Tonight's proceedings (24 February) begin with the one-two punch of Histamine and Geld – two of the most ruthlessly aggressive punk bands currently on the circuit.
The former take a moment to get on the good foot, with a broken guitar string halting momentum and their usual rhythm guitarist switching over to drums for the evening. Once they're in full swing, however, their belligerent and thrashing set is quick to make up for lost time.As for the latter, the Melbourne natives brandish themselves as 'the odd one out' from the jump – and, indeed, their cutthroat power-violence is certainly left of centre compared to the headliner's more melodic hardcore.
Matters aren't helped by a sheepish audience largely giving the band a wide berth and forming a horseshoe around the stage rather than filling in.
It's a shame, because those that stop to really pick up what Geld are putting down bare witness to something that feels electric, energetic and dangerous – a timely reminder of what got you into punk and hardcore in the first place.
The disconnect between band and audience thankfully dissipates from there, with the next bracket of bands assisting to properly launch into the next gear.
Primitive Blast have been a mainstay of Sydney's hardcore scene for several years, and despite not releasing new music for some time they still attack every performance with the conviction of a band on the back of their first demo.
Bodies fly about the room as the churning riffs and pounding drums ensue, with the mic quickly becoming community property and the energy going from bubbling under to a potent boil.
That's maintained with the arrival of Melbourne's Born Free, who are the main support on this national tour and a pitch-perfect selection for the occasion. The two-step merchants arguably get the biggest reception of the evening, with plenty of stage diving and makeshift gang vocals ensuing across their explosive half-hour set.
What sets the band out from the pack of their contemporaries on the scene is a deceptively sharp set of clean hooks, like on the slamming 'Blinded' and recent single 'Misery'.
They interweave perfectly with the screamed catharsis of the harsh vocals and the down-tuned chugging that accompanies them. By firing on all cylinders in this manner, Born Free routinely find themselves hitting the bullseye.
Despite being named after Linkin Park's breakthrough hit, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, natives One Step Closer are nowhere near the realm of nu-metal.
Instead, the band draw from the school of bands like Have Heart and Defeater, with frontman Ryan Savitski baring his soul over a mix of both melodic and thrashing guitars.
The band's 2021 debut album 'This Place You Know' served as one of the strongest hardcore records of that year – and, while we're at it, one of the best of the year overall regardless of genre.
As it turns out, the lightning in a bottle that was captured on that record is just as potent when it's let loose in a sold-out room. Though there's surprisingly a degree of hesitance, with Savitski having to ask more than once for punters to take. . . well, one step closer. . . the debuting Americans are able to quickly whip the crowd into a frenzy.
It's clear that a particular pocket of fans have been waiting a long time to catch the band in action, and they do not take the moment lightly as they pile onto one another for a grasp at Savitski's mic.
The band play for the exact same amount of time as the other bands, clocking in at exactly half an hour. It's a little shocking when it's clear that's all she wrote.
However, it shows two things: One Step Closer aren't interested in any kind of special treatment, and more to the point they don't need any more time to prove their worth. They leave it all on the stage, and we've left it all in the room – a symbiotic relationship if there ever was one.
