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FLYNN EFFECT
+ Colour & Shade
+ Treebeard
@ Stay Gold, Melbourne
13th March, 2021
(Live Review)

Reviewer – Brandon Valentine

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Flynn Effect

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Stay Gold has a brilliant reputation amongst the musicians of Melbourne as a venue with a great sound and vibe… and the promoters over at Forge are proving that right with killer line-ups like this.

Headed by Flynn Effect, touring in support of their new single ‘Andromeda’, being joined by Colour & Shade and Treebeard. The night was set to be a glorious delve into 3 different takes on what it means to be heavy.

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Flynn Effect

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From the first solemn, Tool styled notes, Treebeard ensured the audience was met with a grungy and gritty version of prog. A tone aimed at establishing an aural landscape and dwelling there within. Our ears were slammed with layers of huge chords and riffs that at times acted with the same artistic intent as doom bands; too lure us into to a hypnotic head-bang. Sonically bringing me back to 2010’s Beacons by Cloudkicker; Treebeard put forth an instrumental foray into some dark territories, yet with a youthful and organic attitude.

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Colour & Shade

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With a tonal shift from the deep and dense world that Treebeard created to the hardcore,  upbeat sonics of Colour & Shade, my immediate reaction was “I didn’t know that A Day To Remember was on the menu, but I’m always happy to be served a plate”. The distinct differences between the acts were welcome ones, juxtaposing the dark with the light.

True to their genre, Colour & Shade brought an uplifting, sing alone style of punk that harkens back to the late 00’s in an endearing way. Tim Greenwood’s high vocal notes and smile laden charm allowed the band to delve into some of the more brutal aspects of the style, whilst still keeping the the vibe of the room high spirited and ready to enjoy a Saturday night. This was particularly noteworthy since their guitarist and resident brutal vocalist (Zak Knight) damn near faced hell to get there and yet still brought a positive and energizing presence.

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Colour & Shade

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After Treebeard and Colour & Shade, the audience was left primed and what can one say about that anticipatory feeling. There is a standard sentence uttered by music reviewers, “…the lights dimmed as such and such took to the stage”. That is not absolutely not the case with the visually striking and severely illuminated Flynn Effect!

Lead by the clean and operatic tones of Tomina Vincent, Flynn Effect setup a dramatic and dream like soundscape, one that evoked images of a neon laden, sci-fi future.

The band bathed in a cold blue light, while their translucent instruments beamed azure rays out to the audience… and if I may step away from the poetic language for second, the addition of L.E.D ridden shoes was a gloriously fashionable touch!

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As intriguing as the visual element is, a spectacle can only take to you so far and Flynn Effect stood up to this challenge wonderfully. Indulging in a sound that gracefully mixes heavy guitar chugs, glossy new-wave synths and long patiently held vocal notes. We were delivered with a very cohesive sound that has a distinct soundtrack quality to it.

The stand out moments being a creatively reimagined version of Massive Attack’s ‘Tear Drop’ and the single everyone was there for, ‘Andromeda’. A cut that points my mind towards to some dynamically produced Australian prog, Dead Letter Circus, etc.

As the illumination dimmed and the stage finally did darken, Flynn Effect closed out the night on a dreamy and dramatic high.

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Flynn Effect

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Flynn Effect

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Check out Alchemi Glow’s gallery of this show HERE

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Check out FLYNN EFFECT below
Website – Facebook – Instagram

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Check out COLOUR & SHADE below
Twitter – Facebook – Instagram

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Check out TREEBEARD below
Facebook

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AMNPLIFY – DB