Words – @ladylane____
Photos – @djsedick
There was little chance of standing still at Northcote Theatre on Friday night.
There is something satisfying about a bill that refuses to play it safe. On paper, DREGG, FUTURE and Welsh genre-benders SKINDRED might occupy very different corners of the heavy music world. In the flesh, however, the combination made perfect sense. Each band brought its own identity, energy and attitude to Northcote Theatre, gradually turning the evening from a groove-heavy warm-up into an electric modern-metal showcase before SKINDRED transformed the venue into one enormous, gloriously chaotic party.
First up were DREGG, and there was no messing around. Fast, fun and groovy, the Melbourne outfit immediately injected movement into the room. Their performance carried the kind of loose, irreverent energy that makes an opening set memorable rather than merely functional. Heavy riffs were matched by an instinct for rhythm and groove, giving the music a physical quality that demanded a response from the crowd.
DREGG understands that heaviness doesn’t have to mean relentless seriousness. Their set was playful without losing its punch, energetic without becoming exhausting, and sufficiently unpredictable to make it clear that this was a band enjoying the opportunity to get onstage and cause some trouble.
They did their job exceptionally well: the room was warmed up, bodies were moving and the anticipation for the next act was building.
If DREGG brought the groove, FUTURE STATIC brought the electricity.
The Melbourne band delivered one of the evening’s most compelling performances, occupying that increasingly exciting territory where modern metal, melody, atmosphere and technical ambition collide. There was something alluring about the way the band controlled the room. Rather than simply relying on volume and aggression, Future Static drew the audience into their world, balancing heaviness with a sense of scale and drama.
Their performance felt ambitious. More importantly, it felt like the work of a band with a clear identity and an appetite for pushing beyond the expected boundaries of contemporary heavy music.
Future Static were not simply filling the support slot before the headliners arrived. They made a case for themselves.
Electric, alluring and ground-breaking, their set provided the night’s most intriguing contrast to what had come before – and what was still to come.
Then the lights went down and it was time for the Welsh legends.
SKINDRED have never been a band particularly interested in respecting genre boundaries. Their music has always been a collision of metal, punk, reggae, hip-hop, dancehall and electronic sounds, but live that collision becomes something much more powerful. It becomes a communal experience.
SKINDRED were bombastic, outrageous and, above all, enormous fun.
From the opening “Thunderstruck / Star Wars Imperial March” sequence, the intention was obvious: this was not going to be a conventional rock show. The band were here to entertain, and they attacked the room with the confidence of musicians who have spent decades learning exactly how to turn an audience into a participant.
The set moved effortlessly through “This Is the Sound,” “Set Fazers” and “Rat Race”, before the wonderfully unpredictable “Pressure”incorporated AC/DC’s Back in Black into the proceedings. SKINDRED’S ability to make these moments feel completely natural is part of their appeal. There is no concern about musical purity here. Everything is fair game if it makes the room move.
“That’s My Jam” kept the momentum high, while “Radio 01633” expanded the sonic palette even further, incorporating tribute elements and dubstep influences. Then came the wonderfully chaotic “Jump / Jump Around” combination, another reminder that a SKINDRED concert is as much sound-system party as it is metal show.
The newer material also fitted comfortably into the set. “You Got This” sat alongside established SKINDRED favourites without feeling like an obligatory promotion of the latest release. Instead, it became another part of the band’s continually evolving live arsenal.
As the night moved towards its conclusion, the energy only intensified. “Kill the Power,” “Can I Get A,” “Nobody,” “Gimme That Boom” and “Warning” provided the kind of closing run that leaves very little doubt about why SKINDRED have earned their reputation as one of the most entertaining live acts in heavy music.
And entertainment is really the key word.
Many thanks to DREGG, Future Static, Skindred and Dallas Does PR.
