Cairo Knife Fight
Metro City
Friday, May 22, 2015
This was Karnivool’s last stop on their 12 day tour marking the 10th anniversary of their debut album, Themata. The much-loved prog-rock gods from Perth played the entire album in full, and it was no surprise that it was to a full house.
Cairo Knife Fight came all the way from New Zealand, a little two-piece band with a lot of noise and oomph behind their performance. The guitarist George Pajon Jr, had the simple task of just playing his guitar for the evening, however fellow rocker Nick Gaffaney was the master of drums, vocals, bass and loops. There were a mix of sounds coming from the guys, but what stood out most is their tone and set-up, which was almost a heavier, metal and rock, all-male version of The White Stripes.
Karnivool hits the stage with an almighty roar from the crowd, and the Perth lads kick off with the first track of the album, COTE, before moving on to Themata. The screaming fans roared with each beat, and vocalist Ian Kenny showed he knows how to hypnotise the crowd with every note.
Kenny welcomed the crowd, and all the guys – guitarists Drew Goddard and Mark Hosking, bass master Jon Stockman and drummer Steve Judd – took a moment to do so too, thanking the fans for always supporting them through the journey, because this is where it all began.
Themata was not only important to the band, but has gone on to be one of the most important records in Australian music history, and put Karnivool always a cut above the rest as far as talent, music exploration and eclectic abilities are concerned. They are Australia’s prog rock band, and the evening certainly showed this. I have been to so many ‘Vool gigs, and Themata’s birthday raised the bar, being one of the best ever live performances from the group.
Guitarist Drew Goddard stepped forward, thanked the ‘Vool army and dedicated the track Lifelike to Ray, ‘Vool’s original drummer. The bellowing screams and pounding beats sent every soul in the venue wild, there was not one person who wasn’t jumping, singing or moshing along with the guys.
The night followed the Themata track listing from start to finish, but it also represented how far Karnivool have come on their journey, by diving into Simple Boy from Sound Awake and We Are from their current album, Asymmetry. The evening was an evolution of Karnivool, showing how with each track and album they have raised the benchmark.
So the night came to an end. If this was your first time to see a ‘Vool gig because your mate dragged you along, you chose a great night, but I’m sure you vowed it wouldn’t be the last.
KRISTINA SIMICH
