Revealed last week to be joining the Brisbane leg of Good Things Festival on the Garage Band Stage this Sunday (7 December), Sunshine Coast's Wave Raiders are quickly becoming mainstays of the local scene. With their debut EP 'Nothing Better' also dropping last Friday, we take a peak down memory lane at their 'My Way' single launch show last August.
Sunday is not a rest day. Not for anyone piling into Sunshine Coast's Solbar to catch Wave Raiders launching their new single 'My Way'.
Inside, the afternoon sun is nowhere to be seen, it's dark and has a real gig vibe happening (17 August).
Under coloured lights and ambient lamp shades, the room's a fizz of grins. Kids, teens, old dogs, all shoulder to shoulder – everyone's packing in. Sunshine Coast's neo-surf-psych punks are putting on an all-ages show and it's clear everyone knows it is going to go off.
No delay. Karma Police (Willem on vocals, Will on guitar, Madi on bass, Isaac on drums) are straight in, firing up the room. They belt through covers: Fontaines D.C.'s 'In ár gCroíthe go deo', Pixies' 'Monkey Gone To Heaven', and Silverchair's
'No Association'.
They then drop their own song 'Getaway' and it lands heavy, the crowd loving it! You see their influences, sure, but they're carving something sharp out of it and making it their own.
Finishing their set with a shout-along and big-bass beats is their cover of Beastie Boy' 'Sabotage'. The Sunny Coast is cranking out real talent, there's no doubt.
Karma Police - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Hands are replenished with glasses of lemonade and beers just in time for us to see Chamber Lane: Conor Hansson (vocals, guitar), Josiah Niven (bass), Sam Mager (guitar) Seth (drums).
The indie punk band storm in with 'Liana', playful and high octane. Ripping through 'January' and a cheeky 'High School', barking homework and veg-eating advice, plus a beer-run jib.
'Other Side' grinds harder, then they launch 'Letting Go' – a nod to the Raiders. Mid-set they stop the room cold: "It's history. We are looking at the future of music. The scene isn't that healthy for young bands. We need to support them. . . Let's celebrate that they are making music."
That land-it moment hangs heavy. Then they hammer out 'Lost And Found' and '4pm'. They've earned the right to teach the young guns how it's done.
Chamber Lane - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Time for the headliners. The lights shift to red and Wave Raiders swagger on. They grin, they wave to the fans and the big-uns and little-uns in the crowd surge to toward the stage.
Pete De Waard (guitar/ vocals), Tom De Waard (drums), and Jayden Georg (bass) live up to their opening song title. 'Don't Wanna Be Late' sparks everything off and they are lit!
Guitars leak off risers, Tom's locking rhythms down, Jayden holding the low end tight. They smash through 'Fun', 'Nothing Better', and 'Just Fine' – Tom's on fire behind the kit, cutting sick fills, Pete's shredding riffs into the barrier as little fans stare wide eyed in awe (the adults are too just saying), Jayden holding steady.
Wave Raiders - image © Clea-marie Thorne
They weave a slither of 'Bulls On Parade' into 'Dusk Till Dawn', flashing their chops while the room jumps. Then comes the curveball – Pricey's nowhere to be seen. No drama. Conor from Chamber Lane hops on with a flanno for a wig under his cap and a taped-on 'Pricey' label. Yeah Conor!
Wave Raiders rip into The Chats' '88' and 'Pub Feed'. The crowd eats it, ha! Pete's whipping his guitar behind his head, not missing a note, Conor's ad-libbing jokes and Jayden is finally going feral on the bass.
Now for the big one: 'My Way' – which scenestr premiered. The riff doesn't just land, it plants. Every kid in the room is screaming it like they've had it tattooed in their lyric library already.
Wave Raiders - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Produced by Steve James and mastered by Leon Zervos, it feels massive, unfiltered, purposeful. As scenestr flagged, this trio is 15 at most and already blowing away expectations.
Live? Holy crap – they are crushing it. Pete's a frontman in full flight now, his voice darts with a real punk edge and his guitar chops soaring. Jayden's vocals are booming with a new depth, bass honed and dangerous.
Tom's the quiet achiever but on the tubs he's thunder, hammering every fill clean through the walls. Both Pete and Jayden leap off their risers like maniacs, fearless, locked in. Their energy is immense.
Wave Raiders - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Wave Raiders aren't playing by the rules. They're thrashing, stomping, leaping, tearing the stage apart. It's sloppy in the best way – unhinged, sweaty, and gloriously chaotic.
This isn't hype. These three aren't kids mucking around in the garage. I've watched them grow – from their cheeky pre-teen cameo with Spiderbait, to touring with Screaming Jets and now standing tall on their own like with this afternoon's 'My Way' single launch.
If you haven't heard it, 'My Way' is a ripper of a single and you need to get on it and come ride the Wave Raiders' swell. They're not waiting for success to knock; they're dragging it in by the hair. Reckless, loud and bloody thrilling.
