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Escape Artists Never Die perform live at the Goldie Awards - 28/07/2013In some ways, the announcement of Escape Artists Never Die for the Goldies should come as a surprise to many people. With their post-hardcore sound, often flanked by screaming vocals and heavy guitars, the band are far from the mainstream scene that the show embraces. However, the past few months since their introduction and signing at Chaos Records have seen them come more and more into the public eye. The very epitome of the social-media era, frontman Zac Hale in particular has made heavy use of Twitter and Instagram to promote his band to the fans, helping them build up a solid following. His hype throughout the day, including posting from sound checks and rehearsals, has created quite a buzz around their performance, and as their name is announced and the stage lights go down, there is a polite swelling of noise from the chatting crowd.
The lights come back on a few seconds later to reveal a large white curtain has been hung across the front of the stage, obscuring everything thereon from being seen. From the silence, a scratchy and poppy noise, like a vinyl being played, starts and a haunting guitar melody can be hard with whispered vocals over the top, repeating lines such as "You wanted to set me free", "You never saved me" and "Where were you when I fell", playing over the top. After about a minute, there's a sliding note on a guitar, and the drums from the stage start to pound over the top of an intricate little solo, a catchy beat which has the fans clapping along in time. As the intro plays, spotlights start to flash across the stage, each one picking out members of the band and momentarily illuminating their silhouette against the curtain, before a screamed vocal comes from the stage.
ARE YOU AWAKE TO DRAG ME FROM THIS NIGHTMARE!
As soon as Zac Hale reaches the end of the line, there's a massive explosion, and a firework goes off on stage, showering the crowd in a hail of confetti and sparks and providing a quite spectacular scene. At the same moment, the curtain falls to show the band stood on stage as they launch into their debut single You're in my Nightmares. When the fast and jumpy intro comes to an end, the camera turns away from the bouncing crowd and back to lead singer Zac Hale, clearly now over the nerves that he claimed plagued him earlier in the night. The smile on his face spreads from ear to ear at the reaction, unexpected and impressive, and as he strums his custom Gibson Explorer and starts to sing the melodic and ambient verse, he turns and smiles at guitarist and best friend, the heavily tatooed Gio Silva, who gives him a knowing nod.
I cannot shake this thought that I'm all alone
I hold my breath and feel my heart beat slow
The depth of darkness sends a chill to the bone
Why should I care, you've gone from love to foe
And I miss your warmth in my arms
I bite my nails and stare into dark pools
I sense your eyes glaring back
It's not until the first chorus that things on stage ascend to that same explosive way as the opening of their set, when a momentary pause in the music is broken by a burst of fire in two towers at each side of the stage. The tempo of the music then ramps up as the band launch into the energetic chorus. Zac and Gio stand side by side as they both sing into the same mic and play along, showing how close they have become over the years and how much they love their music and band. At the back of the stage, Zac's older brother Ethan is bathed in sweat as he thunders through the drum kit, providing the thumping beats that have the crowd again jumping along in time, while bassist Tony throws devil horns at the crowd and bangs his head in time with the song.
Cos this is a nightmare, that same darkened dream,
Hell without you, the only one who'd save me
Cos this is a nightmare, that same darkened dream,
Heaven beside you, wishful fantasy
As the song comes to a crashing end a few moments later, the band smile at each other, all of them now wet with sweat having poured their everything into the performance and giving everything they've got to being energetic and entertaining to the crowd - who, for the most part, seem quite into the performance. Zac beams out at them and holds his hand in the air as he sweeps his soaked hair back with the other and places the baseball cap back on his head. He waits for the noise to calm down a little before he speaks. "Thank you! It's blowing our damn minds the be up here tonight, I gotta tell you. We never got the chance to play to so many people in our lives and this is.....fucking frightening." He laughs. "You guys make it feel so awesome to be here though. It is a fucking honour for us. Thank you much."
As the crowd cheer again, Zac steps away from the mic and plays a quick riff on his guitar, while Ethan thumps out a few beats on the drums. Zac walks back to the front. "Who hear knows Escape Artists Never Die?" A small pocket of fans cheer. Yeah? Well you guys know what happens when I say....JAX IS IN THE HOOOOOOUUUUSE!. He plays another little bit on his guitar as a new guy, dressed in jeans and a white tshirt and a cool hair style walks onto the stage with a mic in hand. Zac smiles and embraces him. "For those who don't know, we got a new song coming out in a few weeks. This is my good buddy Jax Simms from Under the Heartbeat and he features on the single. This track is called Eternity in the City! I wanna see some movement out there!" As soon as he stops talking, Ethan plays four quick beats on the drum and Jax leaps up onto the monitor at the front of the stage to start singing. His voice is a little whinier and more pop-punk than Zac's and it lends itself wonderfully to the start of the track, and as the rest of the band play the intricate intro, Jax sings out to the crowd, trying to entice them to get moving.
