Live Review: Future of the Left, Turnpike, Damn Terran

It's hotter than hell inside The Zoo tonight, but young Melbourne trio Damn Terran leave nothing in the tank as they unleash their intense brand of post-punk on the already sweltering crowd. Frontman Lachlan Ewbank vents his spleen behind the safety of his long fringe as angsty bursts of melodic noise spew forth unrelentingly, and they finish a strong set with Rebels, a maelstrom of welcoming discord.
Local noise rockers Turnpike have been purportedly handpicked by tonight's headliners after supporting them here on their last jaunt. They repay this faith with a typically blistering set, the trio melting into one amorphous beast pulsing with a strange energy. Drummer Chris Bryant proves both innovative and intricate but happy to muscle when required, flanked by guitarist Adam King and bassist Tim Evans who feed from each other throughout. Lengthy instrumental passages are punctuated by King's barked vocals, the intricate soundscapes filled with nuanced beauty before either exploding or petering out as the machine moves on to the next sonic idea, rolling ever forward. You can put your house on this band delivering the goods and they do so once more tonight.
Soon a strange intro from some long-forgotten musical pierces the heat and the familiar intro to Arming Eritrea delivers Future Of The Left into the fray, the Welsh-based four-piece bringing the fury from the get-go. Cricket-mad frontman Andy 'Falco' Falkous seems to be feeling the pain from the Ashes whitewash but he channels this vitriol into a powerhouse set, the taut, watertight grooves of tracks such as Small Bones Small Bodies bursting with hooks and melodies that make you want to dance while being aurally assaulted. They're here to plug recent album How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident, and new tracks such as the creepy Bread Cheese Bow And Arrow, the brutal Future Child Embarrassment Matrix and the rhythmic build of Beneath The Waves An Ocean all take on a fierce new persona in the live realm. Old faves Manchasm and You Need Satan More Than He Needs You go down well but when they power into Mclusky classic To Hell With Good Intentions the place goes ballistic, the song as vicious as ever. This relatively new four-piece incarnation of FOTL have become a seriously formidable unit and the sound is as pristine as it's powerful throughout, French Lessons bringing genuine pathos amidst its restraint before they ratchet up the intensity with How To Spot A Record Company and Robocop 4 – Fuck Off Robocop, Lachlan from Damn Terran adding kazoo to Things To Say To Friendly Policemen. The catchy Chin Music and a massive take on Adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood leads into the closing medley of Singing Of The Bonesaws, Lapsed Catholics and Mclusky's Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues, the fact that they manage to completely disassemble the stage by the end of this massive finale making it clear that there will be no encore. Sometimes you just don't need one.