Live Review: Slapshot, Driven Fear, The Lost Cause, Shackles, Bitter Lungs

First on tonight's hardcore smorgasbord at The Cooly are Gold Coast misfits Bitter Lungs. Jolly-with-a-hint-of-venom frontman Toby Mitchell levels his usual four-letter quips at the early birds and members of The Lost Cause, advising not to buy their merch “unless you want to fund their meth habits”. Their well honed sound sets the bar high for an epic crowd response, with oldies Henchmen and You Can Lead A Horse To Water But You Can't Make Him Think getting some circle work happening, but it's newbie, Powered By Nine Volt Batteries And Atheism that gifts these guys with that melodic dynamic that sets them apart from their peers.

Byron Shire thrash metal miscreants Shackles have been keeping themselves busy lately touring alongside some of the genre's best. Their debut, Forced To Regress, gets love early, Mark Boulton obliterating his pipes and melting faces off in Blood And Bone. Their brand of grindcore is brutal and just about every punter down the front cops a bit of sweat and phlegm from the four-piece. While the sound can't be faulted, nor can their leading man's manic zeal;, it's a distinct downshift in terms of crowd engagement and visual spectacle.

Fellow GC thrashers The Lost Cause offer tonight's counterpoint with their punchy, clipped old-school hardcore punk. Wiry vocalist Kerry O'Connor gets up in his fans' grills for Lost Cause and fresh track, 12 Bar Booze, with its walking bass. Despite chaotic moments where some lines get away from them, the local stalwarts are on form. Kerry unleashes a cover of Iron Cross' Crucified, “because our songs are shit”, before cashing in on the friendly jibes with Bitter Lungs, encouraging punters to get some of their CDs “to wipe your arses with them”.

Brisbane's Driven Fear are flying the flag for the city's hardcore scene tonight. Their sense-assaulting sound is underpinned by gracious and charismatic frontman Tim Hyde, who maintains those top-notch clean shredding vocals with an inimitable energetic performance. They pick a neat line from EP to album, unleashing gang vocal-ridden newbie Yatala Drive-In early. The pinpricks of silence they open up between tight, melodic breakdowns, especially in Senses To The Senseless, are flawless. With a leap into the crowd for closer, Laugh At The Monkeys, their leading man gets the sweat flying once again with the riff raff.

After nearly three decades of revolving line-ups it's fair to make a quiet assumption that hardcore Boston natives Slapshot could be impeded by some sort of band identity crisis. But all assumptions are obliterated the minute 1988 anthem classic, Hang Up Your Boots drops. Founding vocalist Jack “Choke” Kelly doesn't have much to say at first but his awkward song intros soon fly thick and fast. Olde Tyme Hardcore proves the guys can still wrangle that unwieldy cut-time beast, Choke stalking the stage and spitting rasps in the clipped chorus. The sludgy guitar in I Want You Dead provides some depth while the blue collar attitude in Pennies From Heaven is a top crowd-pleaser. The veterans are on their game and, despite the humble turnout, their return has not been in vain.