Findaway At Paddington

At the centre of it all were an interesting bunch. I believe the band was called Rupture and they played their take on what sounded like some metal. I could tell from the insane bass drum hits, the heavily distorted guitar tone, some ice-picky bass, and some raunchy vocals. They were a good set of musicians but understandably I can't make much of an assessment because as I was so told by one diligent and ever-so-intelligent individual, you always have to say nice things, not cause much of a scene, and say what people want to hear.

To put it bluntly, it was nice but a fitting opener for the real show everyone was there for.

Next up were Maniakal, and if you want to know if they lived up to their name it depends on your perspective and if you were there or not. For the average 'scene member' who was probably there for you know what reason, it was probably an insane performance that utterly changed their entire lives and rocked them three worlds over. For me, it was it was a bit more down to earth—it was alright. It fit in well with the archetype of a local 'alternative' band. They stirred up some moshpit madness which of course everyone and their mum loves to go crazy about, and sung a few covers. If you were to ask an audience member, they'll probably give you a less 'tainted' assessment of their performance considering they haven't got other performances to compare it to.

And next up were No Clue. And what do I think about them? No clue. Just kidding.

I did actually have some clue about them as I had known about them through connections to one good friend of mine. And they were pretty good. I could see why Findaway and Heatstroke—two of the giants of the Brisbane music scene—would pick them as one of the bands to play at the gig, which was a charity show and might actually have more of a claim to the SkatePunk label than the actual SkatePunk held this year considering this event was actually held at a skate rink and was pretty damn punk rock.

Anyways, it was getting hot. It smelled like rotting corpses with the stench from the bodies that sweated a storm at old Paddington Skatepark. Next up were Heatstroke.

They stole the stage with some perfected showmanship and demonstrated what they were about. Now all the people in the crowd were trying to show each other who's boss in terms of hardcore dancing or putting in practice what they'd seen from TikTok videos and this and that.

Even though I had once thought of myself as no longer being of the moshing type, their music just called out for it. I fucking joined in with the new kids. According to Tani, I must've started up quite a few moshpits. Honestly I would say I was just joining in with what Heatstroke's music deserves—dancing enough to make someone suffer from a stroke—but yeah in a way I kinda was a part of the whole thing and not just a watcher or one of the old players watching the new players calling the shots.

They belted out songs that had emotional warmth and jagged storytelling that filled you up with all types of radiating sensations. Their songs had history to them. They weren't just another run of the mill metal/emo/whatever your label is song. You could just sense through their showmanship and songs that they had a special connection with an audience that was with them to way back and beyond, and their somewhat rehearsed yet playful and masterful stage banter was a welcoming respite from the sonic 'mess' of the less experienced bands.

To put it this way, imagine a pair of jeans. Heatstroke were like a well worn-in pair, they just went where they needed to in terms of sound and knew how to control and craft it. The earlier bands were like a new pair. It fits into the image of what you think of when you think of an alternative band, but they didn't have the stories and little things that made them stick out.

Awesome performance by Heatstroke. Xavier on the drums absolutely killed it. You can tell why they are one of the biggest names in the Brisbane underground music scene.

Next up were Findaway—a phenomenal band. They occupy an esteemed place in my memories as the band that demonstrated to me what the local music scene was all about and the power of music to change lives, empower disillusioned youth, and enrich your ears with their carefully curated blend of the finest strains of thrash metal, punk rock, and contemporary alternative. They are honestly the band which has the highest claim to being world-renowned rockstars. Their performance at Paddington Skatepark all the way back last year set my standards for a skatepark gig, and I would say they exceeded it.

Guy is a very down to earth guy. His name is quite fitting to the type of guy he is. He just represents the average guy who happens to be really passionate in music. And through Findaway's performance, they didn't come off as trying to impress, pretentious, or just lacking in soul, but as talented musicians who really had a firm grasp on stage presence, sonic character, and utter drive.

Their set was by far the best. Highlights included the slow, reflective song 'North Star', which I really relate to as a person who has been through tough times, the energetic moshpits generated by their songs 'Sheep' and 'Anarchy', and of course their new single 'Left For Us', which is about environmental damage and Guy's anger regarding how nobody is doing anything about it. The songs 'Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich' and 'Chilli Saue' also demonstrated their comedic edge. Their song 'Moment' at the end of their set epitomises the spirit of live music and the power music has to transform lives.

Throughout their set, people did all kinds of antics in an attempt to showoff their coolness for their Instagram profiles and to impress their friends. People climbed trees and stood on bins and bubblers.

Overall, it was a good night. For the average person who went there with friends, they would've had all sorts of stories about the fun shit they went up to and how fun it was. For me, the music was nice and it was a welcome break from doing fuck all, but it was still lacking in the social department, apart from my interactions with Tani, who really helped me feel less anxious and stop giving a fuck about if people there were going to do their shit and to just enjoy the music. Special thanks to Guy of Findaway for organising a really good event that really makes the concept of their new single come to life while also allowing people to enjoy good music, and for supporting the zine and ensuring as many people had a good time.