A Wilhelm Scream – Gig Review 20th May @ Crowbar, Brisbane
A Wilhelm Scream
Crowbar, Brisbane
May 20th, 2016
Supported by The Decline, The Gifthorse, Greyface
The first time I ever saw A Wilhelm Scream was at Soundwave in 2010. A slightly jaded and less cynical version of myself liked them enough to check them out on the way home. But as with most things at that age, it was soon forgotten in a plethora of adolescent wonder and puberty. Probably.
Fast forward six years and I’m set to watch the band yet again. Unfortunately I also need to suffer through several bands one may describe as the aural equivalent of stabbing needles into your eyes. But before that I’m going to give a shout-out to Emmy Hour for the wonderful acoustic set upstairs. It’s just a shame that for the most part the quality of that performance overshadowed (really not hard) the performances of some of the acts downstairs.
First up was Greyface who were about as interesting as my high school English teacher with songs lacking any discernable identity which was further hindered by the awful mix that did little to distinguish this band from the thousands playing punk with questionable vocals that have sprung up in the wake of The Smith Street Band. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who didn’t care as the vocalist asked “who was keen to see A Wilhelm Scream” and was only met with one resounding “yeah!” whilst everybody else continued drinking and probably trying not to fall asleep.
Next up was The Gifthorse who despite their best attempts, battled through some severe mixing issues and rewarded the crowd with something I would call third-rate punk/emo and ultimately left me fatigued from the general monotony of their music and had me praying that I could buy a drink from the bar. My belief being any state of inebriation would probably save this band from being completely mediocre and utterly forgettable.
Thankfully the first saving grace of the night came in the form of The Decline who began things with a great introduction compiled of Star Wars audio clips from The Empire Strikes Back and the 20th Century Fox theme music. Following that up with a high-energy performance of pop punk anthems that saw a mosh-pit erupt from the small room and had a select few singing their lyrics with impassioned fever.
And finally after a brief wait, the great A Wilhelm Scream kicked things off with ‘The King Is Dead’ from the album Ruiner which quickly saw everyone surge towards the stage and turn the night into one big sing-along. Lead singer Nuno Pereira is the centrepiece of the mayhem tonight as he bounces around the stage like he just consumed an entire case of steroid-laced redbull, with him telling the crowd “how great it feels to be back in Brisbane” with a genuine sincerity.
Lots of the bands well-known hits are played tonight with the one-two punch of ‘I Wipe My Ass with Showbiz’ and ‘5 to 9’ being a particular highlight as it showcased the many facets of the bands technically angular punk/hardcore music. The set coincidentally ending with the first song I ever saw this band play over six years ago, the appropriately titled ‘We Built This City! (On Debts and Booze)’ which sees the mayhem continue until the last note is rung out and we’re all left to head home and pick ourselves up off the floor.
Thanks for making a new fan.
SETLIST
The King Is Dead
Killing It
Mute Print
Skid Rock
I Wipe My Ass With Showbiz
5 to 9
Walkin' With Michael Douglas
Anchor End
Congratulations
Born A Wise Man
The Kids Can Eat a Bag of Dicks
Boat Builders
The Soft Sell
Pardon Me, Thanks a Lot
Me vs. Morrissey in the Pretentiousness Contest (The Ladder Match)
The Last Laugh
The Horse
Rip
Famous Friends and Fashion Drunks
Encore:
We Built This City! (On Debts and Booze)
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