On Friday, Bleached Entertainment joined forces with Valley Fiesta to round up some of Australia's best acts for what would be a legendary night. The Scorched Festival saw a whopping 15 acts take the stage at The Brightside. This beloved Brissy venue was decked out with Halloween decorations for those ready to debut their costumes a few days early. There was also merch van at the ready for those wanting to upgrade their outfit by repping the local talent.
The doors to the beloved Brissy venue opened at 2pm, kicking things off with a set from upcoming artist Haliday. Loiter, Foul Face and PVCKER UP set the scene for the night with sounds to satisfy every type of rock fan. Wetlands and Hot Reno kept the energy high with heavy sets to truly get the moshpit geared up for a sweaty night ahead. By this point, the crowd had been served everything on the hardcore spectrum from emo punk to metal. Late November switched things up with some indie rock, giving the crowd a chance to have a boogie between drinks.
As the afternoon turned to night, more local musos starting flooding in and the anticipation was building for the headline acts. VERUM, Colourblind and The Wolston Butchers stirred The Brightside into a frenzy with blues, shoegaze and skate punk. It’s safe to say Waxflower was a highlight for many at the Scorched Festival. It’s easy to see why the Brissy band has built such a dedicated fan base in such a short time period. For those who weren’t already familiar with the band, the nostalgic similarities to bands like Fall Out Boy and Jimmy Eat World were enough to reel them in. Hailing from the Gold Coast, Radolescent brought some well-received surf punk to the mix (as if it couldn’t get any better).
Iconic emo rockers TOWNS were kind enough to make the trip up from Adelaide to bless us with more pop punk (because there’s no such thing as too much). The duo did not disappoint, playing all of the fan faves and driving the crowd wild with a cover of ‘Killing in The Name’ by Rage Against The Machine. TOWNS left the crowd feeling electric as they moved to the indoor stage for a set from Bad Neighbour. A stand out act in Brisbane’s punk scene, Bad Neighbour have been on fire recently with a constant stream of excellent releases.
Finally, it was time for the headline act: Voiid. The Brisbane band kicked things off with four songs from their latest EP Socioanomaly. Offering unapologetic riot grrrl energy and confrontational perspectives on the social issues that plague us, you could tell how badly they’d been busting to play these tracks live. ‘Shave It’, ‘Hell’, ‘R’n’R’ and ‘Ache’ served as a cathartic release for both the band and the crowd to express their rage in the best way we know how. The band followed up with 'Vile', the 2018 track that truly established them as a force to be reckoned with in the Brisbane hardcore scene. Anji introduced us to the band's two favourite songs from their upcoming album (HUGE NEWS!). All I'll say is, they will be worth the wait. Uniting Tiktok fans and Limp Bizkit fans in perfect harmony, the band unleashed a chaotic cover of the iconic 'Break Stuff'. Voiid brought the night to a perfect close with crowd favourite ‘Sour’, ‘Cheap Wine’ from their debut EP and their recent track ‘She’s a Bug’. To top things off, there was a marriage proposal during the set! Congratulations to the lucky couple!
I could not think of a better way to kick off the long weekend than heading to Scorched Festival (even if it made for a rough Saturday morning). The event was bustling with musicians supporting each other, seasoned fans, newcomers, photographers and everyone in between. Scorched Festival successfully brought together local musos from all walks of life to reignite our hope in the return of live music. We can't wait to see more events like it unfold over the coming months.
Check out the full gallery here