King Parrot, Widow The Sea, I Shall Devour, The Stratagem, Gouge

The Lab, All Ages Show, Woolloongabba - Sunday 25 May 2014

With perfect timing, Gouge set the all too familiar metal pace booked to support the thrash shenanigans of King Parrot. Heavy, slow but precise, this local deep throated ensemble deliver a unwavering performance to appeal to those dedicated to the ‘core.

Entering on beats of the 80s street variety, The Stratagem take their crab stance and unleash the crunch associated with their chosen genre. Drummer Chris Whitbread's wrists are a blur as he flits faultlessly through complex patterns, while the screech of Josh LeMesCam compliments his own trance like nature.

Beckoning all to the front, I Shall Devour gain momentum in the crowd. The first slam dancing bursts come out swinging only to be halted as quickly as they began. With a nightmarish quality, one track hits a dark Rhubarb and Custard style nursery rhyme as smoke fills the air. Last offering  ‘Heist’ is met with a gallery of nodding heads and a finale of appreciation.

Widow The Sea arrive in a dramatic intro, flashing lights and roars. Intricate riffs and phenomenal leads are executed effortlessly, a jet black Gibson supporting a life long labour of love. Their single ‘The Nameless City’ blistering through enough musical changes to make the head spin and the heart pound.

“Don’t be afraid to come to the front! You came here to throw yourself at a mate didn’t yah?!” With his animalistic tendencies King Parrot frontman Matt Young sacrifices himself to the pit to get the party started. Fans on stage and enough water to drown a kitten being lobbed at every opportunity, the eloquent styles of these Melbourne residents make the most of those in attendance. Grabbing tentative souls and helping them into the circle of festivity is accepted with grace. Bassist Slatts Slattz claims he wants to keep his “tits undercover” but it doesn't take much convincing to strip it off. ‘The Stench Of Hardcore Pub Trash’ leads to another impromptu tuneful outburst from Slattz “She smiled and took a shit on my sandwich!” Second to last, ‘Psychotherapy And Valium,’ licks the crowd into a frenzy before a wall of death and kids 4 and above joining the bash for the last few minutes of their obliterating 37 minute set.

Kenada Quinlan