Hosted by Resist and Trial And Error Records, Sydney's annual 'hardcore' festival remains the highlight of Australia's punk and hardcore calendar. And this year's instalment was no different, with a standout international headliner and the cream of the local hardcore crop wowing a puzzlingly small but appreciative audience. Melbourne's Higher Power opened proceedings with a bass-heavy set that mirrored their bludgeoning demo and left eardrums bleeding. Sydney's Boneless were an old-school throwback and their brand of no-nonsense, quick-fire hardcore quickly won them new devotees.
It may have been a freezing winter's night at Moore Park, but Vigilante immediately warmed things up. With frontman Dave Immerz prowling the stage the band ripped through a set of pure Agnostic Front worship. Standout cuts included Quality Of Life, Fear Of Change and a massive rendition of Victim Of Society. Another quality show from one of Sydney's finest hardcore outfits.
Warbrain's Void Of Confusion LP is one of the finest things this reviewer has heard all year, and live the quintet didn't disappoint. Wearing their thrash metal influences proudly they ripped through a tight and vicious set. There wasn't a dud moment here but the pit was particularly receptive to the anthemic Absolute Power and the unrelenting speed of Forced. Warbrain probably delivered the set of the night – and considering what they were up against that was no mean feat.
There's no such thing as a bad Toe To Toe show, and the Sydney legends didn't disappoint. As well as delivering rarely played tracks from their very early 7”/split releases (The Edge was particularly welcome), the wise-cracking Scotty Mac and his cohorts gave us For Life, Falling Short, Vigilant, their rapid fire cover of Rock N Roll Nigga and two of Arturo Gatti's absolute highlights in Always And Forever and Seeing Red.
It's a shame that more people weren't on hand to witness the iconic Youth Of Today. Sure, they're in semi-retirement these days, but based on the passionate performance they delivered, Youth Of Today remain at the top of their game. The quartet stacked their set with classics with Break Down The Walls, Thinking Straight, Make A Change, Slow Down and Choose To Be being just a few. Despite their reputation for straight-edge militancy the band were very laidback characters, with frontman Ray Cappo taking the time to joke with the crowd and offer up heartfelt explanations for the songs. His key message: don't judge others and change your life for the better. It was the perfect sentiment to end a great festival.
