Sydney’s Factory Theatre is likely nursing some serious bruises after a thumping four-band tag team roughed it up on Thursday night. Miss May I‘s debut Sydney headliner was a sweaty pit-thriller that had fans rampaging around the upstairs auditorium like a herd of pierced and tatted-up beasts on heat.
Locals Oh/Villain and Justice For The Damned brought lashings of homegrown post-hardcore heaviness that got the young crowd amped up for the international guests to hit the stage, with Aussie debutantes Sylar combining the bouncing brutality of their earlier tunes with the soaring pop-infused rap-metal bangers of their latest album Help!. Though they haven’t had a huge amount of exposure down under to date, these New York dudes still had fans singing along en masse to their arsenal of huge, car-radio choruses. Don’t be surprised if the next time we see them back on our shores, it’ll be for a headline tour of their very own.
But this time, that honour was reserved for Miss May I, and the Ohio metalcore giants straight-up owned it. The explosive aggression of the endless limb-thrashing circle pit that erupted from the opening blast of their 2017 single ‘Lost In The Grey’ (and lasted for just about the entirety of their set, FYI) was counterbalanced with the palpable vibe of love and appreciation that came pouring from the stage. From Jerod Boyd’s feral animal precision behind the kit to frontman Levi Benton screaming with so much force that he looked like he was about to bust a capillary, it was clear that the band were truly stoked to be up there on that stage, headlining their very own show here in Sydney, and the feeling was totally infectious. Fans were screaming for an encore before MMI had even left the stage.
And with the ceremonial throwing of picks and drumsticks into the crowd accompanying the final ring-out, the only complaint was that the night had ended too soon.
But to be fair, it was an all ages gig, and plenty of fans probably would have had school the next day.
At least show & tell would have totally kicked ass.
