SMASH INTO PIECES: BRISBANE CONCERT REVIEW
- Kirsty Shepherd
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
On Sunday August 24th I found myself in the unique position of sitting inside the fenced off courtyard of the brightside in Brisbane,
listening to smash into pieces perform their soundcheck; full of anticipation and excitement as I waited for the band to show themselves for their first ever Queensland
based interview (which you will be able to watch soon on our youtube channel). The line-up had already started and the crowd was chatting amongst themselves as Guitarist Benjamin could be seen practising on his own at a table outside only twenty minutes earlier.
The sounds of the instruments faded away and we were greeted by Benjamin and per, casually chatting about new born child life as we waited for Chris to appear. per explained in quick detail the idea behind the arcadia concept and apoc as a character, before explaining how their book release 'apoc and the quest for self-confidence' was launched to rousing success, hitting number two on the swedish top list of released books for the year so far.
for those of you who are a fan of their track "paradise" featuring Elize rye from amaranthe, you will be both happy and sad to know that this song will only ever be performed with Elize. the band revealed during their interview that the song was written with Elize and written in her choice of key; so while you will
not hear it at every smash into pieces show, it will make it all the more special when it is performed.
shaking hands, we parted ways for the band to jump into their next assignment that was the fan meet and greet. it was interesting to watch the band interact with their fans, taking photos and signing posters, Chris working his way through the line with a sign stating he was unable to speak as he was on vocal rest, apoc being the silent dominating figure looming amongst the patrons; I found the most fascinating interactions to watch were the people with apoc tattoos and one lady in particular who had styled her hair into the smash into pieces logo. as the line came to its end the band disappeared backstage after a round of applause. the doors opened and the rest of the
patrons flooded in, quickly finding their spot in the room.
Support band for the night took form in Adelaide locals 'heartline' who took to the stage at 7.45pm. to say I was pleasantly surprised by this bands live performance is a severe understatement. from the very beginning I was hooked. while the stage was small they utilised the space with
great energy. although the floor area of the room started off with medium energy, most of the crowd admitting to not having seen heartline before, it didn't take long for that to build; "I like seeing you jump around, so I am going to do it again" said vocalist luke calling the crowd to action.
when I see bands play I tend to watch how each individual band member performs and then how they interact as a whole unit and it was honestly impressive to watch their stage presence. I appreciated that each member had their time to shine in the form of
solos, and working the stage like they owned it; while taking their time throughout the nine song set to joke with each other, performing in tandem in places and jump-kicking their way through the set.
A costume change prompted "now you will see I put my party shirt on. are you going to party with me Brisbane?"
heartline as a whole is definitely a band to be reckoned with; I was particularly impressed with the vocal stylings of frontman Luke, with his ability to switch between clean and dirty vocals and i
am excited to see them once more at big sound showcase day on Monday the 1st of September. if you missed heartline at smash into pieces you can see them in Brisbane at big sound on thursday 4th of September at the brightside. heartline performed hit upon hit with tracks such as"Pink Lemonade", "Lovers", "synthetic" and the currently unreleased "dead batteries,"
to be unleashed next month.
at 8.50pm the lights dimmed and the crowd cheered as apoc walked onto the stage and behind the electric drum kit, his mask glowing violently red in the darkness, followed shortly after by guitarists Benjamin and per, and finally vocalist Chris. I didn't know what I was going to experience, walking
into the brightside that night, but it definitely wasn't what I experienced. "are you going to jump with us for our first time in Brisbane?" it is safe to say that smash into pieces embody the true meaning of the word "rock star". During our interview they explained how touring in Australia had made them pivot how they normally perform, scaling back the
theatrics and getting back to their roots of just four musicians on a stage, and this was honestly probably the best thing I could have hoped for. this situation, and the lack of barricade, allowed the band to get up close and personal with the fans, holding hands and leaning in close face-to-face singing the lyrics back to each other. the
engagement between fans and band almost felt like a group of friends watching their friends performing, as they went out of their way to try and connect with each person in the room via eye-contact or matching the same groove as the bi-standers.
it was endearing to watch as as the band joked
with each other, slapping eachother's butts and sharing private jokes while they performed choreographed guitar moves and at one point Benjamin strolled casually
over per as he layed on the ground. several times throughout the set Chris pulled his phone from his pocket to record the crowd seeing their lyrics back to him, a giant smile
on his face while doing so.
the smash into pieces members worked the room with such efficiency at times it was hard to choose where to look. it was impossible to look away from Benjamin however as he casually walked off the stage during "all eyes on you", making his way through the crowd, interacting with fans as he went. as he made his way up the stairs he stopped to perform, surrounding himself and singing along with the fans who watched on in a combination of aweand disbelief at their luck. he made his was through the crowd to the
balcony where I stood, asking the concert go-ers next to me if they were enjoying their night, before turning
his attention to myself and running
the guitar fret board along the railing, before smiling at me and making his way back through the crowd to the stage.
I will admit dear reader that at several points throughout the show as a seasoned heavy metal concert go-er I found myself wondering when the pit was going to open up, before reminding myself of the environment I was currently in, taking in the general vibe of the room once more, that was genuinely just a group of people who were
there to just have a good time, and jump around, collectively sitting in the same head space as
one another. it was disorientating at the start but the longer I was a part of the
crowd the more I found myself enjoying the feeling of not having to watch for a misplaced elbow or a circle pit unexpectedly opening up around me.
as the set went on we were treated to tracks of the like, "broken halo", "heroes are calling", "let me be your superhero",
"trigger", "Flow", "arcadia", "venom" and "boomerang" amongst many more, before the band left the stage to thunderous chants of "one more song" that lasted and impressive thirty seconds, before Chris could be heard
from backstage, "if you want more songs, show me you want them", before the band returned for not one but two encore songs, "hurricane" and "six feet under". the impressive seventeen song set, with it's well thought out combination of heavier, rock 'n' roll and dance songs, came to it's conclusion with a bow to the crowd and ruckus cheering
before one lucky fan was pulled on stage with Chris, before the band lingered to sign shirts and hats, and throw out towels, gloves and guitar picks.
it is safe to say that I was won over by their music ability, showmanship and general sense of appreciation and care for their fan base. I for one will be making sure I see smash in to
pieces the next time they are in australia.
I would also like to congratulation per once again for the birth of his baby, and the band as a whole for their successful book and whiskey release, their performance at Eurovision and for their first Australian tour. we look forward to seeing what you come up with next.
For fans of: amaranthe, apoc, self deception and from ashes to new
For fans of: architects, I prevail, the plot in you and landmvrks
ALL PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS BY @SAMHERBERTMEDIA
did you see smash into pieces on their first Australian tour?
