REVIEW AND PHOTOS BY: TAYLOR DYLKO

NOTES/REVIEW FOR Thornhill and Clowns by: Ollie Midson

After being rescheduled and waiting for over a year, the ticket holders for Full Tilt festival Melbourne finally got to come down to a successful day at Reunion Park in Burnley, on Saturday the 26th March. This new festival announced in 2021, originally set out for Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Had everybody buzzing with the headliners being Northlane and In Hearts Wake. Showcasing a variety of the immense talent Australia’s punk, metal and rock music scene has to offer.

***Catholic Guilt Photo By Taylor Dylko***

The weather could not have been more perfect for the first ever Full Tilt event. To kick off the nice sunny day we had Melbourne’s own alt rock Catholic Guilt. These guys drew a solid crowd and set a very uplifting standard for how the rest of the day was due to unfold. With the help from Edelle Merson from Excuse for an Exit, and their candid and down to earth lyrics, it was hard not to get swept up in the moment and move your head to the beat as they performed tracks off their latest EP “This Is What Honesty Sounds Like” and a plethora of past singles and EPs.

***Void Of Vision Photo By Taylor Dylko***

Void of Vision did not come to mess around. The main stage was a sea of black eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Melbourne based metalcore band. Performance is no foreign concept to these boys as their energy was barely contained, with front man Jack Bergin connecting with the audience, and bouncing off all ends of the stage. Fill-in drummer Adam Pinzone from The Beautiful Monument and Cherry, laid down a solid foundation for the frenzied crowd, as they swept everyone up in circle pit after circle pit culminating in a crushing wall of death to Hyperdaze track Decay.

Fresh off the release of their latest single Dominatrix, just over a month ago. The song’s performance was all-powerful and the audience that came to watch did not hesitate to run wild and get rowdy. Besides Decay and Dominatrix, the song that really brought the heat was the popular track Ghost In The Machine. There is nothing more satisfying then hearing “I'm fucking dead inside, and no one can see” from a mass of people. Must I say the creepy backdrop montages of The Simpsons on the big screen were a great touch to have behind the band as well. Void of Vision set the bar very high for the rest of the bands yet to play. Catch them on tour with Holding Absence and Bloom around Australia in May.

***Drown This City Photo By Taylor Dylko***

Melbourne’s Drown This City drew a generous size crowd as they kicked off in the smaller, but no less intense, second stage as they finally were able to perform songs from their 2021 EP Colours We Won’t Know, with Gemini being one of the band’s strongest tracks of the day. Frontwoman Alex Reade commands the crowd from where she and bassist/vocalist Toby Thomas trade vocal blows, setting the pit ablaze. Finishing off with the track Third Law, they asked for a group photo with the crowd.

***Make Them Suffer Photo By Taylor Dylko***

To say this band were one of the most anticipated sets of Full Tilt is an understatement. The crowd roared in celebration as Perth Metalcore giants Make Them Suffer took to the stage as a four piece, performing their first show in two years, and their first show without former keyboardist/vocalist Booka Nile. Hollowed Heart had the band smash out of the gates with crushing riffs, mind boggling drum patterns and front man Sean Harmanis setting the pit on fire. You could tell the boys have been itching to play for a long time as their collective energy was at an all-time high. Contraband had its live debut with the crowd opening up an enormous pit and singing along with Harmanis, culminating in a counted down devastating wall of death in Blood Moon, and pit after pit on closing track Widower. Huge smiles were seen coming from dedicated fans as they made their way over the heads of the crowd, with the tremendous work from the security guards helping with a safe landing. A truly impressive return for Make Them Suffer.

***Antagonist A.D. Photo By Taylor Dylko***

New Zealand’s Antagonist A.D brought the heat, both literally and figuratively, as the temperature soared above the festival and the tent filled with more and more bodies eager to catch their immensely heavy show. Vocalist Sam Crocker stalked the stage from left to right and held a very intimidating presence as he commanded the pit to “wake the fuck up”, as they ran circles around the tent pillar. The connection was there as Crocker walked into the crowd screaming to “get in close” as they played Through Fire. They weren’t here to mess around, and the crowd loved every second of it. Antagonist finished their set off with an inspiring speech about the privilege of being on stage and playing for Full Tilt, thanking the spectators and fans, and communicating that their space is a community of love. Concluding their set with their most responsive track No Justice.

