Motionless In White. Photo by Sofie Marsden.

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For too long, Australian Motionless In White fans have been asking each other ‘when the hell will they do a headline tour?’. Well, at long last, the time came, and the Pennsylvanian metalcore group made it over for their fourth visit, and first time with their name at the top of the bill. Motionless In White have gone from strength to strength with their releases, their latest offering, Graveyard Shift, being their most well polished and strongest album yet, making their return to Australian shores all the more exciting.

Kicking off the evening, in the staggeringly un-metal Governor Hindmarsh in the City of Churches, was Queensland’s Darkcell. The band have supported several international acts through their career, but perhaps none more fitting than Motionless In White. Darkcell‘s iconic brand of horror themed metal was the perfect introduction to the night. The band are known for their high energy, killer live performances and Thursday evening was no exception. Belting out songs from predominantly the latter half of their career, including The Un-United, Monster, and Preacher, Darkcell succeeded in getting the crowd moving, and suitably hyped up for the bands to follow. 

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Darkcell. Photo by Sofie Marsden.

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Texas’s Crown The Empire crammed more energy into their short set than most bands do for a performance twice as long. Frontman Andy Leo is an exciting performer, and mirrored the crowd’s enthusiasm with gusto. The band, who have been together since 2010, wasted no time in launching into some of their biggest crowd pleasers from their three album catalogue. While Crown The Empire differed stylistically and aesthetically from the rest of the lineup, they kept the momentum going, and ensured everyone was well and truly prepared for the main event.

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Crown The Empire. Photo by Sofie Marsden.

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In the past, Motionless In White have visited Australia twice for Soundwave Festival, and once for the Big Ass Tour, each time checking in to Adelaide. The Graveyard Shift Tour‘s stop over in South Australia was one clearly greatly appreciated by eager fans, many of whom started lining up hours in advance.

Opening with Death March, and Loud (Fuck It), Motionless In White wasted no time in getting the pit moving and screaming their voices hoarse. Frontman Chris Cerulli told the crowd that, though they were half the number of the audiences in Sydney and Brisbane they were at least as loud, if not louder. This praise prompted a chant of “Radelaide! Radelaide” or, as Cerulli suspected, “Gatorade! Gatorade!”. I’m going to assume it was the former, we Adelaidians are a proud bunch. The set covered songs from the band’s entire back catalogue, plus a surprise cover of System of a Down‘s Chop Suey, with an emphasis on their outstanding latest release. Necessary Evil, Rats, and Eternally Yours in particular elicited a frenzied response from the fans, and it wasn’t hard to see why.

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Motionless In White. Photo by Sofie Marsden.

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Top music aside, the band are one of the most energetic live acts going around. While the gothy aesthetic may not be for everyone, nobody could deny that Motionless In White are a whole lot of fun. The fact that it is so evident that the band themselves are having a good time is a testament to their performance and professionalism. Nobody wants to watch a band of miserable bastards for an hour, but that has never been a concern with Motionless In White. Even at their first Soundwave Festival appearance in 2012 when their time lost got mixed up, meaning most fans missed seeing them and the band were forced to play to only a handful of punters, they handled it with class and still had a great time. Five years on, the band’s fanbase has exploded in Australia, and it’s not difficult to see why. Ending on Reincarnate, off the album of the same name, the evening was over far too soon. Motionless In White, once again, solidified themselves as one of the best heavy live bands going around. Here’s hoping when they make their fifth trip to Australia, they return to Gatorade, uh, Adelaide, for another killer show. 

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Motionless In White. Photo by Sofie Marsden.

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Check out Sofie Marsden’s gallery of this show HERE

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AMNPLIFY – DB

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