Live Review: VOIID, Crum, Boing Boing

Boing Boing certainly make up for the lacking crowd numbers in energy. Opening VOIID's headline Foundry show, the Far North Queensland four-piece deliver an extraordinarily aggressive pub-punk set drawing out rough sweats from the crowd. Playing a mixture of covers and originals — with a track even dedicated to Jonathan Thurston — bruises are inflicted and the building audience anticipates another wild night.

Crum haven't played too many Brisbane shows, which is truly a shame considering the Gold Coast trio sound like they've come right out of the peak of '90s grunge. With a mess of flying hair, drum cymbals collapsing to the ground and strained-out vocals, the set is a force of true talent straight out of one of Queensland's greatest music scenes. A few fans make their way to the front of the dancefloor to scream out each lyric of Temporary and even get a little bit rough themselves. Brisbane locals can only hope they see more.

VOIID are taking over Brisbane gig by gig with their powerful punk anthems. There's a big crowd on The Foundry dancefloor and Anji Greenwood, Kate McGuire, Antonia Hickey and Jasmine Cannon make their way out to massive applause. Within seconds of unreleased opening track Drunk, fans have lit up the venue, singing along and even pushing each other around. Guitarist McGuire calls for a little more crowd action and, within the first bar of Forever Teenage, a mosh finally opens, drawing out every inch of sweat, blood and tears from their fans.

Nostalgia hits hard when the familiar fuzzed-out notes of Splendora's You're Standing On My Neck spills through McGuire's amplifier. But if there's truly a crowd-band moment it's during Silly Girl, with all four members of the band, as well as crowd, singing along. New track Twin also causes a chaotic crowd mess. There have never been so many smiling, bruised faces on this dancefloor, fans falling over in the mosh and getting back up only to take a rougher beating for possibly the band's best track to date.

As fans have done so many times, the moment drummer Cannon smashes into Cheap Wine the crowd forms a circle and punters launch into each other for the length of the track. Greenwood makes her way into the front of the dancefloor to sing with fans and there's vicious desperation from several members of the crowd to get an ounce of their own vocals into the mic, which continues into closing track Not For You.

Though the crowd has taken a fair beating, there's a strong call for an encore. They don't get it, but do leave knowing that these Brisbane punks shouldn't be messed with. Expect that they'll continue taking over the world one gig at a time.