Tassie rockers Luca Brasi had amassed a big turnout for their set and gave a much more calming, groovy and feel good atmosphere after the intensity of Antagonist AD. Providing a lighter but no less rocking and uplifting energy filled with some of the loudest sing-alongs of the whole festival. The crowd had a lot of love for the band and they gave it right back, noticeable that the whole band was enjoying themselves. Anything Near Conviction was an amazing closer for the band as their audience erupted into chorus and did all the work for them, sounding truly angelic.

Another band from Tassie! Death Metal titans Psycroptic continued this emerging trend of Full Tilt bands providing a good hit of nostalgia with their music as their particular brand of face melting riffs, blistering drumming and commanding vocals. They brought back the hefty energy and opened up plenty of circle pits with older and younger spectators alike celebrating their music and kicking it off in the crowd. The audience grew bigger throughout their set as they went on playing. A special highlight of this set was a wheelchair bound punter having a crowd surf, and its scenes like this that provide an immense feeling of pride and love for the community within the Australian heavy music scene. Psycroptic are a classic top tier heavy metal band.

***Slowly Slowly Photo By Taylor Dylko***

Slowly Slowly have seen a strong and steady rise in success over the last few years of their career. Following their latest single ‘Nothing On’ this month. Their set was packed with music enthusiasts, good vibes, catchy tunes and a rabid fan base who rushed to the front and hung on frontman Ben Stewart’s every word. Opener Creature of Habit pt. 2 saw the crowd break into song and nearly overtook the band in volume as the words “olly olly oxen free - not sorry!” rang through the tent. This only grew louder as the boys played their hit track Jellyfish. It was definitely a moment to remember, you could feel the connection between the band and fans. Smiles from ear to ear all around. The closing song Race Car Blues, off their album of the same name saw the band off in rapturous fashion, with Stewart jumping off the stage to sing and crowd surf with their fan base, which Slowly Slowly has recruited over the past 7 years.

After the huge turnout of Make Them Suffer 3 hours earlier Thornhill broke that record and were undoubtedly the most in demand act of the festival. The second stage tent had metalheads squished in like sardines and the entrance was closed off to prevent more people coming in, but that didn’t stop some of the Melbourne alt-metal band’s fans starting their own mosh pit outside and chanting “let us in!” As frontman Jacob Charlton said “it wouldn’t be a Thorny show without technical difficulties”, causing a 10 minute delay. But the issues didn’t stop the band from putting on one of the best shows of their career. Playing tracks like Views From The Sun, Lily and the Moon, and their new singles Hollywood, Arkangel and Casanova (from their second studio album Heroine set to be released on June 3rd 2022), the latter of which triggered a crushing wall of death. The audience was insanely responsive as they sung, crowd surfed, clapped and played with beach balls.

Butterfly single Reptile saw a welcome return and the pit exploded as the band performed the crushing tune before closing with Coven, leaving everyone on a high note and one of the top sets of the day so far. I believe it’s safe to say that Thornhill has earned their right to main stage for next time.

***Frenzal Rhomb Photo By Taylor Dylko***

Sydney’s punk band Frenzal Rhomb went off! The oldest band on the line-up who has been rocking stages for the last thirty years, their experience shined as they played to a sizeable crowd on the main stage. Frontman Jay Whalley swung his signature knee length braids around the stage as the band offered up their classic stylings of punk rock that was well in touch with the roots of the genre, giving listeners a new found sense of appreciation for where punk started, and how far it’s come today. Guitarist Lindsay McDougall was caught wearing female fronted band Something Something Explosion’s shirt. Having played shows with them previously, it’s nice to see a bigger band like Frenzal supporting young and upcoming bands such as Something Something Explosion.

Coming towards the end we had special guests Jarrod Goon, Cam Rust and Hanny J from clowns come jam out with Frenzal’s song Bird Attack, giving a rocking performance. Never Had So Much Fun had the crowd break into a loud chorus as they sung along with Jay. The phenomenal set drew to a close with the track Russell Crowe’s Band.

Whilst Thy Art was playing on main stage, over on second stage you found local ska-punk The Bennies. Despite the clash, The Bennies had quite the crowd, all the vibes were here as everyone was having a party. The five piece band were joined by a brass section punctuating all the best bits of their tracks, Mushroom Tea being a real stand out. Intercut between the songs, the band provided hilarious banter, crazy crowd engagement and just an overall fun time.

