Live Review: Being As An Ocean w/ Saviour & Void of Vision @ The Brightside

It was a nippy Thursday night in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, but what better way to warm the heart and body than to squeeze into a packed ‘Brightside and get our inner hardcore kid for Being As An Ocean’s first Aussie headline show since 2013.

Kicking proceedings off in the heaviest way possible were Melbourne 5-piece Void of Vision. The metalcore newcomers didn’t hesitate to open the pit early, blasting into the evil aggression of Purge. Slowing the set down only to tune up, Void of Vision set the standard for Aussie heavy bands in highlighting what it takes to be a successful national touring outfit.

Headbanging and guitar spinning their way through pit favourites like Persist//Perceive and Nightmare, it was quickly apparent the Melbournites were masters in working a relatively small crowd. Ending their set with melodic feeler Sun//Rise, Void of Vision walked off stage as buggered as the crowd were, the truest indicator of a band doing their job right.

After returning from hiatus, fans were beside themselves when Saviour started their time with new single Lovers. For a band that has often divided listener’s interests, the Perth outfit proved doubters wrong. With professionalism and passion, Saviour had The Brightside floor shaking as they played through emotional monster Unstoppable.

Clean vocalist Shontay Snow’s inclusion in the band’s live lineup was a nice addition. Slightly intimidated by her first live performance, it was a proud moment when frontman Bryant Best took a step back to allow for Snow to take centre stage and see the set out with the soft finish of Jaded. 

As only four-fifth’s of Being As An Ocean hit the stage late in the night, we found ourselves wondering where vocalist Joel Quartuccio had disappeared to. Ta dar! As Little Richie’s opening riff came jamming in, there was Quartuccio, jumping around within the crowd, roaming the floor giving the fans a very personal connection. It speaks volumes when a band disregards barriers or the space between the floor and the stage to engage with their audience in such a humbling way.

To say the crowd were energetic would be understatement. As the night progressed and older tunes such as Dear G-d filled The Brightside’s walls, the mayhem never ceased as the crowd turned into a whirling dervish, spinning and two stepping their way through the evocative hardcore jam. A heartfelt speech about belonging from vocalist Joel Quartuccio was a warming moment of the night, before the Californians jammed out fan favourite, The Poets Cry For More.

New single Dissolve went down a treat with fans. The mammoth chorus put the crowd into a euphoric state as they sang to their heart’s content. Leaving behind the frustration of city traffic and their temptation to drink (straight-edge joke), the crowd air guitar’ed their way through the shredding guitar solo, moshing their guts out for the rest of the night.

Check out our Photo Gallery HERE and read our interview with Being As An Ocean’s frontman Joel Quartuccio HERE