Pendulum Crush At Forum After First Shows Since Hiatus

On the 28th of June, I had the pleasure of seeing Pendulum for their first live performance in Australia in 8 years. This was my first time entering Melbourne’s Forum and what a stunning venue, definitely the perfect location for this event to take place.

First up was the Earthlings, an Electronic/Grunge duo from Brisbane who has been working together for over a decade. This was my first time hearing their work, let alone experiencing them live, and it was certainly a treat. These two brought an interesting and different energy that I don’t think I have ever seen before. Their mix of glitchy and aggressive electronic music, grungey vocals and intense stage presence isn’t something I will forget. Whilst it was a short set it was certainly enjoyable and a good treat before the main course.

Photo of The Earthlings from Overdrive Mag

There was a short intermission between the bands where you could feel the anticipation building as more and more people squeezed into the already crowded mosh pit. After minutes of screaming and hype from the crowd, the set begins. A cinematic intro starts playing that leads into an extended intro for Salt In The Wounds, with each member walking one-by-one onto the stage and the crowd exploding with excitement. Judging by the first track I knew the next hour and a half would be one of the best nights of my life.

I wasn’t sure who to focus on most of the time as each one of the boys killed it in their own way. Rob’s vocal presence hasn’t changed since their 6-year hiatus, not to mention playing multiple instruments with his use of a midi guitar whilst singing or performing with two keyboards. It was interesting to see Gareth take on the role of MC/Hypeman like he has done in Knife Party sets whilst also playing the bass guitar. KJ brings such an energy on the drums that I think puts most drummers to shame, he manages to add a unique feel to drums in an electronic band. Last but not least Peredur manages to shred just as hard as back in the day by being the group’s lead guitarist. It was a true experience for any diehard pendulum fan such as myself.
I enjoyed Witchcraft and Blood Sugar from the media pit and managed to capture some amazing videos of the band nailing those songs from up close before I had to move back to the booth. From the booth I got to see how insane the crowd were and how dedicated they were, every aspect of this night was perfect.

Photo of Rob Swire Singing

I think this is one of the best Electronic and band shows I have ever attended, the energy from the performers and the crowd was off the charts, the people were all very friendly and engaged in the music and most important it was run in a very professional and dedicated team of people.

Photo of the inside of the venue

Special thanks to Frontier for booking and running these shows, all the event staff for making sure the event ran smoothly, the bands for coming and putting on a solid show, Mushroom Promotions for letting me attend this show, Run The Trap for letting me cover this event and everyone else involved in making this event happen.

Pendulum Crush At Forum After First Shows Since Hiatus