Holding Absence | 170 Russell | Melbourne | 16th August
For the second night in a row, some friends and I made our way to 170 Russell St. Having only been there the night before to attend Ocean Grove, I certainly didn’t feel like a stranger to the venue. As usual, 170 Russell proved to be the perfect venue to hold the massive turnout for Holding Absence on the Australian leg of their headlining tour, with support from Kingdom of Giants and Stepson.
The Aussie hardcore melodic punk band Stepson, hailing from Brisbane, seem to have always been destined for greatness, following shortly after becoming the first Australian band to be signed to the prominent international independent label SharpTone Records back in 2020. As someone unfamiliar with Stepson prior to this show, hearing the band inform the crowd of a little surprise planned especially for first-timers meant I undoubtedly jumped on the bandwagon of becoming a fan pretty quickly. Although I didn’t know what to expect from this surprise, I can say with certainty that it wasn’t the intro of ‘Faint’ by Linkin Park, nor did I expect the cover to be so well executed.
The members of the band currently contributing to rocking the stage are vocalist Brock Alan Conry, bassist and vocalist Jayden Ridley, guitarists Nick Bennett and Robert Suthern, and last but certainly not least, drummer Jordan McDonald. Alongside playing hits like ‘Come with Me’ from the band’s most recently released album, ‘Help me, help you’, in 2021, the crowd also got to hear the most recently released single, ‘Venom’, which had only been released this time last year. There seems to be no slowing down for Stepson, as well as no shortage of new music coming our way in the future, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled and stay tuned.
Next up was Kingdom of Giants, who are certainly a band helping to define Californian metalcore, having forged their identity as a group in 2010 out of Sacramento, California. They showcase a fusion of the more melodic, modern dynamics of metal, as seen in their vocal structures, paired with elements of heavy riffs and intense breakdowns that tend to represent more of the post-hardcore and alternative metal aspects. The band consists of founding members Dana Willax on lead vocals, lead guitarist Max Bremer, Julian Perez on keyboard and rhythm guitar, and drummer Truman Berlin, as well as newest member, bassist and vocalist JT Gutierrez.
Willax welcomed all newcomers of the night to join their kingdom as the lights dropped and the atmospheric intro to their newest song, ‘Edge of a Dream’, began. The movement and passion shown on stage, alongside the instrumentation being put on display, make it easy to comprehend the 400,000 monthly Spotify listeners the band brings in. Kingdom of Giants ended their set on a massive high, and after getting to hear a live version of a personal favourite of mine, ‘Wayfinder’, from the 2020 album ‘Passenger’, I can certainly say my night was headed in that same direction.
It was long awaited; Holding Absence are back, but this time for an Australian headline tour of their own, bringing support from quite the intercontinental crew. Not only is the band headlining tours of Australia and Japan themselves at the moment, but they are also set to co-headline a North American tour with Arm’s Length throughout September and October. Holding Absence are also awaiting the release of their newest album, titled ‘Modern Life Is Lonely’, which is not only set to be released very soon but will actually drop on the opening night of the North American tour, beginning in Louisville, Kentucky.
Although the band stems from Cardiff, Wales, they no longer have any founding members. Since 2021, the band has been comprised of vocalist Lucas Woodland, guitarist Scott Carey, bassist Benjamin Elliott, and drummer Ashley Green. This quartet soars ahead with Woodland’s clean, raw vocals and layered emotional crescendos, whilst still incorporating core aspects of post-hardcore, metal, and shoegaze dynamics.
The unfiltered emotion expressed throughout ‘Wilt’ left the crowd in what could only be described as a state of pure anguish. Having been released as part of the band’s first full-length album, ‘Holding Absence’, back in 2019, it was one of 11 songs showcased from the self-titled album. Holding Absence are one of those bands on a seemingly permanent uphill ascent. The many years of relentless and extensive touring as a supporting band have led to the well-deserved next few months of upcoming headlining shows.
Truly, what a night for the books, with two massive supporting bands and the one truly extraordinary band making it all happen behind the scenes and finally getting to bring their vision to life. The Melbourne stop of Holding Absence’s Australian headline tour was one to remember, and these are certainly not bands I’m going to be forgetting any time soon.