Plug Music Agency and PureGrainAudio presents DREAMSHADE
16 February, 2019
Rumours Rock City, Johannesburg
After a 5 year long absence, the Swiss melodic metal band Dreamshade returned with their “Question Everything” world tour to South Africa. They performed in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria and lastly at Rumours Rock City in Johannesburg.
Local acts Savage Lucy, Red Helen and Truth and its Burden opened the night’s proceedings as fans filtered through the entrance doors eagerly awaiting the main act of the night. The local bands were appropriately selected and provided the right hype and atmosphere for those in attendance.
Dreamshade produced an awe-inspiring show filled with passion, exuberance and skill leaving South Africa with a performance their fans will have etched in their memories for a long time to come. They took their audience members on a trip down memory lane featuring a well-balanced mixture of old and new songs. The first thing that became apparent watching Dreamshade is that one could tangibly feel the sense of enjoyment within each band member’s performance. I find this always adds to the overall experience as an audience member – you feel connected to the band and their music and I felt every fan in the venue was captivated by Dreamshade’s performance.
Vocalist Kevin Cali is a natural at engaging with the audience in his role as frontman. The band is noticeably musically proficient – their skilfulness and ability to amalgamate stood out from start to finish. Fernando “Fella” Di Cicco is very charismatic as both a vocalist and guitarist and together with fellow guitarist Luca Magri they gel well together melodically and rhythmically. Gian-Andrea Costa on bass guitar and Serafino “Sera” Chiommino on drums were rhythmically thorough and provided the necessary driving power.
The sound mix was well balanced and served to fill the room with an impressive wave of sound. The drums and bass cut through the mix and the guitar lines were effectively vibrant and came through with clarity. The lighting transitioned well with the fades and colour changes and added to the overall atmosphere.
Those of us who attended either one of these shows will realise how truly fortunate we were to be able to experience this prominent yet still underrated band. This was an outstanding show with a dynamic display of stage presence – one not to be missed in the future!
Reviewed by: Natalie Cowling
Shots Fired by: Michelle Blacksheepworx