LIVE: THE MARK OF CAIN – Perth, 24 Oct, 2019

LIVE: THE MARK OF CAIN – Perth, 24 Oct, 2019
Mark Of Cain with THE MESSTHETICS, ROSEMOUNT HOTEL, Perth, Western Australia
Reviewed by Hurb Jephasun

It’s hard to believe that The Mark of Cain’s debut album Battlesick turns 30 this year. It really doesn’t feel that long ago since the first listen and that “whoa!” moment as the band blasted out of my old stereo and delivered what could best be described as an aural punch in the face – but, sadly, it is. Fast forward to 2019 and the Adelaide three piece are in Perth as part of their national tour to celebrate its release and they definitely did not disappoint.

The band are joined on their anniversary tour de force by American instrumental three piece, The Messthetics, who kicked the evening off in front of a sizeable crowd of early arrivals. While admittedly not overly familiar with their releases to date, any band that features the rhythm section of seminal Washington DC outfit Fugazi is bound to pique our interest and tonight they treated the audience to what could best be described as a virtuosic masterclass. While some instrumental acts can, at times, become a little repetitive, The Messthetics most certainly did not. With drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally laying down a solid, driving foundation it was guitarist Anthony Pirog’s compete mastery of his instrument that no doubt won the band some new fans tonight, this writer included. If you haven’t listened to The Messthetics yet, do it. You won’t regret it.

When thinking about The Mark of Cain, “unrelenting” and “brutal” are two words that instantly spring to mind and from the moment they took to the stage tonight, that is what they were. With the large crowd enthusiastically cheering them on, the band launched into Battlesick’s opening track, Wake Up and from there it was a non-stop aural pummeling as they delivered the album in its entirety. As good as the album is, however, it’s nothing when compared to the experience of hearing it performed live. Kim Scott’s non-stop driving bass lines reverberate through us, matched with the machine gun precision of Eli Green’s drumming. Together they form the perfect base as John Scott at times manhandles his well-worn Rickenbacker into submission while snarling menacingly down the microphone.

The audience seemed to become lost in the moment and transported back to 1989 as the Battlesick set continued on with The Hammer, Dead Man’s Mail and You Are Alone being personal highlights. With that word “brutal” again well and truly at the forefront of the mind, Summertime signaled the end of the album performance and the band left the stage for a short break, giving their appreciative crowd the chance to breath and recharge themselves for the onslaught that was still to come.

After about ten minutes the band returned to the stage and continued with another set highlighting songs from the rest of their impressive catalogue of work. The opening riff of Interloper saw the crowd once again drawn in taken on a breakneck journey. The Contender, First Time and Sleep were definite highlights of the second set that saw a couple of punters perhaps reliving their youth a little too much and being escorted out after becoming a bit over exuberant for the security’s liking. LMA and Point Man saw the end of the night’s performance as the band thanked the wildly cheering audience and made their way off the stage.

So… thirty years on. What can you say? Tonight’s performance showed beyond any doubt that The Mark of Cain are still more than capable of reaching through the speakers and delivering that aural smack in the face that they first dealt out all those years ago. If anything, they hit harder now and show no signs of letting up. Here’s looking forward to the thirtieth anniversary of Ill At Ease.

Category: Live Reviews