Review & photos by James Gough
Anyone who’s known me for a while knows how much I love In Flames. A band that I discovered in my early teen’s with Colony and have been a fan of right up to driving to this show tonight. With all the times the band has toured here over the years, I still had not seen a full headline set. In fact, in the 25 odd years I’ve been listening to them I’ve only seen them twice prior to tonight.
In 2011, I drove three hours to watch them play for 25 minutes in Canberra before jumping straight back in the car for the three hour return trip home.
Last year I flew to Brisbane after shooting three days of back to back weddings to see them at Knotfest (Check that full gallery & review here) in the scorching midday heat for 25 minutes.
To see they were coming back 11 months later to headline along side the mighty Kreator and I didn’t have to board a plane or go on a road trip, I was fucking ecstatic!
Doors open and the seemingly never ending line ride stretching around the Enmore begins to fill in, followed shortly by the creation of a new line ride for the merch table. Yes, I joined said line. With an 8pm start time, those of us chasing forty are delighted at the thought that we might be home before midnight.
As the lights dim and the intro track The Beginning of All Things That Will End begins to ring out, I can’t wipe the smile off my face. I’ve been shooting & going to shows for years but it’s shows like this that still bring me so much joy.
In Flames come out and run full speed ahead into Foregone part 1 with drummer Tanner Wayne’s blast beats letting the crowd know it’s circle pit time before moving right on to Pinball Map & Deliver Us.
Tonight’s setlist stretched almost across the bands entire career with Food For the Gods from 1997’s Whoracle. Behind Space from Colony. Personal favourites A Quiet Place, Cloud Connected & Alias from the criminally underrated A Sense of Purpose.
What stood out to me tonight though was the love for the songs from 2014’s Siren Charms & 2011’s Sounds of a Playground Fading.
When both albums were released I saw nothing but negativity for both these records. With most comment sections filled with the usual “Their old stuffs better” “They’ve gone soft”. And still to this day I don’t know anyone with positive things to say.
But tonight during Everythings Gone, Paralyzed & All for Me, I saw and heard people in full voice singing these songs as loud as any other songs in the 90-minute set. To finally share a space with people who clearly have a love for these incredibly underrated songs was special.
Sixteen songs later and the set comes to a close. With Anders Friden taking one last moment to send some genuine love to the crowd, In Flames finished with setlist main stay Take This Life. Last chance to circle pit & sing along and the near sold out Enmore theatre delivered, finishing with rapturous applause.
I have finally gotten to see a full headline set. This was a set that will live in my all time list forever.
It’s at this point into the night with all the bodies pouring outside for some fresh…ish air that I start to think “how on earth do you follow that?”. I’ve not really seen too many co-headliner tours of this magnitude. Especially where whoever decided to go first pulls of one of the most incredible sets ever.
Enter Kreator. Setting the ominous tone with the giant black curtain. Bodies poured back in, making their way to the front to witness one of thrash metals greatest to ever do it. Drop the curtain! We’re met with the most epic of stage set ups. From the back drop to the bodies hanging from the ceiling. This is how you set the tone. The veterans launch straight into Hate Uber Alles & People of the Lie. Both thrash anthems to rival the best.
Kreator as a band, while loved the world over, often get left out of the conversation when it comes to greatest thrash bands of all time. This is something that boggles me as they have released 15 almost flawless records since 1985. A feat that most bands can’t compete with.
Bouncing between new and old, Kreator keep the energy going with Enemy of God & Betrayer.
It’s at this point I had to unfortunately bail out as I had jarred my knee during In Flames set and could no longer stand. Taking photos in a circle pit at 37 was probably not my best move, but this night will go down as one of the greatest shows I’ve ever been to.
