GIG REVIEW: HARDCORE 2014 By NOISE by Collin Brophy

Venue: Underground @ The Beachcomber Hotel, Toukley, New South Wales, Australia

Date: 19^th April 2014

Guest includes: Driverside Airbag, Brain Freeze, Blind Sight, Choke, Staunch, The Takehold, and Mark My Words.

I arrived at The Beachcomber 10 minutes before the doors to the venue opened and there was already quite a few inside the Beachcomber. Once inside the venue, bands and crowd mixed and mingled together having some cold beers and exchanging stories about bands they’d seen.

There were already heaps of people at the venue, not just inside the hotel, but the actual area where the gig was being held. This was the biggest crowd I had seen since coming to this venue, which is really good for the local music scene. By the time the first band took stage there was a huge crowd ready to get into it.

Driverside Airbag. (Budgewoi, Central Coast, NSW, Australia)

Band Members:

Rory Cook – Vocals, Bass & Guitar

Aaron Noble – Guitar & Vocals

Kale Stanton – Drums, Guitar & Vocals

Drew Godfrey - Bass, Drums & Vocals.

Genre: Punk Rock / Hardcore.

Set List:

1. Corporate Knobhead, 2. Close Proximity, 3. Cotton Pickin', 4. Seenzo We're Here We Might As Well Get Something To Eat, 5. Deckhead, 6. This Is Prostitution, 7. Beautiful Girl, 8. Keno, 9. Keno 2, 10. Yeah It Does Doesn't It?, 11. Dolly Dunn

A very raw sound and typical Aussie slang and humour not only in their lyrics but on stage as well, which I really liked. This is so different to what I normally listen to, but by the end of their set I was a new fan. I was told that when they play longer sets, the guys all change instruments and all take turns in singing … Now I would love to see that. These guys are a great “opener” and I would definitely see these guys again.

Brain Freeze.  (Central Coast, NSW, Australia)

Band Members:

Connor Bugelli – vocals

Brad shaw – guitar

Jordan Whyte – guitar

Will Rudlin – bass

Jesse Hoole - Drums.

Genre: Hardcore.

Set List:

1. We Gotta know, 2. Suffocate, 3. Break Free, 4. Step Aside, 5. Wake Up, 6. Black Holes, 7. Mess, 8. The Clique.

Very hardcore and so aggressive!  The crowd went nuts when they started … with bodies flying all over the place.  When you consider that these guys are only a new band, they are only going to get better and better.  For a very new and young band, these guys blew me away with their set, very energetic and lively. If you get the chance to see these guys live, do it.

Blind Sight. (Central Coast NSW Australia)

Band Members:

William Rudlin – Vocals

Tom Hill – Guitar

Ben Leaudais – Drums

Lincoln Clarke – Guitar

Jake Leaudais - Bass.

Genre: Hardcore / Metal.

Set List:

1. Intro, 2. Stultify 3. Turn My Back, 4. Cut You Loose, 5. Chill, 6. Fueled By Sin (Alpha And Omega Cover), 7. Blind Sight.

These guys are absolutely insane!  Another very aggressive and lively band! All areas of the pit went crazy with bodies flying around all over the place. These guys played a tight and intense set which was hard and fast as well as heavy. I recommend catching these guys live if you can.

Choke. (Central Coast, NSW, Australia)

Band Members:

Daniel Coy - Vocals

Joshua Magony - Bass

Jarrod Birch - Guitar

Nathan Byrnes - Drums

Blake Ohlback - Guitar

Genre: Hardcore.

Set List:

1. Israel’s Son (Silverchair Cover), 2. Meth Head, 3. Hereditary 4. C.R.E.A.M 5. False Hope (Found My Direction Cover) 6. Denialism, 7. Who Do You know (Left For Dead Cover), 8. Penal Colony, 9. Bro Hymn (Pennywise Cover).

