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PHOTOS: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Caligula’s Horse —August 30th, 2015 @ The Hifi, AUS

After supporting a large amount of international touring bands in recent times, Caligula’s Horse nabbed yet another support slot, this time with none other than The Dillinger Escape Plan.

9 years ago

After supporting a large amount of international touring bands in recent times, Caligula’s Horse nabbed yet another support slot, this time with none other than The Dillinger Escape Plan. Arguably one of the hardest acts to open for, as well as the fact that Brisbane doesn’t exactly have any thriving TDEP-inspired bands to suit the bill, Caligula’s Horse immediately put any concern to rest,  skating effortlessly through a number of technical issues that did little in the way of holding back their energetic performance.

It was obvious from my spot in the photo pit that the band had spent a lot of time preparing for this particular show, it being one of their most cohesive and focussed performances of theirs that I can remember. And rightly so, trying to appease a crowd of fans who have come along expecting to be kicked in the face or speared with a mic stand would be a tough job. It was a real treat to see every member give their all onstage and allow the fans to witness a more aggressive facet of the jewel that is Caligula’s Horse. A small intermission passed before The Dillinger Escape Plan’s drummer, Billy Rymer walked on stage to the tune of a roaring crowd, followed by the rest of the band. Starting with Prancer, TDEP played a fairly even selection of songs from their discography. The majority were from Miss Machine or One of Us Is The Killer, however 43% Burnt made an appearance as well as a couple of others from their older albums. I was blown away by just how accurate their performance was in comparison to their studio recordings; even the small things like the odd guitar solos in between the verses of Milk Lizard were played exactly how they are on the record. Although guitarist Ben Weinman climbed atop a flight case mid-set, the layout of the stage somewhat prevented any stage diving or actual physical interaction with the crowd, so that was about the extent of their stage acrobatics. Though It was still enough that I felt quite thankful to be stationed in the photo pit and not mixed in with the crowd. My camera took a flying kick from a lone crowd surfer and I got booted in the face a few times but it was totally worth it to get the shots that I did. Each member displayed a level of musicianship so great it was almost palpable, and my standard for what a great live show is has been raised considerably. Thanks to Eli Chamravi for kindly allowing me to be a part of this excellent event – check out the photos below!

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Caligula’s Horse

For more from this photographer, visit William France Photography on Flickr or Facebook.

William France

Published 9 years ago