Gig Review: Antagonist A.D, Whammy Bar [15/09/2018]
Antagonist were the first band that made me realise I could be in a band. I think they were actually one of the first bands I ever saw.
As a little 15 year old nerd in a Slipknot shirt, I saw them play countless shows at Upsett Records - and now, 10 years later, they're still putting on the same amount of energy as they did then. Their sold-out show at Whammy this September was the first time they've played in New Zealand for a while, but it was sort of like they'd never left.
We missed opening acts Pale Flag and Downfall of Humanity (who knew finding a park in Auckland was so hard), getting in just as Seas of Conflict started playing. I've raved about Seas in the past, but they haven't given me a good enough reason to stop raving about them yet, so I’m going to keep doing it. I barely even noticed they had a fill-in drummer (their regular drummer Nic Martin was playing with his other band Devilskin, at The Powerstation). Their set was polished, and sounded huge, thanks to the sound guy that I’m pretty sure I’ve seen behind the desk at Kings Arms.
Their newest song, Prometheus, benefited from the time they spent recently in studio with Zorran Mendonsa - I noticed a few chances since I had seen it played last, namely some Deftones-esque clean vocals towards the end, and a few extra soundscapes through the backing track. Disappointingly, they didn’t play Tantalus, a track that has been described as "defining their sound."
The room was absolutely fucking packed – even trying to get in to the room itself was a struggle. After a few years of declining numbers of bands, venues and showgoers, it almost felt like a reunion.
Antag were as good as ever. Opening with the intro from the 2006’s These Cities, Our Graves, they ripped through a solid set of songs, the highlights being the two tracks they’ve recently dropped, A.P.M.D. and No Justice. I haven’t been to a sold out hardcore show in years, let along one when you have to be on constant high alert for flying limbs and people stagediving on to your head. Having Luke Manson (also in Xile) providing some back-up vocals was sick too – I hope to hear more of that on the upcoming album.
Still, a lot has changed in the past ten years. Music scenes fade out and grow, venues come and go, and the lives of those in the community weave together and apart. Hearing vocalist Sam Crocker talk in between songs about the safety we feel inside a pit might sound fucked to anyone who hasn’t been a part of it – but I guess if you know, you know.
PALE FLAG / DOWNFALL OF HUMANITY / SEAS OF CONFLICT / ANTAGONIST A.D.
Review written by Jared Ipsen Photo courtesy of Matthew O’neill (Shifty Jesus)
