A sold out Triffid was treated to true entertainer on Saturday night, who goes by the name Devin Townsend. Fronting his band the Devin Townsend Project, Brisbane watched a living legend charismatically put on  a high-energy, soul bearing performance.

Support act Sleepmakeswaves, a post rock band from Sydney, were excellent and they played to a full room, even early on in the night. I expect big things from them in the future.

To everyones delight, a collection of his entire works was covered, from his 1997 record Ocean Machine and 2000’s Physicist, to his more recent work Transcendence. Starting the show off with Rejoice and followed up with Night the crowd knew we were in for an ambient show with dashes of power coloured in  beauty.

Devin frequently psychoanalysed the crowd, predicting their next ten lifetimes, and explained how to turn bitcoins into statues of crocodiles chasing hare krishnas turning thin air into gold leaves. There is something otherworldly and ethereal about him, and this only served to push the point home further. Devin lives in his own world and landed on our planet for about 2 hours.

Throughout the show Devin engaged the crowd with wisdom and humour. Keeping everyone’s attention, there was never a dull moment. The band was tight, with guitar riffs aplenty, drum beats heavy and Devin vocals unworldly. When they came back on the stage for an encore, the crowd erupted into the kind of cheer you only hear at a sold out gig. Playing Ih-Ah!, Bastard and Higher, the Devin Townsend Project owned the stage and illuminated the ears of the punters.

The Devin story is long from over and we can look forward to hearing more amazing records in the future. All in all I feel sorry for the many I saw who were outside hoping to find someone with a spare ticket.  

Donald Gunn and Crixmandu