Words – jaxi_camilleri
Photos – dannomc
Approaching the Northcote Theatre, you might have thought the circus had come to town and pitched its tent in the venue, as a line of faces in clown makeup snaked around the building’s side.
And, technically, you would be right. Avatar was set to perform their world-class musical carnival act for their Melbourne fans. A fanbase that would confuse metal purists who think they know what a metal crowd looks like, as the crowd was as diverse as they come for metal shows. Iron Maiden dads mixed in with youngsters who are probably being lectured by said Iron Maiden dads on the importance of Iron Maiden. But seriously, I challenge you to find a band that brings such a varied group of people together. With Pyrefly as the only opener, meaning intense and generously long sets, Melbourne was in for a night of clownery featuring the melodic highs, walloping groove riffs and intricate solos the two acts are known for.
Exhilaration led the congregation to desperately thrust forward to fill out the venue for the only support act that made sense, Sydney’s Pyrefly. It’s not the band’s first time in the Avatar circus, having played with Avatar in Sydney on their last journey Down South. But this time they were on for the entire Australian run of the tour, and they came with a debut album released this year to flaunt to the crowd.
Flaunt they did, the band bursting onto the stage with energy that only riled up the already eager crowd. With one long scream, blasting drums and dual guitar damage, the band went straight into aggression with their first song, although briefly giving the audience a slight rest from the onslaught with their melodic choruses, the singers’ duality on display immediately. Pyrefly clearly do not like waiting for fun, only waiting about halfway through their first song before bringing out swords (pool noodles) for the crowd, encouraging crowd action within seconds. Throughout the rest of the set, one could see any of these pool noodles flying above the crowd, being swung in time with the music, a clear favourite of the fans.
Giving us a brief second to take in the band before further musical demolition, we see their partiality for clown-esque makeup and dramatic clothing, giving the crowd a teaser of what was to come with Avatar. But the chaos didn’t stop with pool noodles; no, it only increased by the next song when the singer introduced its name and chant, ‘Imhotep’, surely still stuck in the heads of those in attendance. Shortly after, blink, and you’ll miss it, he jumps into the crowd, crowd surfing, legs sticking up, passing the mic to people to shout the chant. He was not done there; by the next song, ‘Blind,’ with its nu metal flair, he’s back in the crowd, calling for those with pool noodles to pummel him while he sang. The crowd created a circle pit of pool noodle violence, bashing him as he sang, and somehow he didn’t miss a beat.
If you weren’t distracted by Risk’s antics, you would notice the energy of the bassist in his hooded cape going as hard as he possibly could on stage alongside one of the guitarists, their energy matching the singers. Meanwhile, the lead guitarist put his full focus into his technical, shreddingly fast standout solos that caught the audience off guard amongst the clean hammering riffs, as well as his impressive backing vocals that deserve as much praise as his guitar work. Yet another standout was how well the guitarists worked together, creating entirely unique sonic textures of warbling, circling, whirring guitar, followed by intensity. Of course, this was all backed up by the amazing drum work, the first sound to catch my attention and admiration, as well as the distorted, vigorous bass. Distinctive yet reminiscent of experimental 00s metal was the only way to describe the live sound of Pyrefly.
Oh, and of course we cannot forget to mention the ‘Like A Prayer’ cover, which had the crowd thinking they were all Madonna, singing along. They may have been covering an 80s pop anthem, but it sounded entirely theirs, their innovation not stopped by polarity.
By the final song, Pyrefly had everyone’s hands (and pool noodles) up in the air to wave them off as the lights flashed in time with the drums and guitar soloing them out. Their crowd work was the perfect preparation for the upcoming theatrics of Avatar, warming the crowd to spirited chaos and a crossover of severe sounds and melodic elements.
Thirty minutes pass, and the sounds of storms quietly creep up on the excited crowd, placing us in the atmosphere. Until it’s interrupted by an ancient chant and cloaked figures who float onto the stage, one particularly tall man holding a lantern. The crowd erupts in the fulfilment of their patient anticipation, but as soon as ‘Captain Goat’ opens with its layered vocals, the crowd listens intently. Opening up with a waltzing start that demands heads move with the slow yet gut driven heavy rhythm, particularly when Johannes Eckerström growls out “oar up, head down.” The pirate-shanty paired with the coated, lantern wielding entrance tells us exactly what type of immersion we will experience in their set.
While it’s only been three long years since they last played, the Swedish band have since released ‘Don’t Go In The Forest’ just last year and a hot new single, ‘Crying Fire’, just a few months ago. The vibration of the crowd that let you know they were eager to belt out the new tunes along with the band. Fresh off some massive shows supporting Metallica and a few casual number one chart toppers, the band keep proving they can go further and reach more and more fans.
