Fist2Face Is Back From The Dead, Baby!

The Australian clothing brand kicked back into action this week since their closure in 2014.

I must admit that I'm rather biased in my adoration of Fist2Face.

Back in mid-2013, I won a white print vinyl of House Vs. Hurricane's most recent album (at the time) - the aggressive and punchy 2012 full-length, 'Crooked Teeth' - by writing into the then Ringwood-based store about a competition they were having. In said competition, Fist2Face was asking people for their favourite/funniest/best/worse stories about the band in order to try and win a copy of the hot new vinyl. The story that I submitted - which is true - was that I got knocked out at an under 18 HVH show at the Corner Hotel (with now defunct UK hardcore outfit, Your Demise) in 2011 due to a stage diver's knee colliding with my face.

Again, that tale is true and it fuckin' hurt too, but hey, it helped me score a cool vinyl so all's well that ends well. And you can bet that 17-year-old me was pretty stoked on that vinyl at the time too. In fact, I still have that vinyl record in my collection to this day. Although, I do remember that whoever at Fist2Face did the "Fisty Friday's" video announcement of my competition winning mispronounced my last name, like every third or so person tends to do.

Just as an FYI, it's pronounced "C-vers", and not"Sy-evers" or "Shy-vars", as some people have wrongly vocalised to me over the years.

Anyway, that's more than enough selfish discussion about me, for what you should know is that Fist2Face is back up and running again! Here's a rundown on some of the history of the outlet for those of you reading who are unaware of them.

As it goes, Fist2Face Records began humbly in 2003 in a bold and effective effort to provide an online merch platform for independent punk, rock, and hardcore bands across Australia; giving them a leg up against those bands with actual label support. Fist2Face, guided by their main man Gerard Pidoto, then grew quite rapidly and soon stocked merchandise for not only local bands but also major global acts as well.

It was basically the 24Hundred of its time.

Then in 2006, Fist2Face evolved into a physical store located out in good ol' Ringwood and became more than just a record store. It became a community of sorts, acting as a rehearsal space, a hangout area for local artists, tattooists, punters and music lovers in general, and featured an open air stage that's seen acoustic and full-band performances from national and international bands alike over the store's lifespan.

But alas, all good things must come to an end, and in 2014, it was announced that Fist2Face Records would be shutting its doors. The following 'Farewell Fist2Face' tour was actually a huge success, selling out venues across the Victorian capital city, and featuring artists like The Bennies, Storm the Sky (amid their bland metalcore phase), Antiskeptic and even a special 10-year reunion show for Sounds Like Chicken.

Yet after the record's store front closure in 2014, and after a year or so of behind-the-scenes work, Fist2Face's legacy continues now in 2017 as a standalone clothing label. And as this is a clothing brand that we're talking about here, you can check out their new range of "classic" and "Ink'd" shirts, hoodies, beanies and snapbacks right here. (Whether they come to re-stock merch from local and abroad bands remains to be seen, however).

Finally, despite acting as an original clothing line and an independent record store, Fist2Face Clothing Co. is and has always been about the music - as any entity in the music industry should be, really. As such, the company also aims to help sponsor Australian alternative and heavy acts where and when possible, and in this case, that means showing off artists such as Melbourne's The Beautiful Monument, Distances, Beth Lucas, and White Crews. And you can expect that that list to grow as Fist2Face Clothing Co. moves forward into their new era.

Now, I don't really know what else to add to this post, other than that as I've been talking about Australian local artists and businesses, here's a pretty cool new local artist that I've been loving lately - Melbourne's Press Club.

Sponsor 'em, Fisty!

Oh, and as much as this post seems like an "advertorial", I can assure you it's not - I don't and NEVER will do that shit. I'm just happy that Fist2Face is back! Welcome back, guys.