Words – Amanda
Photos – Jay Collier
A sea of black converged on Northcote Theatre on Wednesday night to witness the return of Dillinger Escape Plan to international stages. Having been on hiatus for a while now, fans of the band are primed and ready for action.
Opening for the band are Ho99o9– who backflip, jump and perform probably one of the most electric opening sets to ever land on Northcote stages. The crowd begin to boo as the set comes to a close – the audience completely immersed in an energetic and electrifying performance. As they pack away their gear, it’s clear they have made a new fan base here tonight.
It’s a feeding frenzy the moment the band take to the stage, a sea of head banging sharks, gather around as though blood is in the water, each time Dimitri Minakakis comes near, like a Pastor giving a sermon, he gives the crowd exactly what they want. Opening with Destro’s Secret, the band gets down to business pretty quickly, smashing through popular hits The Running Board and The Mullet Burden. Having been warmed up by a spectacular opening band Ho99o9, the crowd are already hungry.
Minakakis gives a solid performance, launching himself into the waiting crowd and surfing through the sea of bodies, creating more of a frenzy- which is exactly what the audience want. As each note is hit, each guitar chord played, fans drink it in like elixir of the Gods. Sugar Coated Sour, Sandbox Magician and 4th Grade Dropout are classics that the theatre just drinks in, as guitarist Ben Weinman, leaps through the air- his playing and acrobatics mesmerising to watch. Playing a solid set together, the band does not disappoint.
All too soon the evening come to a close with 43% Burnt the final song. Minakakis comes out to hug fans and shake hands while Weinman throws out set lists and drum sticks to eager collectors. It’s clear from this interaction that the band are important to fans, neither wanting the night to end. It’s a testament to any band that can go on hiatus, come back and have a room full of screamingmetal heads adoring them.
A massive thanks goes out the The Phoenix, Maric Media and The Northcote Theatre crew for having us and dont forget to check out the remaining shows on this once in a life time tour.
EVERYDAY METAL – SUPPORT LOCAL HEAVY METAL
