Words by Tracey Moyle
All photos by Dalton Collis // IG : @dalton_collis
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Michigan post-hardcore heavy hitters I Prevail lead the charge taking Motionless In White and Windwaker on a mammoth sold-out tour of the country. The popular metalcore behemoths played at the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane on Thursday night bringing the venue to its capacity.
I Prevail have received a more than warm welcome from Australian crowds with their rescheduled ‘Trauma’ tour, selling out in every state. Queensland fans gathered at the majestic music venue for a night of melodic metalcore mayhem and the band were well and truly ready to deliver.
Homegrown metal band Windwaker opened the night with a sizable following of their own gathered in the near-capacity crowd. As soon as the band opened up the fans were all in, fully committed.
Playing through popular tracks including Dopamine and Freestyle vocalist Will King engaged the crowd with enthusiasm and vocal intensity. Their entertaining cover of Britney Spears‘ Toxic had everyone in the music hall dancing and singing along. My Empire had torch lights shining, King displaying a remarkable vocal range. They finished the opening set with popular track Lucy the crowd confirming the band’s local popularity. Windwaker started a night of intense musical entertainment with a killer set.
International touring in Australia has suffered longer than most countries with a pandemic added into the distance a challenging factor. But tonight two massive acts have hit our shores and the prelude to the headliner hit the stage with a massive welcome.
Pennsylvanian metal monsters Motionless In White hit the stage with a roar from the crowd.
They opened with the title track from their 2019 album ‘Disguise’, the intensity sweeping across the room setting the energy for the next 45 minutes. The crowd sang back to the band through Necessary Evil warming up for the following number. Thoughts and Prayers had the crowd fully in, responding to vocalist Chris “Motionless” Cerulli belting out “So when you face the truthâ€, the fans bellowed back “Open your fuckin’ eyesâ€.
They played through old and new tracks including songs from their latest album ‘Scoring The End Of The World’. Halfway through the set, the crowd broke into a chant “Motionless, Motionless, Motionlessâ€. The band obviously happily taken by surprise, paying gratitude to the fans. They hit a peak with Another Life followed by a cover of The Killers Somebody Told Me, leaving the crowd buzzing. Taking the set out with Eternally Yours and Cerulli handing out roses to the crowd.
There was a high vibe running through the crowd and a break before the main act didn’t alter that. As alive as the crowd already seemed, as I Prevail hit the stage, a lightning bolt of energy ran through the crowd and set the pace at full charge. The headliners opened up with Bow Down, the fan’s vocals filled the space, the crowd moving like a wave throughout the hall. They played through hits Gasoline, Scars and DOA, with the crowd getting louder with each track, almost overtaking dual vocalists Brian Burkheiser and Eric Vanlerberghe.
Vanlerberghe was a master at working up the crowd. As the band played through their set, tracks Hurricane and Rise Above It ignited the passion the fans held for the band and their music.
I Prevails‘ true genre diversity shone with the intensity and pace of Body Bag and Goodbye. It seemed the band were conjuring the energy from the gathering and sending it back tenfold.
When a band has a fanbase as passionate as I Prevails faithful following, the passion displayed by the crowd can lift a show up to a new level. The room out singing the band on the emotional track Breaking Down and soaked in the change of pace with Deadweight and Taking Time.
The night was almost done but the ‘one more song’ chant brought on the encore track Come And Get It. The band made the crowd work for it and opened up a monster pit for the final burst of vocal energy.
The Fortitude Musical Hall saw three mammoth metalcore bands take over and the crowd responded with full force. The night was a reminder for everyone why live music is one of the most powerful experiences you can have.
With thanks to Dallas Does PR
