Gig review: Filter + Black Smoke Trigger at the Metro, Sydney

Live review: Filter and Black Smoke Trigger at Metro Theatre, Sydney, Saturday, April 6 2024

By PAUL SOUTHWELL

BACK in Australia for a tour covering a good portion of the major cities, Richard Patrick and Filter were in fine form, finally headlining again – and on the back of their recent release, The Algorithm.

New Zealand hard rockers Black Smoke Trigger – who will soon be supporting Bruce Dickinson – kicked things off with a suitable level of swagger. Songs “The Way I’m Wired”, “You Can Have It All” and “Proof of Life” were all performed with well-rehearsed power, holding up well with great stage presence from front man Josh ‘Baldrick’ Rasmussen. But it was “Blindfolds & Rattlesnakes” that saw them really hit their stride. Charlie Wallace peeled off Slash-style solos full of wide vibrato and fast, scalar runs from his Les Paul. Chilled bassist Dan Fulton and hard-hitting drummer Josh Te Maro were tight, giving the next track, ballad “Perfect Torture”, a slow building set of rhythm figures.

The octave guitar lines of “The Way Down” had plenty of floor toms and rock guitar poses. It was followed by another support set highlight with “Caught in the Undertow”, which ticked all the boxes for hard rock prerequisites. Plenty of fast guitar solos of the Zakk Wylde variety ensued, with the band convening around the drum kit before returning to their positions, adding backing vocals where needed. Closing their set, “KMTL” had an early Shihad rhythmic feel to it and even where abrasive, still has a searing chorus, higher register vocals and a stack of melodic aspects. Nice work.

Soon enough, Filter walked out onto the darkly lit stage with Richard Patrick the last to enter. He approached his microphone with a hoodie and sunglasses as the largely backlit stage set up a striking silhouette effect amongst a variety of photographer-unfriendly lighting filter choices. Patrick shouted, “Hands up, you look fantastic tonight!” to a crowd largely unable to make out more than a shadow.

Musically, Filter had a fantastic live mix from the outset, enhanced with tracking and computer processing power throughout, but done so to not impose upon the live performance. The band, with new drummer Tosh Peterson – replacing Elias Mallin – and bassist Bobby Miller, locked in impressively. Filter’s set started with “You Walk Away” from The Amalgamut, as guitarist Jonathan Radtke’s bouncy rhythm figure worked well against lower riffs and droning octaves.

Hitting new album material early, “The Drowning” from The Algorithm delivered well amongst pulsing red lighting, accented with the pulsing rhythm figures. Bass heavy initially, the melodicism of the chorus changed the song’s feel, followed by stabbing vocals and guitar chord stabs in the second verse. “For the Beaten” also from the latest album, had plenty of delay guitar effects, with Patrick’s vocals resonating.

“What Do You Say,” from The Sun Comes Out Tonight got the crowd moving, bolstered by call and response chorus skills, followed by another latest album track, “Face Down”. As the set progressed, Patrick and company became gradually more visible, and they all looked to be smiling as the layering dynamics of their live arrangements took effect. “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do” was of course a hit with the audience, as Patrick yelled, “Let’s have some fun, motherfuckers!” The acerbic lyrics, squealing guitar lines and driving rhythm section parts, built into a double time section as the audience sang along, and Radtke added some wah pedal effects as the song neared conclusion.

“Obliteration” and “The Take”, with the latter’s punk urgency, saw the band in full flight, delivering a borderline thrash metal onslaught full of pounding drums and choppy, percussive rhythm guitar parts. Bass was prominent in “Jurassitol” as guitar lines juggled with intentional feedback howls, with a long vocal note from Patrick.

Another gig highlight, and a change in pace for the set, was the hit “Take a Picture” which Patrick described as being a “song about making huge mistakes in life and somehow turning it into something better.” The track itself, with Radtke on a red Stratocaster, had a distinct U2 feel, including enhanced delay effects. As the track’s intensity increased, the audience sang along, and Radtke unleashed soloing with wah effects. On completion, Patrick declared: “Well, I just sang the shit out of that song”.

“Dose” was the first track to come from their classic debut release, Short Bus, as Patrick donned a Telecaster. The slow brooding track was immersed in down tuned riffs, harmonic feedback, and plentiful drum work, blasting on snare and cymbals. More howling guitar lines were coaxed during Title of Record’s “It’s Gonna Kill Me”, which was effectively a chorus on repeat. 

Patrick stopped “American Cliche” after several seconds to chastise the audience for not being enthusiastic enough: “It’s the first time we’ve been here in seven fucking years, I want to have a fucking good time; crowd surfing, light moshing, no one gets hurt moshing.” After that, the energy resumed with rumbling bass, walking guitar riffs, and solid, heavy drum hits.

We were then treated to the energetic punk vibe of “So I Quit” that ended in ferocious yelling vocals. It was swiftly followed by “Drug Boy” from The Trouble with Angels, then Patrick declaring, “We don’t do encores. We’ve got two final songs to play for you this evening.” “Welcome to the Fold” was first, Radtke’s wah pedal effected soloing segued into the sing-along chorus, the audience were enthused by the song, chanting back, “A-okay” at the band.

Concluding the set was “Hey Man Nice Shot” from Short Bus, as Miller’s bass line set the pace for the ebbing and flowing energy, against haunting, half spoken vocals that meld into screaming chorus vocals, bolstered by the audience, and charging at pace via a simple but effective, descending down tuned guitar riff.

Filter delivered a cracking set and even with all the public transport issues of the evening, the audience members were smiling from ear to ear as they piled out of the venue. Hopefully we won’t have to wait so long for their next tour. Richard Patrick’s driving talent is clearly intact, with plenty of world issues to keep his creativity and industrial brand of music firing on all cylinders for many years yet.