Project Description

AFTER CHANGE

@ ENIGMA BAR

14/07/18

(LIVE REVIEW)

Reviewer: Michelle Keesmaat

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After Change

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Local Adelaide Alt-Rock band After Change hit the stage once again Saturday night to launch their new single Built to Break. The 5-piece outfit, made up of vocalist Daniel Richards, drummer Declan Fry, bassist Jed Hitchcock, and guitarists Daniel ‘Goose’ Wells-Smith and Simon Aistrope were fresh faced, and eager to play a home town show; fresh off a national tour supporting Sydney band,Far Away Stables.

Having released their Debut EP Feelin’ Fine back in September, they have been itching to drop new music and it is evident that a lot of work went into this track. Right as doors opened you could tell that this was going to be a great night. The initial crowd was bigger than expected, but after learning that the presale tickets sold out I’m not surprised that many more bought tickets at the door.

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Opening up the night was Alt-Rock group Quaint Attraction, only a mere ten minutes after doors and pulled the attention of many waiting for the headliner. I hadn’t seen them play before and I was pleasantly surprised. They had fans happily dancing along and those who knew lyrics sang along with them. They ended their set with a cover of Linkin Park’sWhat I’ve Done, which the crowd seemed to enjoy.

Next was Adelaide progressive metal/hardcore band Alda Sky, a well-known group to this crowd. These guys brought a lot of energy to the night and changed the pace quickly. With hard-hitting drums and explosive hard and clean vocals, it was hard not to be impressed.

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Bassist Rhys Ritchie, Alda Sky

Photo – Steven Cook

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They had the crowd moving and head banging to each track. The crowd really picked up when they played their EP title track Reflections, crowd goers even grabbing the mic to scream the lyrics with them. They definitely got the crowd energised and kept up the momentum.

Possibly the most anticipated of the support acts was up next, Melbourne-based Metalcore band Windwaker. Opening the set with their explosive new single New Infinite. The crowd was immediately off their feet, rocking along to powerful vocals and hard-hitting drums. Their performance seemed almost effortless. It was no wonder these guys are a big deal over in Melbourne, and evidently a big deal here too.

They then covered Bring Me The Horizon’s, Can You Feel My Heart. The vocalist sung it well and was definitely a crowd pleaser, people rushing to crowd around the mic to shout back a beloved song. I have to mention one of their guitarists that produced some of the best solos and chord picking of the night.

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Windwaker

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Rounding out the support acts was Far Away Stables, who have just come off a national tour; taking along After Change and Windwaker for the ride. I hadn’t heard of these guys before the show and I was pleasantly surprised. Being likened to Circa Survive, you could really tell they love performing, the vocalist even at times coming into the crowd and using a megaphone.

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Far Away Stables

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The moment had come and After Change were hitting the stage, faces around me beamed as the interim music died down and the opening track started. They opened with their EP title track Feelin’ Fine, to an almost full room at Enigma Bar, which set the tone for the rest of the night. The strong drums and guitars lifted the vocals and had the crowd encapsulated, moving to the beat, and everyone who knew the lyrics were singing back.

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Image may contain: one or more people, people standing, people on stage and night

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They transitioned into Leech which similarly had the crowd moving and singing along, especially during the quiet moments you could hear the crowd sing back and clap along to the beat. Next, they played Faux Comfort which easily slaps, and includes the line,

 “I can’t stand this feeling, I’m meant for something else”

that for many people I have talked to hits home emotionally. It’s lyrics like these and many others that make them likeable and relatable to listeners.

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Guitarist Simon Aistrope, After Change

Photo – Emily Pedersen

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After a throwback with one of their early releases Heart and Home, the boys go into the fourth track from their EP, Hurricane. It starts out slow and timid with soft, but strong, vocals and a steady backing. It slowly picks up and has the crowd shouting back the hard-hitting chorus and the soft fade out ending.

To break up their originals they introduced a new cover, The KillersSmile Like You Mean It. It was a nice cover overall, the vocalist is almost a perfect match for the song and the crowd seemed to like it, singing along too. Although this one seemed to be less popular than their previous cover of Thirty Seconds to Mars ‘The Kill’.

Finally, they played tonight’s namesake Built To Break, which was released earlier this month, and was clearly the star of tonight’s show. The strong drums and riffs hit you straight away and slow down for the first verse. The vocalist kept steady notes and wavered where he needed, bopping along to the beat and effortlessly hitting notes.

There were a few breathless moments but ultimately was a good performance. There’s a line in the song,

“As I pace our home your absence is all I can find, how you taste and smell will always be etched into my mind.”

which I think is a great line and sounded identical to the studio version. This is a strong song; each instrument can hold their own and sounded good individually but together it just rounds it all out and creates a great song.

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Vocalist Daniel Richards, After Change

Photo – Emily Pedersen

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They ended the night with the last song on their EP Too Close to Home which is an emotional strong end to the night. This one is evidently the crowd favourite, pulling everyone off their feet and jamming along to the music. This one really showed their musical and vocal range as the climax of the song had all members putting in their all.

Jamming out and moving around as much as they could on the small stage and the front man produced this strong harsh scream that we had rarely seen throughout the night and was most definitely a welcome addition and a highlight of the night.

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Drummer Declan Fry, After Change

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One noticeable difference about tonight’s performance, though, was the absence of their usual bassist, Jed Hitchcock. Luckily there were no issues with his fill-in, Dylan Smith from Days of Deceit, who had learnt the songs very quickly and provided a solid performance with the boys.

By far this is one of the best shows the boys have played and I’m so happy that the Adelaide music scene stuck around the whole night. It’s a rare occurrence that Enigma Bar is packed out unless you’re a well-known band, and seeing it over 3/4 full was a pleasant surprise. There were a few hiccups early in the night. Sound was sometimes an issue and harmonies missed, but they were that minor you would have missed them.

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After Change, Windwaker, Far Away Stables

Photo – Emily Pedersen

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After Change are slowly becoming a favourite in the Adelaide scene and rightly so!

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You can catch After Change playing at Fowlers Live on September 1, supporting Moose Blood!

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