Review: Plini at Magnet House

Plini w/ Protest the Hero, I Built the Sky
Sunday, February 5, 2023

Australian 'guitar lord' Plini wrapped up a seven-date national tour at Magnet House on Sunday night. While the Sydney-based artist was already a drawcard, particularly for guitar enthusiasts (aka nerds) of Perth, Plini brought with him very special guests in Melbourne's I Built the Sky and Canada's Protest the Hero to make it an enticing triple-bill.

Performing first on the night was I Built the Sky, the project of Melbourne guitarist Rohan 'Ro Han' Stevenson. Armed with an A-Grade live band, it was impressive to witness them all keep up with each other, especially when the tunes got super fast and complex. There was also a real spirit of fun within the group, that sometimes bordered on looseness, like finishing a track with the riff from Blink 182's Dammit. It was interesting to see Ro Han didn't have the colossal pedal board you might have expected. Instead he relied on the instrument itself the do the work, at times drawing roars of delight from the crowd with flashy licks and some cool fret tapping techniques. Leaning heavily on out-of-this-world themes, I Built the Sky blazed through This is Astral Travel, Wormhole Traveller and Stellar Evolution, while the band was acknowledged with an intro/send-off via grainy voice recording before the epic closer Up Into the Ether.

Next up, Canadian five-piece Protest the Hero kicked things up notch. When vocalist Rody Walker’s distinctively high voice kicked in on the opener Migrant Mother there was a dramatic change of energy in the room. “It’s been a fuckin’ minute hey?" Walker said to the crowd, in recognition of the six years that had passed since they last hit our shores. Canadians often feel like the ‘Australians of the North’ with their laid-back and approachable nature and Protest the Hero definitely fit the bill here. Looking like he was making the most of the summer Down Under, Walker was barefoot and wearing shorts, and entertained the audience sharing his thoughts about Aussie beers like Toohey’s and Coopers and how in the Canadian football league there are three teams with the same name. His talking may have been rather directionless, but the band were on point. In the back half of the set, the stage blacked out momentarily before a flash of lights signalled the beginning of Bloodmeat from 2008 album Fortress, before closing out the set with All Hands from their latest record, 2020’s Palimpsest.

When Plini entered the stage next the mood shifted again, with everyone becoming politely (almost too politely) attentive to the headliner. The set began with thunderous drums and Plini sporting one of those weirdly cool looking guitars with no visible tuning pegs (evidently part of his signature Strandberg range). Kicking off with The Glass Bead Game, Plini's live band got to display their versatility from the outset. Particularly of note was highly-touted British pianist and composer Dave Mackay on the keys, who could draw a crowd by himself on another day. The bass was also smooth as can be, especially with cool tapping patterns that slotted in masterfully with Plini's exquisite riffage. In fact there were moments for all members of the band to shine during the set. Plini's 'second' guitarist wowed everyone under the lime green lights, and at times the band dialled it right back to highlight the nimble mastery of the drummer.

“Make some noise for Protest the Hero," said Plini, thanking his Canadian friends, and I Built The Sky, for the good times on the Australian tour. Plini then thanked his band, saying they “let me get away with being sub-exceptional" “The depressing thing is we're gonna do this all over Europe next," he joked. “Thank you for making best place to want to tour always," he then said, before announcing that “Dave Mackay is going to pour his heart out." And that Mackay did, with a mesmerising extended keyboard solo that led into epic full band finale. The group then went off for a brief encore before returning with the massive tunes Pan and Electric Sunrise.

Overall Plini and co at Magnet House was a different kind of live gig. Instead of people moshing and singing along to the words people mostly stood there attentively admiring the technicality and skill of the musicians. While there was a lot to marvel at, Protest the Hero were a stand-out addition the bill, bringing the energy of the night up to what you want from a rock and roll gig. 

BRAYDEN EDWARDS

Photos by Adrian Thomson