Photo: Kylie Keene

With a sold-out tour ahead and a fiercely anticipated album to launch, Perth rock powerhouse Karnivool headline the first of two nights at Brisbane’s premier live venue The Tivoli with the assistance of fellow West’ralians Sugar Army who bring a swag of their own new material along for the ride.

Opening the night in their own uniquely modest fashion, the boys from Sugar Army patiently build into a set that unfolds into a sprawling, adventurous journey through to some deeper, dark rock epiphanies. With their debut album slated for a July release, they make the most of their time onstage, although they close with the well known Now You’re Old Enough.

Filling the extended gap between bands with the Easy All Stars’ dubbed-up Radiohead tunes proves a good move as the sold out crowd heaves under the weight of the audience’s collective expectation; its been years since Karnivool have toured a set filled with new material and the excitement is palpable.

Taking to the stage with Sound Awake’s lead track Simple Boy and going straight into number two Goliath; I can’t help but be amazed by the number of people mouthing along to the new lyrics. With a dazzling visual LED display behind them, Karnivool step up to the next level in their meteoric career trajectory with the peerless musicianship we have come to expect and admire.

Jumping back into Themata territory with Shutterspeed and Cote keeps the audience frothing, some literally, before they ease off the gas with the highly rotated New Day. The rest of the set goes by in a blur of chorus hooks, power riffs and pounding bass lines, building intensity from Deadman, through Umbra and into the scintillating newby Set Fire.

The ‘Vool finish off the regular set in full voice with Themata’s Roquefort, before returning to encore with Change, a track intended for the first album, but resurrected for Sound Awake.

JAMES STAFFORD

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