Live Review: Polaris - O2 Forum Kentish Town, London 04/03/2024
PHOTO CREDIT: Martina Liberini
As someone with an affinity for the alternative, I’m always looking to discover new metal, pop punk and/ or emo bands, so when a good friend of mine gushed about an Australian band called Polaris, I had to check them out. Having traveled the globe to celebrate their third album ‘Fatalism’, Polaris performed their self declared “biggest show outside of Australia’ at Kentish Town’s O2 Forum, whilst bringing not one, not two, but three support acts along for the ride.
The night would be opened by Paledusk, a metalcore band from Japan that I had never heard of before tonight and sadly missed much of their set. However, from what I did happen to witness from their set showcased that Paledusk more than did their job as an opener, warming the crowd up nicely, whilst establishing the sonic ferocity the night will become synonymous with.
PHOTO CREDIT: @mpatsivideo
Paledusk would soon be followed by fellow Australian band Thornhill, who played this same stage 3-4 months ago in support of Holding Absence. The Melbourne based announced on social media that they would be performing a heavier than usual setlist and aside from opening on ‘Views From The Sun’ and closing on ‘Where We Go When We Die’, I can confirm they were infinitely heavier than at the Holding Absence show.
PHOTO CREDIT: @mpatsivideo
Thornhill performed nothing short of masterfully, executing complex guitar riffs and vocal ranges effortlessly in a set that felt short, but sweet, but ultimately moreish. Personally, I’m surprised they weren’t the main support of the night.
PHOTO CREDIT: Martina Liberini
But alas, the honor of Polaris’ main support act fell to California’s own Silent Planet. Having received considerable acclaim amongst the metal scene for their latest album ‘SUPERGLOOM’, Silent Planet performed a near headline length set predominantly of songs from that album. I’ll confess that I’ve only known of Silent Planet briefly by their most streamed song ‘Antimatter’, but after their impressive audio visual display, I am actively getting myself acquainted with their music as we speak.
Silent Planet, curiously, were the only band to utilize a background screen, the rest simply opting for a band logo flag and a light show. This perhaps made Silent Planet the best performers of the night as the trippy, sometimes kaleidoscopic, visuals perfectly aided the mood created by the bands unique blend of metal breakdowns and ethereal, and eerie, electronic sound.
PHOTO CREDIT: @mpatsivideo
Lastly, and by now means least, the band everyone paid to see takes to the stage. Polaris wastes no time as they open with the one-two punch of ‘Harbinger’ and ‘Nightmare’. Easily in my opinion the best part of their new album is how these two songs transition into each other, so to see it live was truly a chef's kiss moment for me.
Having come all the way from Sydney Australia, Polaris are here to perform ‘Fatalism’, and that they did with 7 out of their 15 played songs featuring off their latest album. The rest of Polaris’ set would be rounded off with songs mostly off their 2020 release ‘The Death Of Me’, whilst also featuring ‘Lucid’ and ‘The Remedy’ off their 2017 debut album ‘The Mortal Coil’.
PHOTO CREDIT: @mpatsivideo
I can see how some longtime Polaris fans may want for more older tracks to be played, however upon conferring with my longtime Polaris fan friend, it's likely that the choices made by the Australian band will satisfy both fans new and old. Also ‘Fatalism’ is a great record so the set by no means suffers from the fact it's largely comprised of new music.
PHOTO CREDIT: Martina Liberini
Ultimately, Polaris rounded out one of 2024’s best metal line-ups with infectious high energy and expert technical prowess, all capped off with genuine and endearing crowd interaction, as well as, a fittingly heartfelt tribute to their late guitarist Ryan Siew. Although I had caught Polaris at Download festival and While She Sleeps’ Alexandra Palace show last year, seeing the band headline, proved to me how well founded my friend's love of this band is and how foolish I have been to be sleeping on Polaris for as long as I have. A strong contender for the best metal show of 2024, if you’re not listening to these bands, learn from my mistake and change that now."
Words by Dan Harden
