REVIEW: KNOTFEST Melbourne 2023
Words by: Rhys Carman
That was (Sic). In a post Covid Melbourne and capping off one of the most memorable festival summers in recent history for Victoria in 2023. Slipknot did not disappoint in the Melbourne edition of the Knotfest tour doing the rounds of the country, held at Flemington Racecourse on Friday.
Seven years since arguably the world’s biggest metal band, Slipknot, graced the shores of Australia the band played in front of a sweaty and emotional sold-out crowd, which was itching to get in the pit for front man Cory Taylor and the ensemble of masked heroes of the metal world.
In classic Melbourne style, the weather gave us all four seasons in one day for support acts like Aussie rockers Northlane, throwback emo idols Story of the Year, and support headliners and Australian Metal Royalty, Parkway drive.
The day was full of highs, and a mix of fans with a treat for older Metal heads who were there to see Megadeath blast out a very loud, very rock and roll set. One thing which was hard to knock, was the festivals sound system. The different screams coming from the leads of the day’s bands were unmistakably heard across the sea off black shirt wearing rockers from all walks of life.
As the sun went down on the day, Parkway Drive were putting on a mind-blowing performance with stage dives, crowd surfing, circle pits, flame throwers from all around the stage, on the stage and in the crowd while the band soaked up the atmosphere, front man Winston McCall, taking moments with fellow band members to thank the crowd and talk about the love he has for his fans, his band mates and what they get to do each day.
With the day over, it was time for the days headlining act to show the crowd what they had. Thousands of excited and passionate fans pushed their way to the front of the stage to get the best view they could of Slipknot and to be a part of the mosh pit.
As the curtain dropped, the first chords strung, the bang of metal kegs, and the sound of Cory screaming, there was a rush of adrenalin and energy in the crowd. Slipknot were not here to fuck around.
In an outstanding performance which was stopped at a point as one fan climbed a speaker tower to get the best view he could, Taylor laughing at the stoppage, as they came back on loving the energy of the crowd saying, “I can’t take you crazy fuckers anywhere can I”.
Slipknot tried to play all the classics of the large back catalogue of thumpers throughout the set like, People = Shit, Duality, Surfacing and giving the fans newer licks from their most recent album The Dying Song.
It was evident Slipknot came to Melbourne to make sure the fans went home without disappointment, and it was fair to say they did not fucking disappoint
KNOTFEST AUSTRALIA 2023
Slipknot | Parkway Drive | Megadeth | Trivium | Northlane | Amon Amarth
In Flames Knocked Loose | Spiritbox | Story Of The Year | Alpha Wolf
Void Of Vision | Bad Omens | Malevolence
DATES AND VENUES:
Friday 24 March 2023 - Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne SOLD OUT
Saturday 25 March 2023 - Centennial Park, Sydney SOLD OUT
Sunday 26 March 2023 - RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane SOLD OUT
Tickets on sale now for Sydney at https://knotfest.com/australia/
