Artists: HEALTH, Zheani, Karina Utomo & Josh Wells
Venue: Northcote Theatre, Melbourne, Australia (Naarm, Woiwurrung country)
Date: 2nd August 2024
Review by: Ulffe
Photos by: Ben Eldström
Karina Utomo & Josh Wells
This was so cool, Joshua Wells who fronts the label AR53 records, and Karina Utomo (extreme metal vocalist from Kilat who are signed by AR53) presented their duo performance as the opening event for the night.
A creation that I have to describe as a discordant cacophony of dark textured techno landscapes, layered with Karina’s shattering vocal range.
Despite understanding the duo’s background this was still unexpectedly huge. The project focused on drum machine manipulations paired with extreme vocal dissonance.
There were moments where the bass felt so physical and took breath from my body. To describe the sound is near impossible, it was haunting at times because of Karina’s vocals but to me it almost felt like that one scene from the Matrix Reloaded with that huge underworld industrial party, except this party was in some sort of hellscape.
Lighting played a big part in this show. A consistent blend of red/yellow/orange as well as abstract visuals projected on a screen in the centre of the stage that felt like moving fire or lava.
Their performance was very atmospheric, ranging hugely in dynamics. As the rhythm quietened, vocals would swell and take hold- it was agonising, and haunting, and beautiful and I’d love to experience this again.
Zheani
Zheani’s performance at the Northcote Theatre was a whirlwind of intense expression.
Zheani’s unique sound could be described as a raw blend of hip-hop, metal, industrial, synth-pop, emo, (amongst other things) all which translated into an electrifying set. Her lyrics are emotive and expressive, based around events in her life and her experience that give her audience emotional content to relate to. On top of this she put on an incredibly visual performance that would certainly shock people. The use of digital projections added a striking visceral backdrop displaying her symbols and clips from her visual media. It was cool to see her use this to silhouette herself as part of her hypnotic performance.
A personal highlight of her set was her introducing one of her tracks from the 2022 EP I Hate People On The Internet. Zheani, slyly asks the rhetorical question to the crowd, ‘Is it raining in here?’ Switched on fans recognised the hint as the repeating line ‘It’s raining fucking napalm’ before her DJ triggered the opening bass notes introducing one of her sickest tracks, Napalm. Being one of my favourite tracks, I felt like a doofus not picking up on it as quickly… Her vocals and melodies live in my head ‘rent free’ as they say.
Zheani’s ability to seamlessly merge diverse musical styles in her unique approach while maintaining a cohesive and powerful performance underscores her status as a next-generation artist. Having followed Zheani’s music for a couple of years it’s great to see her live shows have garnered a global following, huge sold-out headline performances in Australia, the USA, and Europe on the Maenad tour.
Mid set, she humbly acknowledged her roots and the fact that she is an independent artist. Zheani, thanked the supports and encouraged the audience to give a huge Aussie welcome to headliners HEALTH while thanking them for the courage to allow independent artists to open for them.
Her final moments on stage ended quite abruptly, after a popular statement piece, Bring Wet Cunt. Projected behind her were the letters ‘BWC?’ flashing though out the performance until she left the stage.
Though I’m certain new fans were made- I honestly feel this specific crowd didn’t fully appreciate what Zheani offers. Having seen footage from other legs of this tour, Zheani has no issue making a sea of people move while also bringing in her own enthralled, energising fans.
I loved her set and it was excellent to see her perform for the first time.
HEALTH
As the punters were simmering in anticipation, eagerly awaiting the main course, something happened to the house music.
Merely minutes before the headlining set the lights flickered, the volume increased and we were hit with the theme song of Neon Genesis: Evangelion as the guys from HEALTH entered the stage. This lighthearted introduction was a stark contrast to the tone of both support acts.
Instantly there was a shared joy from the band that was reciprocated by the audience. The energy was contagious.
HEALTH’s sold out, headlining set at the Northcote Theatre was nothing short of an aural assault and a masterclass in controlled chaos. Headlining the night in the Melbourne stint for their tour titled Rat Based Warfare and celebrating their 2023 album RAT WARS, Melbourne’s punters were exhilarated for what would turn out to be an excellent show.
They opened with the track IDENTITY, which while not on their latest album was a great intro to the night- it was impactful, yet milder than what was yet to come.
GOD BOTHERER, which came next from the album Slaves of Fear, was huge and got the crowd amped.
The band continued to establish their signature blend of noise rock, industrial, and dark electronic. Jake Duzsik’s instantly recognisable vocals are almost a juxtaposition to the heavier moments in the music, however they bind everything together with emotive pull. At this point in the night I was welcoming real, live drums and loving the enthusiasm by B.J. Miller- an epic driving force in the performance. Similarly, I felt the same about John Famigietti’s live bass and electronic arrangements.
All this was neatly packaged with excellent work at the sound booth and complimented by an excellent light show completely paired to the high velocity energy of the music.
FUTURE OF HELL was a standout, its punishing beats and visceral energy sending waves through the crowd. The track’s aggressive hooks and dense layers highlighted HEALTH’s ability to craft music that is both brutal and hypnotic. You could feel the intro in your bones.
Frontman Jake, with endearing humility, professed to the crowd, “I’m fucking shitty at the crowd banter thing,” a heartfelt admission after delivering a tight, high-energy performance for the last 50 minutes. His sincerity only added to the charm of the evening, making the connection with the audience even more genuine.
As the set neared its end, Jake acknowledged the often-awkward encore trope, reminding the audience, “THIS is the last song. Let’s just treat it like this and have a great night.” This candid approach was met with cheers, and the band launched into the track DSM-V from RAT WARS with explosive energy. An awesome energetic track from
Health’s ability to blend extreme sonic aggression with intricate digital visuals made their performance at the Northcote Theatre an unforgettable experience, cementing their reputation as pioneers of their genre.
Gig gallery
