Live Review: Mindsnare, Hostile Objects, Choke, Homesick

Mindsnare gigs are a pretty rare phenomenon these days and according the Bald Faced Stag was filled to the brim for the Melbourne legends’ first Sydney show in four years. 

Western Sydney’s Homesick started proceedings with a strong set of hardcore tunes that to these ears can be described as a slightly more chaotic version of Verse.

Next up were Choke who delivered a tightly wound set with a definite metallic edge. The crushing breakdowns from their Resist Records debut LP Desire set heads banging and some punters near me were even mouthing the lyrics word for word. These Central Coast lads seem to have developed quite the following and with a sound that has developed over a series of 7”, and now a full-length, it will be interesting to see where they go from here. 

Hostile Objects seem to have played with everyone of late and it’s not hard to see why the quartet is in such high demand. Their free wheeling style of hardcore stretched from grindingly slow and heavy passages through to a full-throated power violence assault – which as always when it comes to these guys made for a great set. No-one quite sounds like Hostile Objects and with a new LP that you seriously need to hear (if you haven’t already) this is a band that embodies what hardcore can be when it’s done right. 

Anticipation was high as Mindsnare stode onto the stage and when (as expected) the boys launched into the instantly recognisable Bulldozed four years of tension instantly dissipated in a sea of banging heads and the first real pit of the night. Although Snare fans are a conservative lot that take their time acclimatising to new material, the band made a point of ripping through tunes from the just released Unholy Rush – including a blistering version of Winter. It’s testament to this band that despite playing rarely they sounded as if they had been on the road for months playing dozens of shows. Mindsnare probably won’t be back in Sydney for a while – so if you missed it you’re fresh out of luck. For those of us that were there however – it was one for the ages.