LIVE FROM THE PIT: Motionless In White, Dayseeker and Make Them Suffer
- Simon Arinze
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
Getting the crowd started at the Utilita Arena in Cardiff, all the way from Perth, Australia, were metalcore outfit MAKE THEM SUFFER. Initially the band looked a little small in comparison to the size of the stage that they had to play with. But that feeling abated by the time they hit the first breakdown in Ghost Of Bones. Frontman Sean Harmanis is a Duracell Bunny of intensity and he spent the whole time darting back and forth between the gloomy corner that Alex Reade’ keyboard was set up in, to the front riser where he would absolutely cut loose.
Their set was tight, it was frantic, it was everything you want from an opening band; sadly it was all too brief for our liking, just seven tracks is all that could be squeezed into the thirty minutes that we had with the band. Oscillator had the crowd jumping up and down, there was one particular section of the audience taking it to the extreme by appearing to run line out drills, perhaps they were trying to catch Steve Tandy’s eye for a callup during Wales’ next match at the Principallity Stadium.
Penultimate song was the mega Erase Me, the final drop saw the music cut and the crowd, acapella style, arms aloft screaming the lyrics back to Harmanis who stood at the front of the catwalked stage jetting out into the audience absorbing every word like it was powering him up for the huge anthemic finish “Why would you save me? I’m not worth saving, You’re suffocating, So just erase me”, this song in particular is meant for nights like this, a moment shared between five-thousand like minded souls.
The final song from MAKE THEM SUFFER was Doomswitch, the vibes in the crowd were now nearing critical mass, the security at the barrier were given a real workout with the number of crowd surfers sent in waves to the front, and even the Slam Dunk Cookie Monster was spotted getting up and over the top a number of times.
With a slight shift in tone it was on to DAYSEEKER, with some of the more aggressive hard edges knocked off, their brand of metalcore leans more into synth’s and melody and at times a distinctly emo vibe; the change in pace acting as a pallet cleanser between the huge bouts of energy experienced before hand and were eagerly in anticipation for for the headline act.
If the band's performance had to be summed up in one word, it would be captivating, the way that Rory Rodrigeuz was able to hold the crowd, every member of the audience fully locked in and hanging onto every word that was belted out on stage.
Burial Plot saw Rodriguez asking everyone to pull out their phones and raise their torches up into the air, illuminating the entire arena in the process. But the biggest reaction from the crowd came in the later half of the set when arguably the band’s biggest hit to date, Sleeptalk got an euphoric spin.
The audience’s time with DAYSEEKER came to an end with a tribute from Rory to his dad, Dennis Rodriguez, and the emotional Neon Grave. The, in comparison to the rest of the lineup, subdued set was perfectly placed to allow those congregated in Cardiff to collectively take that metaphorical deep breath before the plunge that would be MOTIONLESS IN WHITE.
The first inkling that the evening was close to the main event, Alice Deejay’s Better Off Alone being pumped into the room, the whole venue, fans, stage crew, security and bar staff all bopped along joining in on the beat with the “do do do do do do dooos”. 2000’s club banger out of the way, the sound cut, the lights went out and all eyes were fixed on the stage in anticipation of the next dose of unserious aura, the meme central as the big screens lit up with the bands logo alongside OIIA OIIA (Spinning Cat) hurtling its way through the galaxy. All of this had got the crowd so worked up, by the time the headliners, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, had fully emerged and got straight into Meltdown they were virtually ready to explode.
The shows production was phenomenal, the lights were mesmerising, the visuals on the big screens totally captivating, there were pyrotechnics, there were confetti, there was fake snow and the Cherry Bombs at points spinning fire at other causing sparks to fly from their collective crotches with angle grinders; all of this before the eyes of the fans were even able to fully take in what the band themselves were doing on stage. Dressed predominantly in black and very much active on stage, trading standards may need to have a word with the band about their name.
It would be hard pressed to find a metalcore band with a fan base as dedicated as those fans of MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, so it was surprising to hear that in the band's twenty year history, this was their first ever time making across the Severn Bridge to play a show in Wales. And the band were making the most of assimilating into the local culture, Mr Chris Motionless himself orchestrated a rendition of Oggy Oggy Oggy early on in the night, followed up by holding the Welsh flag aloft on stage alongside the Cherry Bombs during Scoring The End Of The World.
The set was filled with bangers from start to finish and although Sign Of Life, Voices, Afraid Of The Dark and Another Life were all played, the biggest response of the night from the crowd probably came for Slaughterhouse. Chris reminded the crowd that he will say two words, and they just had two words to scream back, “One Mutilation”....... the roar from the crowd of “Under God” was something that took everyone aback, Chris included, who commented that he could hear that even over his in-ear monitors.
The set came to a close with Eternally Yours with Chris at the front of the stage tossing roses out, one by one into the crowd, and there were even rumours of a proposal between two fans in the middle of the pit during the song.
Words and photos: Simon Arinze
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