Review: SPEED @ UniBar Adelaide
Australia’s emerging hardcore aggressors SPEED decimated the UniBar when they hit Adelaide for a career-defining performance.
Words by Will Oakeshott
Image by Johnathan Tumbel
“But the main message that we want to convey is compassion. We’re all just human beings, trying to find our ways on this planet. So follow your own path in life at your own time.” – Jem Siow, SPEED, Kerrang 2024.
Isn’t this declaration from the enlightened and exceptional frontman (and occasional flutist) precisely what the world needs to hear right now? It might be difficult to decipher a beautiful sentiment such as “compassion” when witnessing SPEED’s vicious beatdown hardcore that the genre’s devotees express their gratitude and adoration for via violent mosh-pit dancing. However, as the idiom goes: “Get to know the song before dismissing the singer.” The quintet essentially craft songs about open-mindedness, anti-racism and most importantly, encourage the message of anti-discrimination. The reaction to the music might be unnerving, but its expression is an impassioned release.
Need further evidence of their remarkable humanity and awareness? $10,000 of profits from this tour was donated to WAGEC – Women’s & Girls’ Emergency Centre – in Sydney, which assists women and families escape domestic violence. That is big-hearted hardcore spirit.
With a stacked international line-up included on this bill, the outfit invited to open this prestigious event was going to have to leave a lasting impact and invigorate the intensely large audience. Adelaide’s Winnerz Circle were presented with this honour and they executed these duties faultlessly.
The quartet perform a brand of mosh-core that is instructed by Cold World, Xibalba and Harm’s Way, but Winnerz Circle add their own incredible twist on the formula including some hip-hop elements. The four-piece managed to deliver almost their entire discography, with ‘Ru$$ian Roulette’ being a particular highlight; its death metal enthralments before the savage breakdowns were exhilarating. Truthfully though, the whole exhibition was an inspiration of intensity and warmed up the eager mosh-ninjas flawlessly.
The four-piece have already supported heavy royalty such as The Acacia Strain, Comeback Kid, Drain and even The Amity Affliction – their upcoming split EP with Sydney’s J.O.Y. is certainly one to keep an eye and ear for.
Singapore’s FUSE are the epitome of Jem Siow’s quote above. They are a young band following their own path in life in their own time. That path has led these four women and one man to Australia for this landmark tour to play some of the largest scale shows of their lives and their passion certainly left an impact.
The quintet’s sound approaches a raw melodic hardcore aura with harsh punk essence and was exceedingly euphoric in energy. Imagine the musical offspring of earlier Comeback Kid with New Jersey’s Gel who were instructed by Bikini Kill and then studied global musical culture. If that creates an idea of the five-piece’s artistic identity, then it should be understood how dazzling FUSE are.
‘Mono World’ was a thrashy circle-pit instigator, that swirled the sea of devotees into a whirlwind. ‘Time’ was a jumping aggressor that mutated into a multitude of punk and hardcore hybrid genres and provoked a superb lunacy. ‘War’ showcased a punk groove before accelerating into a tornado that Trash Talk would have stage-dived to.
The most impressive part of the exhibition was the quintet themselves, as they were having the time of their lives onstage and that was the most infectious part. Return to Australia quickly please FUSE, and ignite your hardcore detonator with a headline tour.
There was an anticipation in the air that this scribe had not felt since Hatebreed performed at the Big Day Out in 2005; a restlessness, an excitement and a potent emanation of adrenaline. The tension built to impossible levels when the speakers rang out with Michael Buffer’s “Let’s get ready to rumble” and Pharoahe Monch’s ‘Simon Says’ blasted through the sound system. Five Long Island men then took to the outdoor stage and Pain Of Truth’s front-man Michael Smith demanded his fanbase “Fuck This Shit Up!” with ‘Blood On Your Hands’ the soundtrack to the chaos the band created.
Two-step dancing, windmills, crowd surfing, mic grabs, shout-alongs and fist pumping all became the motto for this demonstration. Honestly, if Trapped Under Ice, Jesus Piece and even the aforementioned Hatebreed are on constant rotation for listeners out there – POT are truthfully your next favourite.
