Photos By James Gough & Review by Natasha Christian
“Are you pretending?”
“Are you even listening!”
This is an accurate response to someone who hasn’t truly heard Alexisonfire.
One day before their show at Sydney’s Enmore theatre, my partner Justin bluntly declared “Yeah, I don’t like them”, so I was pretty surprised when he agreed to watch a full 90-minute set. So there we were - someone who had barely given AOF a listen in the last 20 years, sitting next to someone who has loved it all since hearing the iconic intro to 44. caliber. Opposites attract, right?
It’s a tough job warming up a Monday crowd of 30-somethings. We’ve been at work all day in Sydney’s summer heat, our backs and feet hurt, and we could easily have chosen an early night with a quick feed and some Cheers reruns over a concert.
Tasmania’s Luca Brasi happily took one for the team and managed to get some of the crowd bopping to their melodic punk anthems.
But it wasn’t until AOF frontman George Pettit bounced on stage and belted the first few lines of Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints, that the Monday blues totally lifted. By the time Boiled Frogs (a song that gets more relatable over time) was over, the whole crowd was injected with energy. The irony isn’t lost in this happening while we’re singing “my youth is slipping away” to a song about wasting your life at work for no reward. New release Sweet Dreams of Otherness fit right at home alongside the classics.
Since 2001, AOF haven’t drifted too far from their Fleetwood Mac style formula, blending three impressive vocal styles to shape their post-hardcore sound. It’s pure laziness and simply untrue to say AOF rely solely on the sound of Dallas Green. We often hear the same, dull line about Stevie Nicks from those who miss the point of the late and great Christine McVie. Green combined with Pettit’s distinct growl and lead guitarist Wade Macneil’s backing vocals is a powerful mix.
Add Jordan Hastings on drums and Chris Steele’s bass and you have a band of talented musicians who each hold their own on the stage. Also worth mentioning the beautiful live keys by Matt Kelly and the epic lighting that added the right amount of ambience for this tour. AOF have seemingly left any competitive differences behind as they’ve become older and wiser, and realised the band’s success lies in the way they complement each other.
Despite this, Dallas was still given plenty of room to captivate the audience on Monday, and there were times during Rough Hands, The Northern and Young Cardinals when his voice was undeniably spine-chilling. One of my favourite moments during the night was the dark and doomy lullaby Blue Spade. We were sent home with a 3-song encore, including crowd favourite This Could Be Anywhere in the World, and Watch Out’s Accidents and Happiness by the Kilowatt. Wade did a hat tip to fellow Canadian Neil Young during the finale, weaving in some lyrics from Hey, Hey, My, My to declare that this band of aging rockers are here to stay.
“I liked it all, right from the first song!” Justin said as we left. “Seems fun to be in that band.” This time he was listening, and full of genuine praise. It’s amazing how much things can change in a day.
