With much anticipation, the SILENCE! Festival has brought forth an explosive live music program to kickstart Fringe 2023. The festival opens in Elder Park at Tarndanya Wama. An assortment of local food trucks and pop-up bars line the perimeter, inviting festival-goers to sample some of the local delicacies. The inflatable Looped sculpture by Cyril Lancelin towers near the park entrance, delighting children and adventurous adults alike. A curious assembly of scrap metal stands adjacent to the stage showcasing the talents of indie-electronic darlings LASTLINGS and local DJ artists. Nearby, the VIP lounge generously provided free beverages to attendees (although it was in need of a higher proportion of chairs for the number of bodies it was accommodating) As the sun sets, the pyrotechnic powerhouses Les Commandos Percu make their appearance. Hailing from France and renowned worldwide for their unique public performance art, their deep metallic rhythms immediately command attention over the entire park. For their first performance in Australia, there was little doubt they would not bring the same powerful tour de force to this year’s Fringe. Atop their mountain of steel, Les Commandos are adorned in grime and blackened attire, as though they’ve stepped out of the core of the earth itself. They beat and thrash their steel drums and handmade instruments. The percussive sounds resonate deep inside you in an almost primitive experience; you can’t help but feel taken by the enticing rhythm. As the percussion grows, sparks fly and fire burns around the stage and performers, while harsh lights flicker and pulse amongst the heat - a fiery spectacle that would make the members of Rammstein blush. Topping off this raw display of industrial sound is the spectacular use of fireworks. Almost like percussive instruments themselves, synchronizing with the metallic beats below. An impossible array of colours and explosive trajectories, perfectly complimenting the fearsome performers on the ground. A firework display like nothing else. "Silence" couldn't be a more ironic name: an intentionally misleading moniker that belies the powerful vibrant noise, pulsing vibrations and blazing visuals. Much how silence itself can be all-consuming in its nature, so too does this cacophony of sound envelop the audience. We are left with a provocative moment of self-reflection as the flames fade away and we are left standing amongst the smoke. SILENCE! may be the most ambitious and powerful opening act to grace the Fringe. A cathartic and rousing spectacle unlike any other, and a masterwork of light, sound and fire. FIVE STARS ***** Reviewed by Justine Hall