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LUNE
+ Bitter Kind
+ Written By Wolves
+ Patient Sixty-Seven
@ Laundry Bar, Melbourne,
May 25th 2024
(Live Review)

Review by Tristan Skell

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Lune

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Having never experienced Melbourne’s Laundry Bar firsthand, my curiosity was piqued by the lineup gracing its stage. With headliner LUNE, the metalcore band on tour for their newest EP “The Change Around Us & The Change In You”, known for their intense live performances, the night promised to be heavy. Adding to the allure were fellow Melbournians Bitter Kind, New Zealand’s Written by Wolves, and Perth’s Patient Sixty-Seven, each bringing a unique sound to the table. The Laundry Bar, renowned for its intimate atmosphere and support of emerging and already established artists, seemed the perfect setting to witness this fairly stacked bill.

The upstairs room was already packed shoulder to shoulder, a few recognisable faces too from previous gigs I’d attended. Opening the night, Bitter Kind wasted no time in jolting the audience to attention. As the first act, their ferocious performance was exactly what was needed to ignite the crowd and set the tone for the night. When the band launched into their final song, with some prompting from the vocalist the crowd responded with an immediate, ferocious wall of death. As the band dove into an extended breakdown, the pit expanded, becoming a massive, heaving sea of humanity. This was the Laundry Bar at its finest, a place where the music and the crowd became one, united in the shared experience of pure, undiluted sound.

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Bitter Kind / Photo – Nathaniel Smith

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Written By Wolves

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Progressive rock outfit Written by Wolves, featuring Michael Murphy (vocals), Karl Woodhams (drums), Davie Wong (guitar and backing vocals), and Oli Lyons (electronic drum pad, backing vocals and DJ duties), brought a lighter touch to the evening’s line-up. Recognising their place as the least heavy band of the night, they playfully embraced the contrast, self-deprecatingly referring to themselves as the “Backstreet Boys” of the night.

The band’s basslines resonated through the intimate venue, shaking it to its core as they poured their hearts into each song. The whole band’s performance was an infectious display of passion and energy. Midway through the set, Written by Wolves surprised the crowd with a unique rendition of Linkin Park’s “Papercuts”, cleverly adapted to fit their own musical style. The audience enthusiastically joined in, creating a heartwarming singalong for the duration of the song. The band then treated everyone to a beautifully crafted breakdown before launching into the final chorus, culminating in Murphy leaping into the crowd to share the last few lyrics with his fans.

Riding the high of their “Papercuts” cover, Murphy took a moment to raise a toast to the crowd, celebrating Written by Wolves’ first-ever performance in Melbourne. The band then amped up the energy with a heavier rendition of Sia’s “Elastic Heart”.

The rest of the set featured fan favourites like “GODDESS”, culminating in a rousing performance of “BURN” from their latest album, “PLEASE, JUST BREATHE”. To commemorate their Melbourne debut, the band then invited the entire crowd to join them for a photo, a very wholesome moment to say the least.

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Patient Sixty-Seven

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Setting the stage for the headliner were Perth-based metalcore outfit Patient Sixty-Seven, who unleashed an explosive performance, opening with “Shed My Skin” from their latest EP “What If It Never Gets Better”. Backed by a digitally glitching backdrop displaying their band name, they blew the roof off the venue with their sheer intensity.

The metalcore quartet Patient Sixty-Seven, comprising Tom Kiely (vocalist), Rory Venville (guitar/backing vocals), Declan Le Tessier (guitar), and Richard Alexander (drums), masterfully blended elements of classic and contemporary metalcore. Their setlist showcased this unique fusion, featuring tracks from their new EP like “Hibbertia” and “No Place” that resonated with the genre’s core while pushing its boundaries.

Keen to make a lasting impression on their fourth visit to Melbourne, the band incited a wall of death, one that pushed everyone to the venue’s edges, leaving minimal space to spare. They also treated the audience to a nostalgic throwback with “Scattered” from their 2022 album “Wishful Thinking”, a song they fondly recalled playing during their first Melbourne show. To polish off their set, Kiely jumped into the crowd, much like Murphy from Written by Wolves preceding them, and screamed his heart out with the crowd for the last chorus of the song.

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Lune @ Laundry Bar

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Headliners LUNE took to the stage, clad in matching black outfits emblazoned with a blacked-out heart – the iconic cover image of their EP “The Change Around Us & The Change In You”. They launched into a powerful rendition of “The Memory Replays” from that EP, setting the bar of their performance.

LUNE, consisting of Nathaniel Smith (vocals), Krys Smith (guitar), Harrison Mills (drums), and David Freeland (bass), commanded the stage with their powerful presence. Before even finishing the first song, Nathaniel issued a playful challenge to the crowd: “If you can’t two-step, get up on this stage,” a statement that we’ll address later. Each breakdown hit with unrelenting force, as Krys and David bent over forwards, with guitars to the floor in a dramatic display of sheer stage presence.

LUNE’s headlining performance at this stacked event is a testimony to their rising fame. They are clearly taking the right steps to expand their fanbase, consistently raising the bar with each show. Having witnessed their growth over the past months, it’s evident that they are a band on a relentless upward trajectory.

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Lune @ Laundry Bar

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Continuing their showcase of their new EP, Lune ripped through “Left Behind” and “Progeny”, leaving the audience with sore necks from the relentless headbanging. The band had also unleashed their most streamed track, “Ghost”, which brought the mosh to a new level.

Earlier in the set, when I mentioned Nathaniel had challenged the audience to join them on stage. One fan eventually took him up on the offer, leaping up multiple times to unleash a few headbangs before jumping back into the crowd. Nathaniel and the rest of the audience were clearly amused by this display. LUNE capped off their explosive set with an encore of “Manipulator”, giving the crowd one last chance to go feral.

The night showcased an incredible display of talent from all the bands, and it’s clear that LUNE is pretty much ready to conquer larger stages like 170 Russell or Max Watts. Given their sold-out performance at this smaller venue, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them fill those spaces in the near future.

I’m personally excited to see where they go from here, and if you haven’t already, definitely check out their EP “The Change Around Us & The Change In You”.

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Lune @ Laundry Bar

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Follow LUNE
Instagram – Facebook – Twitter – Tiktok

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AMNPLIFY – DB