Live Review: Alexisonfire

Circling the venue for a car park, there is a uniform for tonight's event: coloured hair, tattooed skin and paying respects to the headliners on your chest via choice of T-shirt. Who knew Alexisonfire had such an array of merchandise? But given they disbanded just after their tenth anniversary and have spent most of their career touring Australia, it all adds up. For a band with so much to say through their music, they don't talk much on stage. Of the few words, one statement resonated most true: “This is not a funeral, this is a wake”. Saying goodbye to a band that have such an emotional connection to fans is never easy, but when the band show such disconnect from each other onstage, it suggests the idea of a reunion show is unlikely.

The setlist is perfection – Type Alexisonfire into iTunes, press shuffle and there's the gig. From their first hit 44 Calibre Love Letter to fan favourite Get Fighted, few would be disappointed in tonight's song choice. Like most hardcore bands, they perform as if there are electric volts coming through the stage. Drummer Jordan Hastings keeps it together, proving his new career in a covers band is keeping him in time. It's hard to keep your eyes off newly healthy, slimmed down bass player Chris Steele with his eccentric dance movements keeping the beat while he stares off at particular crowd members as if glamouring them. Wade MacNeil, the backing vocalist and newly appointed frontman of UK punk band Gallows, performs brilliantly and proves he can pull focus. The biggest name in the band, Dallas Green (aka City And Colour) is the biggest disappointment of the night; there's next to no interaction with his comrades and too much of his attention is directed toward guitar difficulties. For a band whose audience loves a good singalong, Green's attention-seeking vocal excursions leave fans feeling scared to participate.

Alexisonfire's frontman, George Pettit, gives his heart, soul and two shirts to this performance. Bouncing around the stage from start to finish, checking in with each bandmate and every corner of the crowd, this is obviously a memorable occasion for him. Pettit, who seemed to be left in shock with the disbandment news last year, is seeing off the city (outside of their hometown) that first gave this band a chance with pride and respect. Fans feel this wake, like any other, with tear-filled eyes. We tell stories of past experiences with the band and proudly clutch newly purchased T-shirts to add to the collection.