Fans were already waiting in line at SimmCity in Vienna on the 18th of March to see Australian metalcore band Polaris play, when the band posted a statement that they will be unable to play due to unforeseen circumstances. Luckily for the fans, Polaris has brought three support acts on tour, so the show still went ahead, with the band encouraging all the fans to enjoy these amazing bands on the support lineup.
Despite some disappointment, people were determined to make the most of it and the crowd seemed very hyped and excited for the first performance of the show. Opening the night was Paledusk, a metalcore band based in Fukuoka on the Kyushu island in Japan. Vocalist Kaito opened the set and immediately set an energetic mood for the whole evening, getting the audience exhilarated from the beginning to the end. Both guitarists Daisuke and Tsubasa played their instruments flawlessly while spinning around and jumping into the air seemingly higher than humanly possible, all while drummer Bob didn’t miss a single beat. At the end, singer Kaito jumped into the crowd to form a peaceful moshpit around him. Right after finishing their performance, the band came out to meet all the fans and take photos with them at the merch stand, taking their time to talk to everyone who came up to them.
The next band up was Thornhill, a heavy metal band formed in 2015, coming all the way from Melbourne, Australia. The band consists of lead singer Jacob Charlton, bassist Nick Sjogren, guitarist Ethan McCann and drummer Ben Maida. Very quickly stealing the show, Jacob had most of the people in the room singing along, putting his all into the performance. The band engaged with the audience throughout their whole set, having people wave their hands along to their final song called ‘Where We Go When We Die’. Even though they were one of the support acts of this evening, one could spot quite a few people in the venue sporting a few of their merch pieces, which they were selling after the show, also meeting their fans, taking photos together, and chatting.
The third opener and unintentional closer of the night was Silent Planet. Originating from California, this last band closed the show by playing an hour-long set. By the time they got up on the stage, the barricade was packed with people ready to scream all their lyrics and headbang along with the bassist Nick Pocock and drummer Alex Camarena. Guitarist Mitch Stark was easily noticeable as he was not only playing the guitar but also handling the groovebox. As the barefoot lead singer Garrett Russell put on an unforgettable performance, one guy successfully crowd surfed his way to the front. Second to last, the band played a song called ‘SUPERBLOOM’ from their latest album with the same title, and the singer encouraged everyone in the room to put their flashlights up in the air and sing along. Russell also did not forget to thank everyone for coming in his best German, saying “Danke schön”.
Playing their last song ‘Trilogy’, which was written during darker times, Russell talked about the importance of mental health, the value of life, and having someone to talk to about your struggles.
This final song ended with a surprising shirtless barricade jump, making many people scream as the security guys desperately tried to hold onto the singer while he sang his lungs out over the people, with fans reaching out to hold his hand and hug him. Finishing up, Russell thanked everyone for coming again as the band threw their guitar picks, setlists, and drum sticks to a few lucky people in the crowd.
A Polaris show is not the same without Polaris, but these three incredible support bands surely made up for it and still gave the audience an amazing show night.
Written by: Lou Z.
Photographed by: Lou Z.
Edited by: Marieke Weeda
