Review: The Mark of Cain at Freo.Social

The Mark of Cain at Freo.Social
w/ The Ghoulies, Hidden Cycles
Saturday, January 14, 2024

The Mark of Cain proved once again that they are one of the hardest-hitting bands with a powerful performance at Freo.Social. The Fremantle gig was the final stop on the Adelaide band’s tour that celebrated their classic 1995 album, Ill At Ease, and from the reception they received, many will be hoping that the band will continue to return.

First up on the night were local trio Hidden Cycles. Playing to a sizable crowd, all of whom had seemingly gotten the assignment and turned up in black tees, the gritty indie-rockers laid into a set of forth-right rock, with frontman Aidan Moyse’s vocals in fine, screaming form. Having just dropped their first single, Ready and Steady, in December, less hiding is certainly on the cards for these guys in 2024.

Next on the night were The Ghoulies, who frantically whipped through a set of synth-punk with barely a pause in between tracks. Anchored by Alex Patching on drums, the group was a cohesive unit that merged scuzzy guitar tones with toy-ish synths as Charles Wickham on guitar and bassist Alex Thomas took turns delivering the fast-paced vocals.

With the Freo.Social nearing capacity, it was then time for The Mark of Cain to grace the stage. Consisting of brothers John and Kim Scott on guitar and bass and Eli Green on drums, the trio have a commanding presence and took the stage as if the venue were a battlefield to be captured. Launching into Interloper, the opening track of Ill at Ease, the band began their onslaught, with the heavy riffs, pounding drums, and rattling bass creating a booming wall of sound.

The band continued to play the album in order up until the set’s fifth set, where the album’s closer LMA was swapped with Point Man, which provided the set with a good flow in the live setting. Looking across the punters in the crowd, many appeared to have been transported back to their teenage years, when this record had soundtracked their days, with the muscle memory of air drums and guitar kicking in and sending limbs into a groove of another era.

Ill at Ease was the perfect showcase for the band, highlighting the group’s tight and dynamic musicianship. The songs ranged from the fast and furious, ala Interloper and The Contender, to atmospheric moments such as Tell Me and Wake Up. The crowd responded enthusiastically, with the more fit members enjoying the mosh pit down the front that was capped off with a rogue punter actually making his way onto the stage to dive back off into a field of awaiting arms.

After finishing the album, the band briefly left the stage before returning for an encore made up of songs from their other albums, such as Battlesick, Familiar Territory, and You Are Alone, which were as dynamic and blistering as any of the tracks from the main set.

And with that, The Mark of Cain proved once again why they are one of the most influential Australian rock bands of all time. Their performance was flawless, intense, and captivating, adeptly capturing the passion of Ill at Ease as if the record was released just yesterday.

MICHAEL HOLLICK