Words – Clare
Photos – Mitch
Under the multicoloured festoon lights in the band room at The Catfish, EM attended the biggest little metal gig we’ve ever seen. Think of a massive arena event and shrink it down to fit in a dark and perfectly seedy shoebox and that was the Bentham’s Head New Path single launch tour presented by Big Vibe Creative. There was big band energy the whole night that emanated from a risen platform dusted with blue petals, adorned with string lights coiled in glass jars. The tight crew of die hard fans responded in turn to each set with enthusiastic albeit small mosh pits and even a Wall of Death. Saturday night in Melbourne’s northside, there was nothing but smiles, good vibes, and heavy uplifting metal riffs from some exceptional local talent.
Joining Bentham’s Head on this tour were Fall & Resist and Requite. The members of Requite stepped up onto the stage platform and looked down on their audience all with matching black metal panda eyes and gave a moody but energetic performance of the tracks Not Good Enough, Stone, Promise and Soliloquy from their self titled EP released in June last year. We were also treated to their new tracks Marred and Empty side which they performed for the first time live (at least the first time with an actual drummer). Good start to the night so far.
Fall & Resist followed the comparatively young band of Requite but with energy to match. Opening with Pride & Glory from their 2018 EP Fading Cinders, lead singer Frosty leaned into the mic to voice an observation ‘I saw some good stank face’ which is of course the highest compliment a band can get from their audience. Other tracks they played included Creators of Our Own Demise, Nothing But Pain, and As It All Starts to Fray from their Album Darkness of Now released in 2022. With the crowd and band sweating bullets and almost out of breath, they finished strong with the track Dying Without Scars from the 2016 release Buried Beneath.
For the main event of the night, Melbourne’s blackened sludge phenomenon, Bentham’s Head. This visceral performance of genre-bending metal included opened with the track Isle of the Dead and the very well-received single Blood, Salt & Ash. The showmanship of this band was continuously surprising with guitarist Rick Grimm perching himself up onto the amps and speakers like a riff-wailing gargoyle. The floor of the band room shook from the joyful moshing of the fans with one crowd member screaming out ‘LET’S FUCKING GO!’ To which the lead singer calmly replied ‘Let’s fucking go indeed.’ Of course, before the set was concluded Bentham’s Head performed their latest offering New Path which overflowed the room with wailing leads and crushing grooves. The attendees of the evening were left satisfied beyond a doubt.
Big thanks to Bentham’s Head and the crew at The Catfish for having us.
EVERYDAY METAL – SUPPORT LOCAL HEAVY METAL