Next up, ‘Let it Burn’ and ‘The Eagle has Landed’ introduced the bouncy groove Avatar infuses within their music, while ‘In the Airwaves’ has the speed and death growls that bring the crowd to a mosh, while its melodic, uplifting chorus has the crowd reaching out and floating along with his vocals. Now, anyone who has listened to Avatar knows Eckerström, also known as the Clown, as dictated by his on-stage character, has an extraordinary vocal range that stretches from beautifully sung melodies and high shrieks to deep, aggressive snarls, but hearing it live, from the first word he sang, is something else entirely. When they
began, I was floored by how much talent flows out from that eerily painted mouth. While his vocals sound amazing on their tracks, his voice needs to be heard live to truly understand his gift.
Watching John Alfredsson, the drummer, who founded the band in 2001, it’s clear that he has been honing his skill for many years, so precise in filling out the songs with exactly what they need without sacrificing flair, not overdoing it with speed when it wasn’t needed, but blasting the drums when it did. Tim Öhrström’s solos made the audience tip their heads back and savour the way each note is masterfully dragged into a groove while Jonas Jarlsbys whipped them up in a fast, complex, whirlwind of notes. Not to forget Henrik Sandelin, whose fingerstyle bass playing was given the spotlight it was entitled to in ‘Colossus’. Despite the many, many elements of sound that go into Avatar’s performance, the crowd always reacted to exactly what was demanded. Whether it be headbanging, swinging or swaying their arms, clapping along, bouncing or moshing, the crowd was ready for whatever Avatar threw at them. Including the numerous times the crowd was encouraged to sing along, which they did with obvious fanfare, not something you see often at metal concerts.
Of course, you cannot discuss an Avatar gig without mentioning one of the crucial parts that makes them known as one of the best live shows, their on-stage dramatics. Their costumes were evocative of marching band, military and circus uniforms and depending on what song was playing, the uniform presented differently, some songs demanded marching with military precision, while others gave off a carnival vibe. Of course, one uniform is not enough for the variety of Avatar, and there was a certain level of theatre behind each costume change. The lights would dim as they all dipped off stage before one of the members would return back to start off the next song, spotlighted, allowing each member their own time to shine. As much as Clown was the ringleader with his various outfit changes like his red coat or studded jacket, each member had their moments of bringing energy and flair to the stage, playing their instruments with such purposeful movement. I cannot express enough the joy in watching all five members windmill their hair round and round, and although they did it almost every song, the synchronism they perfected made it mesmerising each time.
The Clowns movements and facial expressions, perfectly visible on the well sized Northcote Theatre stage, emphasised each word sung, each note and beat. His long limbs, a result of his 6’4” height, swung in time with each song and his clown persona was underpinned by his makeup, which accentuated each grin, each lyric sung, and each crazy look thrown to the crowd. So thought-out is every part of the performance, even Clowns drinking water was done through a jerry can, and no part of the performance was boring. Other theatrics included having a man with a china symbol on his head come onto stage to be hit by the drummer or having a red balloon float across stage for the ‘Don’t Go In The Forest’ encore, preparing the audience for the song. Many people may think encores are overdone, but for a band like Avatar it made perfect sense and served to get the crowd hyped for their final hits of the night, who never tired of the hit after hit.
Important to note, the theatrics do not distract from the music but were more of a natural growth from the massive, uncontainable sound of the band. With a sound that belongs on massive stadiums, a theatrical outlet is naturally needed for their performance. Each song being the emotional journey it is live, a visual story to go along with it makes perfect sense. It also highlighted how much each member of that band enjoys being in that band and performing their songs. They mouthed along to each lyric, grinning and performing their parts with perfect punctuality. The joy from their performance emanated into the crowd, who bounced it right back, again a rare sight in metal. They spoke of their gratitude, maintaining interaction with the crowd through conversation, entirely humble in ways you don’t often see in metal bands.
Finishing off with songs like ‘Smells Like a Freak Show’ and ‘Hail to the Apocalypse’, they gave a send-off dedicated to their fans’ final cheers and screams. After they bowed out of their performance, Eckerström made Melbourne a promise to return, and one surely Avatar must keep; after all, he still owes us the second half of Waltzing Matilda.
It’s hard to believe that this is just the second show in this massive tour; we highly recommend you don’t miss AVATAR on their remaining dates!
A huge thanks goes out to the Northcote Theatre crew, Pyrefly, Avatar and The Phoenix for having us!
