La Dispute @ The Forum

Post Hardcore Poetry - Wildlife 10 Year Anniversary Tour

Review and photos by Brittney McCarthy of BM Images

Is it possible to walk into The Forum and not immediately look up at the atmospheric roof, admiring the ornate columns and statues tucked into nooks all over the place? I’m there for the bands, but I also find myself giddy admiring the venue. Forum is gothic and mythical, both inside and out; I want to know the life story of every statue in the building.

The Forum is easily one of the best larger venues to see live music in Melbourne. For a standing show, around 2,000 of us can squeeze in there to enjoy a performance. The venue offers multiple bars and a free cloakroom. It also provides accessible accommodations, such as quiet spaces upstairs with low lighting and no music if you need a break, wheelchair viewing areas, and a gender neutral bathroom in the foyer.

The Sunshine Coast trio Wifecult opened up with Something In The Air, the first track from their 2020 album When All is Said and Done featuring cover art by Brandi Hughes. With velvet harmonies from both Jarith Hughes (vocals, guitar) and Joseph Keating (vocals, bass). Dreamy track Wearing Thin from their recent EP, Kindness in Clarity came next. Bradley Vander Lugt (drums) has a special way of enhancing the emotional journey in every song, particularly felt in Deadman.

Formed in 2018 under the name Rosella, the band eventually renamed themselves Wifecult to separate themselves from other artists with the same name. Listening to their set, I heard two people next to me compare the trio to Something for Kate. However I was constantly reminded of a local Bendigo band from back in the day, Sender (Zenyth); the nostalgic rock taking me right back to being at shows for the first time.

Throughout the set they constantly dedicated songs to friends and exclaimed how they felt so lucky to be there on stage supporting La Dispute. Jarith encouraged everyone to come and say hello at the merch desk after the show. Their excitement and gratitude were evident all throughout their set, and I suspect the group are down to earth and a friend to everyone.

Wifecult is currently on tour with Thrice and they had a bounty of merch available at the show, far more than their online store offers. All lovingly printed by Melbourne’s Killer Merch.

Ending their 30 min set with Jasmine, Wifecult finished giving the room a warm embrace with their sound, ready for Blind Girls to obliterate the stage.

You could see the crowd shift as the fans of Blind Girls moved forward, Wifecult fans absorbed back into the room. The crowd immediately broke into screams as the band stepped onto the stage, bathed in red. This was my first time catching a Blind Girls show and I don’t think I knew what I was in for. The band took to the stage with frenetic blackened mayhem. The crowd lapping up vocalist Sharni Brouwers’ impressive and piercing vocals, Sharni has a lot of flow as she screams, throwing herself into every word.

The five-piece spaced themselves across the large stage, allowing every member room to go wild with reckless abandon. Each member has their own unique playing style. Their live performance is filled with chaotic movement and instruments being thrown in every direction so the space was well used. With no dialogue throughout the band threw blast beats, blistering vocals, furious riffs balanced with melodic chords at the crowd and then left. The crowd clinging to every moment in the 25 minute set which felt nowhere near an adequate amount of time, they left us all craving more and with a few heads turned to their mate with wide eyes I’m sure a collective of new fans were gained.

I’ll be keeping tabs on the group, as I’m aching to see them in a small venue. An intimate show from the group is on my wishlist.

Opening with a Departure, La Dispute set in motion a cascade of emotion flowing over the crowd. Those at the front knew every word, their eyes intently cast on the band in adoration. Jordan Dreyer came out clutching a tambourine, stamping and twisting around the stage.

The Michigan post-hardcore band blends spoken word with half-screams. What they do exceptionally well is soul-touching lyricism that resonates with angsty teens, or any human being feeling disconnected and isolated in the world. We’re all unsure how to find our place, connect with others, and navigate intense emotions. Fittingly, the band’s name was inspired by an 18th-century play of the same name and message.

Jordan constantly makes a point to sing with the crowd, looking in people’s eyes and jumping onto the barrier to get as close as possible. He often allows space for the audience to take over the vocals, stepping back from the microphone to let the crowd sing the lyrics themselves.

Bassist Adam Vass is towards the back of the stage, a subtle standout, vibing out in his own world while guitarists Corey Stroffolino and Chad Morgan-Sterenberg fling their hair around and edge to the front of stage to sing along with the crowd.

Speaking about the album, vocalist Jordan Dreyer says that Wildlife contains so many despondent songs because, at the time, the area where they lived in Michigan was experiencing the economic collapse before the GFC hit the rest of the world. Wildlife captures the anger that they and others were feeling at that time.

Crowd participation is heavy, with the majority joining in to sing every word. It’s their relatable lyrics and ease that draws you into La Dispute’s world. However, the obvious standout was King Park which elicited the most euphoric yelling from the crowd over the entire night.

“This is our last song”, Jordan announced as they began You and I in Unison, the final track on Wildlife. After screaming “‘til I die”, he walked off stage. Leaving guitarist Chad Morgan-Sterenberg on stage to riff, the crowd began begging for ‘one more song’. The demand was deafening.

I have to thank a friend I ran into at the show. She told me a little about La Dispute’s history, and we spoke about the show afterward. She stated that a Letter really spoke to her, capturing everything she had ever felt regarding being [mentally] unwell and not getting better. She found that screaming along with it during the night was therapeutic, and I’m certain she wasn’t alone in feeling that way.

If it weren’t for her connection and appreciation for La Dispute I would not have known how intentional La Dispute are with choosing queer and femme-led bands to open their shows. 

On their last Australian tour in 2019, they had Sports Bra as a supporting act. As well as the band openly supporting equality, accessibility, and inclusivity, aiming to elevate issues that are important to them whenever they have the platform to do so. They touched on how tough it is right now for many, but especially for indigenous and trans folx. When Jordan yelled “fuck transphobes”, it elicited a loud cheer of agreement from the crowd.

Marking the end of playing Wildlife, the band took a photo with the crowd. They stated it was corny, but I disagree. I love seeing band and crowd photos taken at the end of the show, when the band has just burned through their energy and is full of adrenaline, everyone is beaming at the camera.

They played an encore of five songs, including two from their 2014 album Rooms of the House. My single critique for the show was that Woman (In Mirror) was belted out with much more intensity than the recorded, softly spoken version, which I think detracted from the delicate nature of the song. It’s a favourite of mine, so perhaps I am holding onto the sentimentality of that song too tightly.

Though short and sweet, Such Small Hands was an excellent ending to an emotionally connected show between band and fans. Drummer Bradley Vander Lugt, who is also the drummer from Wifecult, prolonged the ending with the meditative drum pattern continuing out into the cheering room as the band walked off stage.

After 18 years of performing, this is La Dispute's largest headlining show to date. During the set, they mentioned their first Australian tour in July 2009 with Brisbane band To The North. On that tour, they played in an abandoned house in Huskisson, NSW, using a generator. It seems like that was a standout show for them, cementing Australia as a favourite place for them to play.

I hope they enjoyed themselves tonight, playing for thousands, as much as they did back then playing for a handful of people