On Thursday 6th of March, Perth punters packed out HPC for a stacked triple international bill, including generation post-hardcore bands Alexisonfire and Underoath plus relative newcomers Gel (who have since called it quits following some alarming accusations against a band member).

Underoath’s inclusion on the line-up may seem odd initially, given the supporting act was playing their 20-plus-year-old genre classic, They’re Only Chasing Safety, in full. However, for many fans, getting to experience this was mighty special. Back-to-back-to-back (etc.) performances of nostalgia won the crowd over. Their dynamic sound was captured perfectly in the setting. This shouldn’t be a surprise, as their previous period of uncertainty—with band members coming and going—has ended, and much of the peak lineup has been restored for a number of years.

Teenage me was ecstatic to hear classics A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White and Its Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door. Co-frontmen Aaron (behind drums) and Spencer had a little back and forth with the crowd for frequently skipping Perth, promising to return (please do). When the album play-through was over they gave a smattering of old and new, this old fan hearing some newer cuts for the first time and realising they hadn’t gone to pop-influenced slop like a lot of their contemporaries had in the mid 2010’s.

When George Pettit walked onstage in a balaclava, I knew we were in for a treat. Alexisonfire wasn’t here touring anything specifically, having last graced our shows around the time their previous effort Otherness was released. This gave them the freedom to explore their discography and put on a real fan favourite set, including songs from each of their albums. Alexisonfire weighted their first two albums heavily, which for many fans could have been their first opportunity to hear these songs live. It was a set of deep cuts, with long sprawling songs from 2002’s Alexisonfire sitting perfectly between Dog’s Blood and Sweet Dreams of Otherness. They even played through Charlie Sheen vs Henry Rollins from their split with compatriots Moneen.

Alexisonfire’s band members are a mixed bunch of aesthetics. Wade McNeil a punk, George Petit a father and Dallas Green a troubadour. Together though, the three vocalists perfectly complement each other on stage. Dallas’ vocals (of City and Colour fame) constantly impress me with their apparent effortlessness; Contrasting to the exhaustive snarl of main vocalist George Petitt which has you questioning how that noise is created.

Set highlights (outside the obvious) for the headliners were Hey, Its Your Funeral Mama, Little Girls Pointing and Laughing and A Dagger Through the Heart Of St Angeles (both off Alexisonfire, 2002) with a notable mention to their cover of Neil Young’s Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World.

Ultimately, their performance was as impressive as the material covered was wide, the crowd ate it up and can now boast to hearing a few of those early songs some 20 years later, live in Perth in 2025.