The Amity Affliction return to Brisbane with a new #1 album and some lineup changes for night number one of their two sold out dates on their This Could Be Heart Break Tour. 

The headliners have brought with them a trio of hardcore/punk bands in locals Sensaii, Driven Fear, and up-and-comers Trophy Eyes, who do an admirable job of getting the crowd warmed. However, it is clear that the majority of fans were waiting patiently for The Amity Affliction and will settle for nothing less.

The band was slightly delayed getting out but launch straight into I Bring The Weather With Me, which gets an almighty reaction from fans. It’s a great angry and aggressive opener to the show and has the crowd in a frenzy when the slash-like guitar solo hits about midway through. 

The band seemed happy and very energetic to be back home in Brisbane and wouldn’t let minor details such as singer/screamer Joel Birch losing his voice dampen their spirits, as bassist and clean vocalist Ahren explained in between songs, “Joel has lost his voice but that hasn’t affected his screaming.”

The band do a fine exploration into their surprisingly big catalogue of music and played fan favourites such as Open Letter, Lost and Fading, and Young Bloods, before launching into their first ever acoustic influenced ballad, All Fucked Up. This one sounded amazing live and was a huge hit with the audience. The song has only been out for a few weeks but had the crowd singing to every lyric. 

They continued the show with more new material such as Some Friends and Fight My Regret, which again is warmly received by the audience and sounds great when played live. I had to consult a friend during these two songs to check that they were indeed new songs released only a week ago, as the whole audience was singing and head banging to every word. This was surprising and a great testament to the band and their loyal fanbase getting into the music as soon as their new album was released.

The band took a very short break to lead into their encore (My guess is Joel’s vocal cards were in need of a rest but they wanted to give the fans all they had left with the last couple of songs). The encore started with Pittsburg, which is delivered with such fervour it’s nearly impossible to not be swept up in the power and emotion of the track. We are then treated to Don’t Lean On Me, which incites the mosh pit into a frenzy, but I can’t help but wonder what they will close with as this has been the standard closer track for them for a while now.

I don’t have to wait long until they lunch into new single This Could Be Heart Break, which is unashamedly a venture into pop punk for them and really works well as a closer. This track being played live for the first time definitely left the audience wanting more. Singer Ahren declared it to be the most fun and sweatiest show they have ever played at this venue and I can’t help but agree with them. 

- Michael Clark