Artists: SUMAC, Convulsing, Amby Downs
Venue: Stay Gold, Melbourne, Australia (Woiwurrung country)
Date: 17th Jan 2026
Review by: Jess JRoc
Photos by: Dave Collopy
Ahoy, first review of the year for me, and I’ve chosen the loudest one on earth. I am honoured to be sonically crushed by SUMAC, Convulsing and Amby Downs, on a Thursday, in the hazy darkness of Stay Gold, Brunswick.
Should I have hit the merch table before the show? yes. Did every single piece of merch off that table and beyond fly out the door? yes. Is this a lesson I’ve learned before? yes. Will I do it again? I think we already know the answer to that.
Amby Downs, the name for this ambient/noise/soundscape artistry by Tahlia Palmer. The lights are dim, the stage is set, drenched in soft blue light, gently sat cross legged and focused with her gear perched on a small table, that’s the only delicate part of this performance.
This is remarkably the first time I’m witnessing the work of Amby Downs live. Tahlias’s powerful releases are stories forged with years of diving into her own indigenous heritage, the oppression her ancestors faced, and the continuing detriment of colonisation – her tracks come together through field recordings and sourced materials.
I’ve been a longtime follower of Tahlia’s work. She’s an artist of many branches, the piece in which she is performing live, an adaptation of Ngunmal, boasts a developing hum, it builds as birds gracefully sing. A wave of layers fall onto one another, haunting, as it should be. I found myself gently swaying as the tension builds through the enormous swell of darkness that felt like it shifted through time. Locked eyes onto her table of gear, we’re given everything, the gritty manipulated sounds boast a wall of sonic abrasion, we’re brought back through sounds of birdsong, as this set comes to a close.
Amby Down’s works are all over bandcamp, and Tahlia’s socials, get on there, now.
Similarly, and I’m sure to surprise, this was my first experience of Convulsing live to stage. We had the pleasure of having Brendan on the podcast back in 2025, honestly, having heard the birth of these releases before seeing them live gave them even further depth for me.
An eloquent and important opening address closes with love your neighbour, we all bleed the same. This live outfit for this SUMAC tour is Brendan, accompanied by Peter & Robin on bass and drums. The trio from the gates completely annihilate this closely knit crowd. Their second track is told to be about cutting your head in half laterally, and I empathise, their forceful bold delivery is a ride you’ve failed to strap in for and you have to hold on and face the movement of the room. They close with the track Were, from the 2018 release Grievous, 5 minutes of fast, precise, technical quality and the feeling of terrifying swallowing.
Convulsing’s 2024 release Perdurance is enormous, deliberate and a death metal gift. It’s hard to believe Convulsing is the project of one, through loss and grief, pain and discomfort, and the power of creative release. This record, as all of Brendan’s work, comes with the message: JUST MAKE YOUR ART, PUT IT OUT THERE. Convulsing’s music is available to all on bandcamp for free, or donation if you’re inclined. See them live for true display of passion, that transcends beyond the stages and ears this music graces.
It feels like a fever dream, seeing SUMAC in a room that can fit a couple of hundred people, all the way on our side of the world. The prolific supergroup trio of Aaron Turner, Brian Cook & Nick Yacyshyn, a composite of ex- and current members of all the bands that’ve made waves in their fields. This is the long anticipated Australian debut, there’s been a lot of chat about this show since its announcement, a room full of those prepared (sort of) to be completely floored by the experimental heaviness that is.
They grace the stage, and it’s not long before we are hypnotically captured by the deep strum of the bass, it’s Arching Silver, the 12 minute long exquisite release from 2018’s Love Is Shadow. Now I don’t know much about gear, but Aaron Turner’s signature clear acrylic guitar is a thing of pure beauty, as well as the pedal boards of both he and Brian. Tracks that hold such weight through thudding drums, sharp symbol hits, controlling bass, terrifying guitar shredding and vocals your ears can’t avoid.
As the set goes on they slump over their amps, building harshness as their gear starts to feedback, it’s as deliberate as having gravel thrown at you, and that’s what it feels like. The end is near, everything ends, and I among most are screaming with fierce joy that the incomparable 2016 release What One Becomes holds the fate of our final track, Image Of Control. A personal favourite, this is one that you can feel behind your eyes. Aaron closes with his gratitude that people come to see them, and the joy it brings to be able to make music with those he shares a stage with, you can feel the connection among them, and we are generally grateful for their presence.
To the person who had jammed loo roll in their ears, I wanted to cradle you so bad. I’m thinking of you, and I hope you’re ok today.
The last time I was fortunate to see SUMAC, was on the mainstage of the Roadburn Festival to 3000 people, (one I’m sure you’ve heard me mention before, my favourite place on earth – yeah I know, but it’s the holy place for the experimental alike). We’re getting some remarkable shows this year in Naarm, and I think it’s important to remember these unique moments so deep into these artists careers, of seeing them in such small venues comparatively to their usual abroad.
For fans of SUMAC and more experimental leaning releases, their collaboration with Philidelphia based artist & activist Moor Mother was a fucking sight to see, and a truly history making record in itself.
Gig Gallery:
