and innovative heavy music around. Indeed, Western Australian fans were most fortunate to have the band make the long trip over, and they responded accordingly. Given the recent upheaval with departing band members, Dillinger Escape Plan amaze with their continuing solidarity and commitment, and tonight’s show reaffirmed their standing as one of extreme music’s brightest lights.
 |