These guys came out dressed in all sorts of gear, a dinosaur suit, football gear, wetsuit, and other crazy stuff. The vocalist was wearing a bike helmet and this had me wondering what the hell we were in for. As soon as they started I was blown away by their intensity and aggression which was like a tornado going through the venue. From the very first note to the last, it was complete chaos. There were bodies flying everywhere, including from the side of the stage. Their whole set was insane and I loved every minute of it. If like you gigs insane and very crazy with some of the hardest and fastest hardcore going around, then these guys are definitely for you.

Staunch. (Muswellbrook, Newcastle, NSW, Australia)

Band Members:

Mitch – Vocals

Angus – Guitar

Jacob – Guitar

Dom – Bass

Lewis - Drums.

Genre: Hardcore

Set List: 1. New Song, 2. Cutting Ties, 3. Straight To The Point, 4. Sink, 5. Reality Unfolds.

Just as I thought tonight couldn’t get any crazier, Staunch come out and went off like a massive bomb from the get go … and by the end I was just amazed and left speechless. Due to the intensity and ferocity of which these guys play, their set was cut short due to the guitarist having snapped a couple of strings and the drummer braking his pedals. These guys were my favourite band tonight, but only just by a whisker. How no one was hurt or injured during this set is beyond me. If these guys are playing and you get the chance to see them, I highly recommend that you do.

The Takehold. (Central Coast, NSW, Australia)

Band Members:

Ben – Vocals

Jesse – Drums

Reece – Guitar

Shnobsy – Guitar

Jonesy - Bass.

Genre: Hardcore.

Set List: 1. Intro, 2. False Sense, 3. Evil Within, 4. Death Row, 5. Power Abuser, 6. Assume Control, 7 Misled Youth.

This was another intense and crazy set by some of the best hardcore I have seen. These guys were awesome, with crazy pit action not just from the fans but also the band members, who are just as sick as their fans. Very much enjoyed their set and by the sounds and the actions of the fans, so did they. I can’t wait to see these guys again, and I recommend that if you like hardcore at its most insane then you should see them too.

Mark My Words. (Central Coast, NSW, Australia)

Band Members:

Luke McComb – Guitar

Ryan Russell – Bass

Michael Mathews – Vocals

Jason Tzeegankoff – Drums

Jordo - guitar

Genre: Hardcore.

Set List: Unable to provide

This was the last band for what was a very interesting and brilliant night. I have heard of these guys before but I have never seen them live. I was told these are one of the best hardcore bands on the Central Coast at the moment, and by the end of their set I can understand why. These guys were just as intense and crazy as all the other bands that were on tonight’s bill. I have seen some crazy stuff before in pits, but these guys take the prize for the craziest fans I have seen at a gig. In all honesty, how no one was seriously injured or killed is a miracle, but thank goodness there weren’t any injuries at all ... maybe just a few bruises, but that’s all part and parcel of getting involved with the music and paying homage to the “metal / hardcore gods”.

I didn’t realise that there is such a large Hardcore community on the Central Coast.  I was made very welcome into that community, not only by the fans, but the bands as well. Their fans are dedicated to their music and once the music started, they went absolutely insane. I was witness to, and I have been in some insane and violent pits before, but these guys are a different breed altogether. How no one was hurt is beyond me, but what I did see was what I see at all metal gigs I have been to … everyone looking out for everyone else.  If someone fell down, there were 4 or more fans there to help them up, and it’s a brotherhood of Hardcore.  There is a definite “etiquette” when entering the pit.

(Pit photography kindly supplied by Jessy Holtfreter of JGH Photography - https://www.facebook.com/pages/JGH-Photography/550916548361249 )

I really wasn’t too sure what to expect from tonight’s gig as I rarely listen to Hardcore music, so I went with a very open mind. By the end of the night I was a new fan.  What I was privileged to witness tonight was 8 very talented Central Coast, Hardcore Bands, who played some of the rawest, heaviest and hardest Hardcore music that I have ever heard or seen live before tonight.  I now have a lot more respect and admiration for just how much hard work they put into the genre.

At times it was hard to describe all the bands and put it into words in the review, but all I can say is that if you the chance to see any of the bands on this line up, even if it’s just one of them, then I hope you go, as you won’t be disappointed.

Article by Collin Brophy