Review: Dillinger Escape Plan & Periphery @ Fowlers Live

Note: This post contains no Tool content (aside from a few Tool shirts I saw at the gig).  For those that can’t handle that concept, please move on!

Last night I was lucky enough to head into town with a mate of mine and check out a band I’ve been meaning to see in a small setting for some time now.  The Dillinger Escape Plan are a band I’ve been a fan of for a while now, and it seemed that every time they did their own tour here I missed the gig for one reason or another.  I was the lucky enough to check them out at Soundwave in 2009, and they put on a great show there, so I expected big things here.

This year, they toured playing a local small venue here called Fowlers Live, and I made sure I didn’t miss it this time around!  Also on the bill were American metallers Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster and Periphery.

The gig was all ages, and the last one I went to at Fowlers started really early, so this time I made sure I was there not long after the doors opened so I could catch Periphery.  They jumped on stage at about 7:30pm, which personally I think is far too early, and played to a crowd of maybe 100 people.  They put on a good show though, and seemed quite into it despite the lack of crowd response (there were a few die-hards jumping about). 

They played about 5 songs I think, all of which I think I recognised form their debut album.  Having 3 guitarists on stage was a little different – looked like there wasn’t much empty space on the already small stage!  I had a quick chat with the guys after the show as well, the seemed like really cool guys, and were genuinely happy to be give the chance to play Down Under.  I’m sure we’ll see them again soon.  I’m not sure these guys are really at their best yet, but I feel there’s potential for these guys to be a pretty good band.

Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster were up next, and I’m not really a fan of theirs.  Unfortunately for them their set didn’t change my opinion of them, so we hit the bar for a few Pale Ales.

Thankfully by the time Dillinger came on, the crowd size had increased somewhat, and it actually felt like their was an audience in front of the stage for once.  DEP seemed to have made an effort to bring their lighting rig with them, as the stage was filled with many more lights than are usually present at a Fowlers gig.  No fancy ones swinging from the roof though.

Dillinger Escape Plan hit the stage at about 9:30, and played for just shy of an hour.  Basically, they kicked ass.  The set list was more or less as you’d expect – a range of classics from all of their albums, with the highlight for me being the final song Farewell Mona Lisa.  As is expected at a DEP gig, they well full of energy, leaping all over the place, slinging guitars around and jumping into the crowd – all while a seizure inducing lightshow was on display.

Dillinger I felt where at their best when they played songs which varied the tempo from blisteringly fast, to more mellow and slowed down sections.  Mouth of Ghosts was a great example of this, and while I love the full on aspect of DEP live, my favourite parts of the set where the more mellow sections such as this.

The only criticisms I would have is that the sound was cranked partway through the set, and what started sounding pretty good, became a bit of a distorted mess in the end.  Could be just my old ears though…

Overall it was a great night, Fowlers is a cool little venue, and I always enjoy seeing bands there.  I thought the ticket prices were perhaps a little too expensive (after booking fees it was just under $70), though if I were a Maylene fan I probably would have thought otherwise.  The crowd size was disappointing.  I thought DEP would be more popular than this, but I guess Tuesday nights aren’t really conducive to big shows in Adelaide (or any other night I suspect…).  Shows starting this early suck as well, but being as they’re all ages on a Tuesday night, I guess that’s understandable.  Though I was happy with the lineup for the night, I wished there was a local support act – local music needs all the support and exposure it can get.

Didn’t have a great night with the camera tonight, Dillinger’s light show was a little tricky for my Nexus One, but here’s a snap of Periphery: