In 1999, when America's The Dillinger Escape Plan released their earth-shattering debut album 'Calculating Infinity', it would have been impossible to foresee that the band would become as well-known a name as they have. But that's exactly what has happened, with DEP making their third visit to Sydney in the largest venue they've played in the city yet. And whether you're a fan of the band's further attempts at experimentation or not, the quintet is still relevant and their live shows are still full of fire, as tonight proves yet again.

Before we get to that though, two bands get to display their wares first. As I said in another recent live review it's always welcome to see a band who are an appropriate support for an international band get such an opportunity, and tonight Hospital The Musical again fit the bill in more ways than one. The Wollongong Noisecore outfit's style is heavily influenced by the likes of Converge and Botch, and goes over well with the small number of punters who stake out their spot up the front of the stage.

The crowd grows considerably as Louisville trio Coliseum takes to the stage. An unknown quantity to the majority of those in attendance, the Relapse-based Hardcore/Punk act rips through an impressive 30-minute set. Their Motorhead-meets-The Hellacopters-meets Mastodon sound is infinitely heavier live, and while the band don't leap around like maniacs ala the headliners, their focus and energy is there as they deliver a set based heavily around their abrasive and enjoyable debut album 'No Salvation', which is certainly well worth picking up. The crowd also gets into it, as more and more fans venture in from the outdoor bar area to cop an earful. One obvious but very clear sign of how well a support act has caught on with a crowd is how many attendees rush to the merch table to buy something from the band after their set has concluded. If the post-set rush is any indication, Coliseum now has a significantly larger following in Sydney than they had previously.

With all due respect to the two opening acts, all of this is just a taster before The Dillinger Escape Plan come to unleash their dynamic brand of heavy music. While complaints about the venue and other issues may have prevented an even larger crowd for attending, the sizeable number who did get their money's worth, because DEP pour more intensity, stage presence and unbridled energy into a 50-minute set than 99.9% of other bands currently playing two hour live sets.

From the moment the strobe lights and jarring rhythms of opener 'Panasonic Youth' kick in, the audience- be they Hardcore kids, Metallers, Emos or just curious Rock fans- all have their jaws hit the collective floor. The band's set is a fairly even mix of their three studio albums, with the excellent 'When Good Dogs Do Bad Things' (taken from the Mike Patton-fronted 'Irony Is A Dead Scene' EP) also included. The intensity of newer songs like 'Fix Your Face' and 'Lurch' sit neatly alongside the great selections from 'Calculating Infinity' (which front man Greg Puciato describes as "an album that's very important to us"), '43% Burnt" and "Sugar Coated Sour". Even more "commercial" cuts like 'Black Bubblegum' and 'Milk Lizard' go down incredibly well, especially thanks to the guilty fun of singing along to the decidedly infectious choruses and guitar hooks of both songs.

The band's incredible intensity is probably best exhibited by the roadies' reaction to Puciato and guitarist Jeff Tuttle's regular climbing of the stacks. As the roadies frantically look to tie them down, the band use every inch of the stage, throwing themselves around with amazing recklessness. Instruments are thrown around every which way. Bodies fly everywhere- most of them band members. Mic stands, water bottles and garbage bins (yes, really) are tossed into the crowd. All of this happens and more. What's more even more astounding is how the band manages to exude such energy but without sacrificing their precise execution of the songs themselves. The band show they are human though: as new drummer Gil Sharone messes up the intro to one song, the band and audience share a laugh. Sharone himself is a more than capable replacement for former sticksman Chris Pennie, who inexplicably left to play snooze-inducing Prog-Rock with Coheed and Cambria. Judging by the quality of performance tonight, the band made a more than solid choice.

For anyone who has become disillusioned with live music these days, a Dillinger Escape Plan show is the ideal place to take them. The band exudes the integrity and raw energy that makes live music so great. Like countless others, I leave the Roundhouse clutching my new DEP shirt and counting the days until they next come to Sydney to rip the city a new one. Exhilarating stuff.

Set list: Panasonic Youth, 43% Burnt, Fix Your Face, Lurch, Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants, Baby's First Coffin, When Acting As A Particle, Nong Eye Gong, Milk Lizard,
When Good Dogs Do Bad Things, Black Bubblegum, Sugar Coated Sour, Party Smasher,
Mullet Burden, 82588, Sunshine The Werewolf.