Words – Josh Stewart
Photos – @djsedick
It was one of those nights that remind you how easily your hope for warmer weather can be misplaced at this time of year in Melbourne but still, I finished work & headed to Stay Gold to catch the recently revived early 2000s Adelaide band, Day of Contempt. I will admit, I had only recently listened to them properly but their name had been heard many times before & I did discover that I knew a song. I didn’t get proper exposure to the Australian music scene until 2010, so while there are a lot of bands I’ve had the privilege of seeing, there are a lot I’d missed. Being able to find them later is one of the many joys of this music scene. Since resurfacing in 2024, Day of Contempt have shared the stage with The Ghost Inside, 50 Lions and so many great bands across Kingpin Fest & the centrepiece of their hometowns heavy music scene, Froth & Fury. So my expectations were high for the show I was about to walk into.
Seven Hells got things started, with a slow but aggressive energy beginning to echo through the room, you could see the anticipation in the eyes of those that came down early enough to catch them.A shift to a more energised pace and the addition of aggressive vocals resulted in the first limbs being let lose for the night.
Demise took to the stage next. Throwing us all in the deep end, opening on a riff comparable to a violent scene in a movie, accompanied by vocals with so much bark, I bet you’d look over your shoulder once or twice if you were walking alone while listening. The room was filling up & you could see the energy building! It didn’t take long for chaos to unfold in the pit.
Like a well placed pun, the final band to wreak havoc on Stay Gold before the headliner took to the stage was Forewarned, matching the aggression that had been present all night but this time with a more melodic take & a vocals that fronted the tough energy you would expect, mixed with a flow reminiscent of rap. There wasn’t a lot of space left in the room by this point & the pit was ready to erupt at the smallest hint of energy from the band.
Day of Contempt opened with their classic anthem, the title track from their 2003 debut album See Through The Lies, instantly igniting the crowd with a wave of nostalgia & emotion. Giving an immediate response, they pushed up against the stage, many eager to grab the mic.
At times the mic did make it into the crowd, it landed in range of a wall of voices, giving power to an already powerful track. Every member of the band fully committed to the moment, the vocals hit with intensity & conviction, while the guitar tone cut through with a powerful clarity that anchored the chaos. It wasn’t just any set, it felt clear there was years of pent-up energy being delivered with precision and heart in front of us. Yet you would have struggled to find any other indicator they’d taken such a long break away from the stage.
As the night pushed on, they effortlessly made their way through a set list with a mix of songs from their 1999 debut album Where Shadows Lie. Having already played twice this week, opening for The Ghost Inside in Adelaide & Melbourne, as well as their set being close to midnight, I was surprised to see their deliver did not fall short from start to finish. With the only real break in the high energy, nostalgic antics being when vocalist Ben Coyte took a moment to talk about the importance of caring for others in communities you’re involved in, looking after your mental health and having a creative outlet. Expressing an appreciation for how welcomed they’ve been since their return.
I’m not in the know enough to know what lies ahead for Day of Contempt & if new music is on the horizon but after the deep dive into their discography recently & catching them live, I’m invested!
A massive thanks goes out to Day Of Contempt, Forewarned, Demise, Seven Hell’s and Stay Gold for having us!
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