***Thy Art Is Murder Photo By Taylor Dylko***

(Intermission: Packed crowd, eagerly awaiting Thy Art Is Murder. Audience singing together to Chop Suey by System Of A Down as it plays over the speakers. Suspense in the air. They cut the song off and the lights fade)

Sydney juggernauts Thy Art is Murder made their return to the festival stage, with the help of a longtime friend. Due to family commitments, vocalist CJ McMahon was unable to make the festival, and last minute fill in Bobak Rafiee of Justice For The Damned took up the mantle and proved time and time again how much of an underrated presence he is in heavy music. These guys did not shy away from giving a killer show and the crowd went hard with brutal mosh pits. The set highlights were Purest Strain of Hate, Human Target, and closing track Reign of Darkness. Bobak pulled out all the stops and performed a punishingly heavy set while flanked by some intense wind turbines that blew a haze across the entire stage, adding to the theatricality of their performance. This was a special moment for the festival, and a set no one will soon forget.

As night fell, indie rockers Press Club rose. These guys drew a more intimate and cozier crowd as their set clashed with In Hearts Wake, but nonetheless put on an impressive show for their loyal following. You found not only the front but the audience at the back having a boogie. This underrated band knew how to connect with their audience. Frontwoman Natalie Foster’s personality and charisma showed as she took ownership of that stage comfortably. Her voice had a very unique and pleasing quality as she lead her band through tracks like Headwreck, Suburbia and Late Teens. Ending the set with Suburbia, Foster climbed into the crowd and created an almost worship like circle, and as the chorus came back around the crowd went wild. Press Club was a very enjoyable experience with an uplifting sound and brought all the good vibes with them.

***In Hearts Wake Photo By Taylor Dylko***

Byron Bay metalcore act In Hearts Wake, stalked on stage accompanied by two percussionists in gas masks, as the sirens and Greta Thunberg samples of Crisis rang out over the crowd and set the pit off without relent, before being joined by vocalist Jake Taylor as they seamlessly transitioned into Worldwide Suicide. Passage off their fourth studio album Ark was a big sing-along highlight before the pit opened back up on tracks like Earthwalker, Refuge and Force of Life, when a giant wall of death broke out. Closing track Hellbringer was accompanied by Alex Reade from Drown This City, it was a solid sendoff but not before the entire crowd was asked to get down and jump up on the kick off, giving Slipknot a run for their money. It was an experience to witness the phenomenal energy that moment gave. In Hearts Wake made sure to remind everyone why they’re one of the best live bands in the country. And they sure know how to put on a show for a festival.

Closing out the second stage was crazy punk rockers Clowns, who didn’t hold back on their signature stage show which saw frontman Stevie Williams immediately turn things up to 11 by jumping into the crowd and participating in the circle pit as punters tripped up and over the microphone cable to the sounds of I Shaved My Legs For You. The circle pits didn’t stop coming as guitarists Jarrod Goon and Cam Rust melted faces with their fiery fretwork, conjuring up pit after pit after pit. Clowns are always a fun time, and their Full Tilt performance was the perfect way to close out Stage 2.

The heat from the flames were hot, but not as hot as the set Northlane gave. After an extended wait due to technical difficulties and the whole tent cheering “Northlane”, the band returned to the festival stage in full force as a four piece for the first time and immediately launched into Clockwork, to rapturous applause and cheers from the crowd, before immediately launching into Alien opener Details Matter. Pummeling their rabid fans with the crushing combo of down-tuned riffs and Jon Deiley’s infectious synth production. Pyro and sparklers punctuated their set as they performed new tunes Echo Chamber, Plenty, and recently released Carbonized off their sixth studio album Obsidian (set to be released April 22nd 2022), setting the crowd off in a dance rave. Melbourne had the honor to be a part of the filming for Northlane’s upcoming music video for Plenty. Dispossession saw its emergence out of retirement for the show and the pit exploded in a celebration of how far Northlane have come since their humble beginnings in the late 00’s, before closing the night with Bloodline which was capped off with a confetti canon. Northlane returned for an encore of Talking Heads, for one last song for everybody to let loose, to which they did, putting everything they had left into the mosh. Watching bodies fly over the top of heads into the arms of the security guards. This iteration of Northlane is truly exciting and energizing, and the wait for Obsidian’s release is a painful one. Catch Northlane touring around Australia in June with Plini, Sleep Token and alt.

Overall this was a moment to remember. Full Tilt did a fantastic job being their first year running, despite coming out of a global pandemic. Providing a great line of talented Australian artists to play and food and drink to keep us going, you’d be crazy to overlook. Missed this one? Don’t fret, Full Tilt Festival will be back in July 2022. What bands would you like to see on the line-up?