Unify Gathering 2018: A Review
DAY 1
As someone who bussed down to Unify, I’m definitely glad I did. The relaxing and hassle free ride down to Tarwin was only interrupted when it started raining when we reached the coast.
With my tent set up in a matter of minutes (cheers Kmart), I met my fellow campers and was introduced to the ‘Unify Vibe’. Everyone was incredibly friendly and the atmosphere couldn’t even be dampened by the incessant rain.
I only caught the last few songs from Belle Haven, but if their charismatic Sunday acoustic set was anything to go by, they’re definitely a band worth keeping an eye on.
I was one of the lucky few to get my Unicoin wristband early, so I can’t really complain about the incredibly long line that I walked past after Belle Haven finished, but after running into some friends and waiting with them for their wristbands, I guess if there’s one thing to take away from Unify 2018, it’s that it definitely pays to get in early, especially at a festival of 7500 people.
Knocked Loose were up next and by god, the hype was palpable. The pit opened as soon as the band came onstage, and the crowd followed frontman Bryan Garris’ every move. Finger pointing goodness ensued as the band ran through fan favourites Counting Worms and Deadringer. Halfway through the set Garris asked how many people had heard of Knocked Loose, and was greeted with an entire crowd of raised arms. Hardcore is set to dominate 2018.
If Knocked Loose had already set the bar high, Sydneysiders Polaris absolutely obliterated it. Opening with ‘Lucid’, the band powered through a setlist comprised largely of songs off their debut album ‘The Mortal Coil’, much to the crowd’s delight. At points, fans almost drowned out the band, particularly during set closer and hottest 200 charting ‘The Remedy’. The band’s growth in the last 12 months is incredible, and proves that the Aussie scene is stronger than ever.
After going fucking hard to Polaris, I retreated to the campsite to have a drink and a game of Uno. I legged it to Tonight Alive’s Underworld release party at the bush bar, and was almost blinded with a sea of yellow. When Tonight Alive finally arrived they greeted every fan and thanked them, after spending so long overseas (Australia wasn’t even graced with a proper Limitless headliner), the release of ‘Underworld’ couldn’t come at a better time for the Sydney ‘Conscious Rockers’, Tonight Alive are definitely back. It was still raining by the time their set rolled around, but the mood was electric. Some in the crowd were still wearing yellow flower crowns from the release party, as the band belted out a mix of classics and newer songs. Welcome home Tonight Alive, we’ve missed you.
Next up was one of the most anticipated sets of the night, Architects burst onstage amid a flurry of lasers and cryo. Their set consisted mainly of songs from their last 2 albums, and while bodies hurled over the barrier during ‘Gravity’, everyone wanted to be in the mosh for crowd favourite ‘These Colours Don’t Run’. Rain split the light from the lasers as the crowd pulsed to the beat of every song. It was already set to be an emotional night, but following the new track ‘Doomsday’, everyone knelt on the ground as a tribute to Tom Searle as Sam Carter made a speech about loss and the importance of being able to grieve. There was barely a dry eye in the crowd as the band rolled onto ‘Gone With The Wind’. Architect’s Unify set was incredibly special, and will no doubt a favourite for many for years to come.
It’s been a while since Parkway Drive were last in Australia, but their first shows back were definitely special, celebrating a decade of metalcore classic ‘Horizons’. While the mosh had definitely gotten rowdy earlier in the day, Winston McCall definitely knows how to command a crowd. The Oompa Loompa boatrace was another highlight of the night, with other favourites ‘Wild Eyes’ and ‘Bottom Feeder’ chucked in for good measure. One last blast of confetti and it was over for the night, we all shuffled back to our tents, hoping that they had lasted the storm.
DAY 2
While I would’ve loved a sleep in, I was up bright and early (as in, 6am early) on Saturday, and was able to catch some of the brief glimpses of sun before the clouds began to roll in once again. I spent the morning hanging out at the campsite until it was time for my first set of the day.
I’ve heard about The Beautiful Monument quite a bit in the last few months, and so I was pleasantly surprised when I finally saw the band live, performing their own blend of synthcore and rock which ends up sounding a little like a PVRIS/Motionless in White mashup. Definitely a band worth checking out if you haven’t already, they also pulled a decent crowd for so early on in the day. Here’s hoping we see more of them in 2018.
I only caught the last of Outright’s set, but it was absolutely incredible.
A little more relaxing before what I like to call ‘The Marathon’, with back to back massive sets, starting off with Perth’s Cursed Earth. Applause was scattered as the band came onstage with a different vocalist, but they still gave an absolutely blistering set, full of hardcore mosh anthems off their newest double release ‘Cycles of Grief’.