Pray for the light if you want to
I can illustrate where your dreams came from
Stay for the night and I'll show you
Cos the time we got won't tick away
Walls form this Eternal City of the night
But which side do I fall on today
My heart's been conquered by your fight
Don't put it on me, please just go or stay
Once the intro is finished, Jax leaps down and starts high-fiving the crowd in the front row while Zac looks on and laughs. His friend had always been one who liked to milk audience reaction and make the most of it. The song changes pace after the intro, and Zac takes over the lead vocals as the slower but more distorted verse comes in - the clean vocals Zac displayed in the first track are gone to be replaced by more of a scream. The band's new single is clearly very different to their debut, but still retains elements of the same style. This track is a bit darker and morbid, while the first was more fun and jumpy, but this still holds the same sort of emotional aura that has earned them their - still growing - fan base over the last couple of months. As Zac screams, the stage lights focus on him and he tries not to smile at being thrust quite literally into the spotlight. Alongside, Gio manages to scurry up onto a speaker stack while still playing guitar, from where he salutes the crowd. Throughout the build up to the big crescendo, he keeps casting his eyes back to the stage and looking out over the crowd as if he's nervous.
Why the hell did I choose this adventure
Your love feels more like a crusade
I've been dragged away for as long as I know
And my mind feels empty, my heart is dazed
You're singing to me!
As we march along on this hell of an adventure
You bring out the worst in me!
Swords and sandals won't aid my ascension
We're ancient history....
As the verse reaches its end, and Zac calls for more movement from the crowd in the chorus, Jax clambers back up onto the stage. "Here we go..." Zac says. Gio leaps from the top of the speaker at exactly the right moment, landing feet first on the stage at the precise moment the chorus kicks in - the same time a massive explosion of sparks erupts from the back of the stage, drawing an audible gasp from the impressed Goldies crowd. "Sing with us if you know it," Zac calls out as Jax joins him at the mic and they both launch into the much more energetic and fast-paced chorus. As the two sing into the lead mic, strobe lighting around the edge of the stage goes into overdrive, bathing the band in flashing light and making them look every inch the rock stars that they aspire to be some day. Even through the flashes though, the infectious smile of Zac Hale can be seen. This is a track he is more proud of than any, with the imagery of Rome and eternity being something that he thought was his own most deep and thoughtful in his career, and to see the reaction of an impartial crowd such as this is brilliant for his confidence.
For the rest of the track, the band appear to have really gotten into their groove. The track is fast-paced and catchy with a large chorus, something which has really brought the crowd onto their side, and they are clearly enjoying themselves and the experience. While Zac beams out over the crowd humbly, Gio has taken to running back and forth, appealing to the crowds on each side of the stage to compete in cheering louder, while Jax, the guest vocalist is crowd surfing whenever it is not his turn to sing. The performance is something not likely to fit in with the rest of the show, with choreography and big light shows not being something that would fit them, but it has a sort of charming and honest feeling to it that has endeared the band to the crowd.
You told me that Rome was forever
But forever is more than I need
We sway, am I imprisoned or am I freed?
We swore that more words would be spoken
And when it gets tough you just wanna leave
Please say, forever's not with me
For the last chorus of the song, and the set, Zac nods at Gio and the music slows for a few seconds. "Right.....I'm coming out there! I'm coming to see you. He takes his guitar off and tosses it to the side of the stage, where a roadie catches it. Zac then detaches his mic from the stand and leaps from the stage. "This is your last chance.....sing with me......You say that Rome is forever....on three. As he reaches the barrier and stands up in front of the crowd, the girls in the front row claw at Zac and try to get their hands on him, something which causes him to laugh. "One...two three...". At his signal, the band launch back into the chorus again as he stands, surrounded by the crowd and laps up the love for him and the band, Zac sings his emotional lyrics directly at some of the girls in the front who scream and try to hug him. When the song eventually ends, he smiles and blows a few kisses before stepping back towards the stage. "This has been the most amazing and terrifying experience all at once. You guys have been great! Thank you all so fucking much!" He throws his mic down and leaps back onto the stage as the band all pose for a photo in front of a still pumped crowd. When they finish, the whole band turns to the crowd and bows, before the lights go down once again...
Setlist
You're in My Dreams
Eternity in the City |
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