UNIFY GATHERING

WHEN: FRIDAY JANUARY 10TH – SUNDAY 13TH, 2020 WHERE: TARWIN LOWER, SOUTH GIPPSLAND VIC REVIEW: MATT DORIA AND MILO DUREAU •

It seems Thor was upset he’d missed out on tickets to the hottest heavy music gathering of 2020 – virulent thunderstorms wreak havoc on the Friday morning, wind and rain terrorising the campsite and causing major delays to the stage operations. Schedules fast become irrelevant as the crew endeavour to stage any entertainment at all, to varying success; such means we miss out on highly anticipated acts like Tired Lion and

Antagonist AD – though all reports indicate that punters braving the elements for them are treated generously for their dedication.

The first act we catch is a notably soggy Dear

Seattle, unfazed by the gloom as they belt through a frenzied flaunting of bangers from their hit-heavy debut album, Don’tLetGo. Our troubles melt away like butter on toast when frontman Brae Fisher hits the first wailing pring of his guitar on “Daytime TV”, the band’s rowdy crowd chanting every lyric back like it’s gospel. Architects follow them to rapturous acclaim on the mainstage, doling out a delicious hit of caustic catharsis with their PA-pulverising metalcore gold. It’s the UK titans’ only show on Oz soil this year, and they make full use of every second they have – Josh Middleton and Adam Christianson riff with impassioned fury, down-tuned crunches aplenty as Sam Carter spits pure vocal fire.

So day one was a bust, we’ll admit, but after some much-needed Z’s (in the back of our car, since our tent had become a glorified kiddie pool), we’re back in high spirits and starving for a circle pit.

Cue the fire-eyed Adelaidians in Sleep Talk, who, armed with cuts from their manic and motley debut LP EverythingInColour, deliver a breathtaking 30 minutes of pummelling post-hardcore, soul-twisting emo and bleak-as-hell grunge. Straight after, The

Brave take us down a winding rabbithole of cerebral metalcore stylings, axemen Kurt Thomson and Denham Lee building a vicious and vexing soundscape that keeps our jaws planted firmly on the ground for the whole span of their set.

With more bands left to play than time to schedule them, UNIFY did what they said they never would and propped a second stage up in the circus tent (which existed formerly as a shady hangout spot and bar hub). This becomes a hotspot for pop-punk lovers, kicking off with a rabid and raw throwback to the ‘90s courtesy of Melbourne up-and-comers

Something Something Explosion. Summarised pretty aptly by their name alone, the trio soar with breakneck-paced beats and sour, scuzzy riffs that come like a sonic shot of pure caffeine straight to the brain. The nostalgic effervescence rolls on with

Columbus, whose dorky and doughy, Weezer-esque pop jams evoke a sea of smiles and pumping fists.

We head down a more traditional, mid-‘00s influenced pop-punk path with the back-to-back blow of Melbourne maestros Between You And Me and Sydney scorchers Eat Your Heart Out. Both revelled in bright, booming guitars and summery hooks that spurred circle pits en masse, an overall sense of elation bounding around the tent as they ripped through cut after cut of youthful energy á la Telecaster. The Beautiful Monument kick the crunchiness up a touch with their metallic bends and down-tuned jutting, but their inescapably catchy rhythms and towering choruses make them a favourite of the pop inclined.

Over on the mainstage, heaviness reigns supreme. Kublai Khan bring the Texas touch with their gritty and gory hardcore shredding, before

Knocked Loose roll out and prove why their name is outright unavoidable at the moment. They have the energy of a hardcore band, metalcore-esque song structures and the tonal bleakness of black metal. Breakdowns don’t just feel like an invitation to mosh – they barrel down in the mix like atom bombs of drop D-tuned decimation, the unremitting ire and angst of their songs rendered into visceral bursts of savage shredding.

The scathing pseudo-nu-metal flavour of Stray

From The Path makes the New York foursome stand out like a steak in a vegan restaurant – their beats are sick and their riffs are slick, and the way mic-lord Drew York whips around the stage incites pure f***ing chaos in the pits. Tonight Alive’s set almost feels like respite after, their cruisy pop-rock stylings a welcome break from all the guttural dread and flying ankles. It’s a noteworthy set for the Sydney crew, back in action after a year of hiatus and hitting every last beat like they never left.

Marking the official last show of the MortalCoil era, Polaris jam a headline set and a half’s worth of venomous fervour into their 50-minute incursion. Ryan Siew’s merciless fretboard abuse is simply captivating, every ultra technical twist as searing as frontman Jamie Hails’ monstrous battlecries. Up next is a crash-hot showcase of sonic intensity from their fellow Sydney-native metalcore maniacs in Northlane, with gems from this year’s game-changing Alien LP sending shockwaves right through to the campsite.

We’ll be honest: for a solid few years there, it seemed like we’d never see The Ghost Inside kick ass again. As their second show back in action since a life-threatening bus accident in 2015, it’s an incredibly special performance, both for us and the Cali quintet themselves. Highlights are abundant, but with Zach Johnson’s lead riffage especially frenzied, “Dear Youth” and closer “Engine 45” are certainly cuts we won’t soon forget. There’s a palpable sense that The Ghost Inside are genuinely thankful to be onstage again, reflected in performances that prove their talents haven’t wavered one bit in four years off.

As our next-day bangovers are soothed by the acoustic stylings of Marcus Bridge (who shines just as much with his soft-pop crooners as he does going ham in Northlane), our minds are officially made up: even if dreary weather made it the roughest one yet, UNIFY 2020 was a damn fun time. We can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves for the next one.