It’s Sunday night in the Valley and a line is forming outside Black Bear Lodge, the third stop on Future Static‘s Liminality tour. With the album dropping back in 2023 (check out our 5 star review HERE), both Future Static and fans alike have been waiting a while to celebrate this one.
Aurateque were up first, stepping in for Perth’s RinRin who dropped out of the tour late last year. It’s a big ask, motivating punters on a muggy Sunday night, but Aurateque’s blend of metal and punk does the job, with frontwoman Lauren Coleman oozing far more charisma than someone who dislocated their shoulder just the night before has any right to. It’s moshpits from the get-go, and, spoiler alert, they don’t let up the whole night.
Melbourne’s The Last Martyr were next. Tracks from latest EP Requiem (check out our 5 star review HERE) bookended their set, with a metal cover of “Freestyler” thrown in for good measure. Fronted by Monica Strut, they’re exciting to watch, with an explosive, versatile sound that feels destined for stages much bigger than this.
And then, finally, came Future Static. This is their first Aussie headline tour, in support of an album that came out over a year ago, so to say the crowd is hungry for it feels like an understatement. Happily, the Melbourne five piece absolutely deliver. Frontwoman Amariah Cook is a whirlwind on stage, presiding over an audience all too eager to open up a circle pit at her command.
Closing out the show with their cover of Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” (did you really think they’d leave us hanging?), it’s an absolute ripper of a setlist, packed with so much energy that even a mid-set tantrum from Cook’s acoustic guitar couldn’t slow them down.
This might be the Liminality tour, but the night feels bigger than that. It’s a celebration of female fronted Aussie metal and alternative, and these three bands have thrown the gauntlet down HARD.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Future Static’s Liminality tour continues next weekend, with dates in Adelaide and Melbourne. Tickets and more info HERE.
Reviewer attended show on Sunday 19th January at Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane.
