Live Review: Every Time I Die / Norma Jean / A Secret Death

Thursday June 7^th @ The Corner Hotel, Melbourne

Norma Jean (USA) w/ Every Time I Die (USA) and A Secret Death (QLD)

Review by Cameron Chambers

One of the many anonymous posters on Killyourstereo said something which annoyed me enough to write this review. They suggested that I only gave good reviews to the headlining acts and that support bands were getting a raw deal. 

Well, the opening band for tonight’s triple header was Brisbane’s A Secret Death, and in my humble opinion, they came very close to topping the headliners - considering they were playing The Corner’s tiny side stage their sound was massive!  

ASD played a tight set which was made up almost entirely of new material. I would’ve said I was disappointed at the lack of older tunes from these guys, however the songs they did play are hands down some of the best shit I’ve heard this year. If this is a snippet of what’s on their new record, then we have a contender for Australian release of the year. 

Every Time I Die were up next and I missed the first 2 songs as I was aimlessly wandering around Richmond trying to find my car (yeah, genius I know). I’m a huge fan of this band and they didn’t disappoint this evening. Sounds issues aside (which seems to be a recurring theme at The Corner Hotel these days) ETID were awesome, as they treated the audience to songs from all 3 of their full length albums, as well as 2 cuts from their upcoming (and much hyped if you’d read the press release from Keith Buckley) record “The Big Dirty”. 

Being an energetic and entertaining live act is one thing, but when your front man is capable of talking shit as well as Keith Buckley your band is most definitely onto a winner. 

Norma Jean was left to close out the night, and the reduction in the size of the crowd (after ETID) was noticeable. This didn’t seem to deter the band as they ripped through an intense 45 minute set. 

NJ had an awesome stage set up which had a constant set of video clips running behind the band during breaks in songs. Add to that the band’s discordant sound and it made for an almost atmospheric performance.  

It was great to hear how well the material from “Redeemer” (NJ’s most recent release) translated live, with tracks such as “A Grand Scene For A Colour Film” and “Blueprints For Future Homes” coming across with the same sense of urgency and melody that Ross Robinson was able to capture during the recording. 

Easily one of the most consistent shows I’ve been to in recent memory, with all 3 bands putting on a great show. For my money, Every Time I Die took top honours tonight but A Secret Death weren’t far behind.