Parkway Drive live @ Mandela Hall, Belfast, 18/06/13
Anticipation was sky high amongst the fans regarding the return of Parkway Drive, the Australian hardcore outfit were back in town due to the overwhelming demand after their 2010 appearance in the QUB Speakeasy Bar (which some describe as “absolute f*****g chaos, complete with sweat dripping from the ceiling).
Parkway Drive were set to grace the Mandela Hall stage tonight as part of their 10th anniversary world tour. With three albums now under their collective belts, this tour was in support of their latest release “Atlas” which includes the single “Wild Eyes” which has received unanimous acclaim amongst the metal/hardcore scene.
On both of the Irish tours which Parkway Drive have embarked on, they have been supported by local/ regional acts, which is great to see the promoters/ tour organisers giving these acts a chance to play to bigger audiences and receive more exposure alongside name acts of a similar genre.
Past shows have included Dublin destroyers [and my personal favourites] Red Enemy and Belfast’s very own Gacys Threads, with the bill this time around incorporating rising hardcore act ‘Frustration’ and acclaimed American/Irish tech metallers ‘Hero In Error’.
‘Frustration’ from Dublin opened the show in fine style, the band’s hardcore chokehold wall of sound, saw the them entering into the territory of bands such as Converge, Madball and Hatebreed in parts, whilst dishing out the heavy riffs and grooves by the bucket load throughout their 30 minute set.
Next up it was ‘Hero In Error’ who are another highly acclaimed Dublin outfit. I’d heard a lot about this band prior to this gig, so tonight was the night I’d get to see what all the fuss is about. The American/Irish tech metal quintet came onto the stage to an already hyper crowd, some of their dedicated fans were already starting to worm ever closer to the stage barrier to show their support. Hero In Error take on a distinctive modern metal sound similar to the likes of Architects and Protest The Hero, which went down a treat with the assembled punters in tonight’s crowd, with the majority head-banging, singing along and moshing to their heart’s content throughout the show.
This was my first time seeing both support bands live and I must say they were very impressive. Definitely two bands to check out/watch out for!
There was now a pretty long and un-necessary change over; the crowd were getting up to all sorts of mischief as they impatiently awaited the arrival of the headliners Parkway Drive had a lot to prove tonight but did they live up to the massive expectations placed on their heads by the fans after their previous gig? The answer is most certainly yes, but the bar was set so high last time in my opinion that it was unrealistic to expect a repeat performance. With a surprisingly short set of just over 50 minutes, a quick breather was not on the cards for Winston and co tonight. The five piece steamrolled through the 14 song set with pure raw energy and aggression, riff after riff, breakdown after breakdown.
The set was built around many of the fan favourites both old & new including pit agitator ‘Boneyards’, ‘Sleepwalker’ and the new single ‘Sparks/Wild Eyes’ (which through the Mandela’s PA and accompanied by the crowd’s chants sounded massive!). The band finished with the very popular ‘Carrion’ stirring many a crowd surfer and bringing the night to a fantastic end.
The crowd kept the energy levels relentlessly high throughout the set, showing that Belfast punters know the score when it comes to hardcore shows – some guy even got his head split open in the violent arena that was masquerading as a mosh pit
On a different note, the sheer dedication of their fans here in Belfast is something that deserves kudos, with some fans waiting around the back of the Mandela hall from the early hours [fair play!] to meet the guys who were reported to be very down to earth and friendly.
Steven Donnelly – June 2013
Rating: 8/10
Check out the bands:
Frustration: https://www.facebook.com/frustrationhc?fref=ts
Hero In Error: https://www.facebook.com/HEROINERROR?fref=ts
Parkway Drive: https://www.facebook.com/parkwaydrive?fref=ts
Parkway Drive were set to grace the Mandela Hall stage tonight as part of their 10th anniversary world tour. With three albums now under their collective belts, this tour was in support of their latest release “Atlas” which includes the single “Wild Eyes” which has received unanimous acclaim amongst the metal/hardcore scene.
On both of the Irish tours which Parkway Drive have embarked on, they have been supported by local/ regional acts, which is great to see the promoters/ tour organisers giving these acts a chance to play to bigger audiences and receive more exposure alongside name acts of a similar genre.
Past shows have included Dublin destroyers [and my personal favourites] Red Enemy and Belfast’s very own Gacys Threads, with the bill this time around incorporating rising hardcore act ‘Frustration’ and acclaimed American/Irish tech metallers ‘Hero In Error’.
‘Frustration’ from Dublin opened the show in fine style, the band’s hardcore chokehold wall of sound, saw the them entering into the territory of bands such as Converge, Madball and Hatebreed in parts, whilst dishing out the heavy riffs and grooves by the bucket load throughout their 30 minute set.
Next up it was ‘Hero In Error’ who are another highly acclaimed Dublin outfit. I’d heard a lot about this band prior to this gig, so tonight was the night I’d get to see what all the fuss is about. The American/Irish tech metal quintet came onto the stage to an already hyper crowd, some of their dedicated fans were already starting to worm ever closer to the stage barrier to show their support. Hero In Error take on a distinctive modern metal sound similar to the likes of Architects and Protest The Hero, which went down a treat with the assembled punters in tonight’s crowd, with the majority head-banging, singing along and moshing to their heart’s content throughout the show.
This was my first time seeing both support bands live and I must say they were very impressive. Definitely two bands to check out/watch out for!
There was now a pretty long and un-necessary change over; the crowd were getting up to all sorts of mischief as they impatiently awaited the arrival of the headliners Parkway Drive had a lot to prove tonight but did they live up to the massive expectations placed on their heads by the fans after their previous gig? The answer is most certainly yes, but the bar was set so high last time in my opinion that it was unrealistic to expect a repeat performance. With a surprisingly short set of just over 50 minutes, a quick breather was not on the cards for Winston and co tonight. The five piece steamrolled through the 14 song set with pure raw energy and aggression, riff after riff, breakdown after breakdown.
The set was built around many of the fan favourites both old & new including pit agitator ‘Boneyards’, ‘Sleepwalker’ and the new single ‘Sparks/Wild Eyes’ (which through the Mandela’s PA and accompanied by the crowd’s chants sounded massive!). The band finished with the very popular ‘Carrion’ stirring many a crowd surfer and bringing the night to a fantastic end.
The crowd kept the energy levels relentlessly high throughout the set, showing that Belfast punters know the score when it comes to hardcore shows – some guy even got his head split open in the violent arena that was masquerading as a mosh pit
On a different note, the sheer dedication of their fans here in Belfast is something that deserves kudos, with some fans waiting around the back of the Mandela hall from the early hours [fair play!] to meet the guys who were reported to be very down to earth and friendly.
Steven Donnelly – June 2013
Rating: 8/10
Check out the bands:
Frustration: https://www.facebook.com/frustrationhc?fref=ts
Hero In Error: https://www.facebook.com/HEROINERROR?fref=ts
Parkway Drive: https://www.facebook.com/parkwaydrive?fref=ts