‘The Test’ was emboldening and would have had recent visitors Terror joining in the mosh antics. ‘Not Through Blood’ had machine gun riffage that propelled the delightful destruction, especially on the earth-shattering breakdown, and ‘Actin’ Up’ was simply monstrous. It was all so charged that FUSE guitarist Syafiqah Rashid joined the New Yorkers to inject further hysteria into the prevailing madness. This was a sensational spectacle that was capped off by local drummer Hardeep Singh of hardcore upstarts City Of Churches executing a manic drum solo as guest musician for the closing track. The whole set emitted a family-bond setting, which among the hardcore ferocity, was extremely uplifting and inclusive.
London’s High Vis changed the musical dynamic from punishing to promising. The quintet is beyond marvellous at lifting their spectators’ spirits with their poetic post-punk and positive messages. Vocalist Graham Sayle is a crusader for humanitarianism; he lives and breathes compassion. He has seen darkness and wants to bring the light he found through music to the people hurting and is magnetic in that role. At times he can be as ecstatically emotive as Jeremy Bolm from Touché Amoré, as enrapturing as Derek Archambault from Defeater and then as ravingly erratic as Midnight Oil’s Peter Garret. It is amazingly absorbing in the best way possible.
‘0151’ had that uncut melodic hardcore punk beginning that morphed into early post-hardcore majesty. ‘Out Cold’ had a garage indie post-punk feel from another lifetime, yet it is so timeless and the sing-along to “and again and again and again and again” was scintillating. ‘Trauma Bonds’ is a saviour anthem; if there are mental health issues, this song might just be the audio anecdote that could help beyond measure. It captivated everyone paying attention at the outdoor version of UniBar Adelaide and their hearts were simultaneously filled.
‘Choose To Lose’ was vulnerability at its finest – Sayle admitted over and over about his struggles and how hardcore saved his life, his penmanship and philanthropy glow in this track and to be frank, High Vis glow in their artistic endeavour. This group needs to return to Australia post-haste. The globe requires an aware band of this stirring nature and their graceful nurturing through their art is simply, prodigious.
“It felt like I was on a movie set, but I was also part of the movie,” Jem Siow told Revolver in December 2023 from Japan when recollecting SPEED’s experience at Sound And Fury Fest in Los Angeles. A new film is now out for the Syndey hardcore heroes. It is entitled Only One Mode and the heavy music fans of planet Earth are ready to live this feature for many years to come.
A deafening cheer for a woodwind instrument is practically an impossibility at hardcore events unless you’re SPEED. Jem brought out his fantastical flute to introduce ‘Real Life Love’ and magnificent mayhem followed.
A SPEED show is one that has to be lived; YouTube, reviews and even vivid descriptions do not give justice to what the quintet achieve every night they play. It is enlightened, it is frenzied; but most importantly it is moving in every sense of the word. There are five members to the band, they take a dozen friends with them onstage and they become FAMILY with everyone in attendance at their shows.
‘Don’t Need’ engaged their Adelaide FAMILY with the harmonised statement of “I give it all away” becoming a hardcore choir University wide. The breakdowns hit hard on every level and although there was mosh carnage with the “dancing”, it was positivity in entirety.
‘Shut It Down’ moved through multiple levels of the hardcore genre – thrash, groove, gang vocals and beatdowns and the five-piece were faultless in moving between those soundscapes. ‘Big Bite’ was remarkably more unrestrained in elite fashion and then ‘Kill Cap’ uncovered a glimmer that shone vibrantly, which this writer (and assuredly many others) had not witnessed in decades of enjoying hardcore music. It was truly phenomenal.
The New South Welshmen showed their appreciation and love to Adelaide and the capacity audience. They spoke highly of their memories here, especially playing in Endless Heights at Enigma Bar. The true beauty was in the emotional delivery of how much love SPEED and hardcore music have in South Australia, the quintet themselves were in gleeful disbelief.
‘SEND THEM 2 SYDNEY’ created an earthquake. It was momentous. The only anthem to outdo it was ‘THE FIRST TEST’ and the flute-driven breakdown is arguably a new chapter in the world of hardcore.
SPEED ensured that fans of all ages could enjoy their music on this night. They brought bands from three different continents. They gave to charity. They spoke about anti-discrimination, anti-racism, equality and compassion. They shared their art and love with those who want to listen.
That is big-hearted hardcore spirit.
