_{Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)}

^{SPEED w/ WHISPERS, Primitive Blast, Feel The Pain and Forewarned
170 Russell St, Melbourne/Naarm, Victoria, Australia
July 27th 2025}

Like ships sailing in the night, SPEED tours and the NNV travel schedule have never aligned. At the point of frustration of not being able to experience a band that had been blowing up over the last few years, I was about to scour their schedule and fly anywhere in order to stand by that mosh-it and see what it was all about.

Luckily, before I had to pull out the passport, SPEED came home. A monster tour, with the promise of no barriers, going across the country and bringing with them Thailand’s finest WHISPERS and young Newcastle upstarts Feel The Pain. Though originally quite content with just making it to the hometown show in Adelaide, when Terminal Sleep were added to the Melbourne show- I felt the urge to head interstate. While Terminal Sleep did end up having to pull out due to injury, knowing their replacement was the legendary Primitive Blast, there were no regrets. 

Standing in 170 Russell for the first time in my life, I was prepared to see how it would all go down. Surrounded by the Melbourne Hardcore scene, I knew things were going to get rowdy fast. Unfamiliar with the local openers Forewarned, I was quickly proven right. As somebody’s mobile phone flew past my face in the first few moments of their set, I felt comfort in my decision to be an observer rather than active participant of late afternoon’s festivities.

Proudly proclaiming and representing Melbourne Straight Edge, Forewarned unleashed fury upon that room. History making, because this was the first ever no barricade show held at this venue, and the punters (and of course the band) made the absolute most of it. Something about the sound of their snare just ricocheted through me and I was instantly won over by their sheer intensity. Their frontman ruled the pit the entire show, not just their set. I was almost envious of the absolute reckless abandon in which he threw himself across the room. For my first hardcore show in Melbourne, the standard was set from the scene right from the jump and I was in awe.

Little did I know it was just the beginning. Up next was Feel The Pain and this was a set I was very much looking forward too. I have been enjoying the music they’ve been putting out and was very keen to see it translated live. A wave of sound, especially the rhythm section, in the first minute of the set felt like it had crashed over me. I remember turning to the girl next to me and just saying, “wow.” 

Every breakdown they played, I felt it in my soul. It seeped into my skin and made me experience it on a cellular level. It still goes heavy and hard, but there is just something so fun about their music. In fact, the first word I wrote on my notes for them was “bounce”. Along with the heaviness and bounce, \the groove their brand of hardcore has is unmissable. Feel The Pain are a band you need to keep your eye on and for sure are quickly becoming one of my favourite Aussie acts in our vibrant hardcore scene.

The anticipation continued to build and as Sydney hardcore punk mainstays Primitive Blast hit the stage, I thought the place was going to become unglued. With an Indigenous Flag over the speaker and a true respect for the space, even in a venue like 170 Russell, they brought an old school house party vibe. Chatty with the crowd, commanding the pits- Primitive Blast delivered hardcore in it’s true essence.

Starting with an instrumental, a little taste off their upcoming record, I immediately just wanted to stomp the floor. Giving us the first circle pits of the night, there is no way to put into words just how fun this set was. Feral and grimy in its delivery, the mosh pit repaid their energy by giving us much back. As the band pointed out, everybody in the room was really present throughout not just Primitive Blast’s set, but for every band that played. From those in the audience standing back, the crew, of course those in the pit and even the members of the bands- everybody was showing love and getting down in some way. It truly felt like I was a spectator in a moment that will be talked about for years to come.

Out of all the bands on the bill, the real kicker is that the only one I had seen previously was our international guests, the curators of Bangkok Evilcore, WHISPERS. After witnessing their set at Rock Alarm 2024 in their home country, I was needlessly excited to see how they would be received Down Under. Introducing themselves to the Burncity crowd with ‘Bangkok Evilcore’, they ripped the place open in an instant. The smiling faces of their guitarists were in direct competition with sheer viciousness they were delivering and as vocalist Mike’s aggressively incited the pit.

Flowing into ‘A Choice To Survive’, it was a treat to witness not just a song I’ve had on heavy rotation live, but also with the vocal feature from SPEED’s Jem. The room had really started to fill at this point and the limbs were flying everywhere. It was good to see Naarm giving them a warm welcome to the city by going absolutely apeshit in the pit. It was not as if the audience was not aware of WHISPERS before the show, which was clear as those who knew the words clamoured for the mic, but their particular brand of metallic hardcore hits you in the teeth. They also had the circle pits going, along with a plethora of divers. After witnessing this set, there is no way I will not be in the pit when they arrive in Adelaide on Friday night. Finishing off the set with my favourite song of theirs, ‘Chaos Breed’, I felt extremely justified in my ranting about them I have been doing to anybody who would listen since seeing them last September. Truly on their way to becoming one of the top hardcore acts in the world.

Finally, it was time for our main event. Our headliners. SPEED. Nothing, and I mean nothing could have prepared me for the wave of emotions I felt watching this set go down. There is no denying the growth and hype that this band has had over the last year especially. From playing Coachella to the vitality of ‘The First Test’, they have been kicking down doors and really taking control of their narrative. Getting nominated for an ARIA, something I never thought I would see an Aussie hardcore band do…but I had yet to experience it for myself and after this set on Sunday, I am confident in saying this:

SPEED deserves every single bit of recognition. We will be talking about their impact for generations.

The energy was infectious. They don’t even need to demand the level of chaos that happens during their set, you simply cannot hold it back. Everything that is great about hardcore was present during this set. Stage divers, mic grabs, two-stepping, spin kicking- the works. Their music lends itself to feel like you are part of something as you scream it back. You cannot keep still. You want to dance and however you dance, that felt appropriate in the moment. 

The real magic for me though was between songs. When Jem addressed the crowd, it truly hit me just how passionate this band is. Their love for the music, for the scene and for everybody in that room was not some cheesy line he was feeding to an audience who wanted to just hear him speak. No, it was genuine, from the heart. His respect for the Melbourne Hardcore scene shone through with every word, along with the respect for everybody who took the time and paid the money to step in that room.

Jem told the story of how he met WHISPERS, of looking up to Primitive Blast. He paid tribute to the people the scene had lost. And while he was one speaking, the sentiment was representative of the way this band carries themselves. His invitation to everybody to be themselves, express themselves but also look after each other is not new to the hardcore scene but often it becomes tokenistic. Not with SPEED. Every note they play, you can feel the authenticity, the passion and the love they have for this music. 

Coming off the one year anniversary of Only One Mode, these songs were known by pretty much every soul in the room, so as they smashed through their set, nobody could back joining in singing along. Loudly proclaiming that this was the first show in history at 170 Russell to not have a barricade, you could see the looks on the security guard’s faces as they were questioning whether it should happen again. That’s the beauty of our scene right? Other than one scuffle, everybody managed themselves. Any little heat, quickly was stomped out and it was all in the name of fun and getting out that aggression in a positive way.

In what felt like a blink of an eye, they closed their set with of course, ‘The First Test’. I know that by now, people might have gotten over the flute section in the breakdown of that song, but I haven’t. Seeing and experiencing it live, was just magical and the perfect way to finish the night. 

Days out, I’m still overwhelmed by this show. When I think about SPEED’s set, I still am getting a little emotional. They aren’t reinventing the wheel. They aren’t trying to be anything but a hardcore band. That’s what makes them so special. 

If you ever feel lost in life, then go to a SPEED show because quite simply, they made me fall in love with hardcore and with music all over again.

There are a few shows remaining on this tour, please get along if you can.
If not, if you ever and I mean ever, get the chance to see SPEED, do not pass it up.

_{Tickets Available Here}