Young Lions were a refreshing breather of rock goodness, and even the return of rain couldn’t stop the seemingly nonstop crowdsurfing. Ending with ‘Burn the Money’, Young Lions undoubtedly earned a load of new fans.
It was now raining heavily as Void of Vision finally came onstage, throwing merch into the crowd. The set relied heavily on cuts from their latest EP ‘Disturbia’, vocalist Jack Bergin climbed up the stage frame halfway through their set (what OHS?).
Roam were seemingly blown away with the size of the crowd during their set, pumping through a mix of old and new songs, before the crowd sang vocalist Alex Costello happy birthday. Watching the band’s growth just since the release of 2017’s ‘Great Heights & Nosedives’ has been incredible, and I can’t wait to see what the Roam camp has up their sleeves next.
The sun had just begun to peak through the clouds as Being As An Ocean took the stage. Playing songs mainly off their most recent album ‘Waiting For Morning To Come’, Joel Quartuccio dove into the audience to sing their last few songs. Despite a rough few months and a label dispute hindering the release of their 2017 album, the fan reaction to the newer songs (OK, Black & Blue, Thorns), proves that in 2018, fan support can still go a long way.
Next up was Make Them Suffer, who pulled a massive crowd following the incredible success of 2017’s ‘Worlds Apart’. As everyone has already heard by now, the walls of death and moshing was only interrupted by the absolute legends playing Uno in the pit (during Widower of all songs). The set was a perfect balance of old and new (though I was a bit emo when they didn’t play Fireworks).
Following a brief game of ping pong cricket in the pit, Knuckle Puck came out to give us all one final kick of Pop Punk for the night. The band seemed at home onstage, pumping out songs ‘Evergreen’ and ‘Gone’. Vocalist Joe Taylor proved he was a pro at Aussie festival culture, doing a shoey before the band had even played their first song.
The temperature had well and truly started to drop as Stick To Your Guns kicked off their set, full of cuts from their newest album ‘Married to the Noise’ as well as hits like ‘Amber’ and ‘We Still Believe’. Jesse Barnett took time out of the night to say how special it was that Unify gave bands the opportunity to play in front of massive audiences, and how mind blowing it was to see how many Aussie fans they had.
If anyone had any expectations for Hellion’s set, they were well and truly exceeded, to see how far the band have come since the release of ‘Opera Oblivia’ is incredible. Real Bad came out for his feature on ‘Hellions’, and a sneaky appearance from Northlane’s Marcus Bridge, as well as a debut of their still unreleased new song ‘X’, made the landmark set feel truly special.
Having seen Hands Like Houses multiple times on their ‘Dissonants’ cycle, I slid to the side of the crowd to watch the full show from the Canberra rockers. And by god I wasn’t disappointed. Confetti and cryo burst into the air as they powered through absolute bangers ‘I Am’, ‘Drift’, and slower songs like ‘A Tale of Outer Suburbia’.
It was bloody cold by the time The Amity Affliction came onstage, and despite being advertised as a ’15 Year Anniversary Show’, fans waiting for some deeper cuts were most likely disappointed, but the start of the set was full of classic hits pre ‘Let The Ocean Take Me’. Even the band seemed bored though as they dragged through the last few songs, and everyone seemed glad to be able to lug themselves back to the campsite.
DAY 3
Most people had left early on in the morning, so by the time I wandered down to the acoustic stage, the vibe was incredible. The sun had finally come out, and those who had waited around were greeted with clear blue skies and mellow tunes.
Belle Haven were the first acoustic I saw, and the intimate vibe seemed to suit them better as they chatted with the audience in between songs. Their cover of Paramore’s ‘Decode’ with an unbelievable feature from Brie (? My god, I’m sorry I can’t remember her name but she was so bloody good) was a particular highlight.
I didn’t know too many of the bands on the acoustic stage, but I’m now proudly a fan of Chasing Ghosts.
Introvert were up next, and even though the band seemed a little worse for wear from the previous night, they were still absolutely incredible.
I finally lugged all my shit to the bus area, which was full of people staring at the ground, eyes glazed. The ride home was a quiet one, with almost everyone on my bus taking the opportunity to have a nap on the 2 hour ride back to Melbourne. For my first Unify, I’m incredibly glad I went. Even though it rained all weekend, spending time with friends and making new ones all while listening to incredible bands made it a weekend I’ll never forget.