Hits and Pits v2.0 - Sydney, 17th Nov 2013
Words: Todd Lockley
It was a dark and stormy day in the Sydney Entertainment District. Black shirts and piercings reigned supreme at the varying waterhole establishments around the HiFi Bar, though some punters enjoying the festivities a little prematurely; the gentleman who decided it was a good idea to fight three bouncers out the front of the Forum added a little pre-entertainment before the entertainment. Entertaining indeed - he lost.
Jugheads Revenge kicked things off in one of the darkest venues ever seen. From the get go the "punk as fuck" war cry was in full voice, with the band reeling off the short and sharp Image Is Everything and kicking through some fine gems from their ever so "80's LA" career.
From the first bursts of Off With Their Heads, it was clear that the sound on the day was gonna be pretty dismal; some songs a little hard to recognize from each and every band, though Don't Make Me Go was a highlight for the newer found fans.
Having been the support act for, and consisting of Black Flag members, hardcore act Good For You delivered one of the tightest sets of the day. These guys were on their game with I'd Rather Die kicking arse and taking names at the front of stage. Blaze Of Glory was fun with the circle pit finally taking full flight. With a never ending catalogue, the half hour offered could have been a little longer but it was fun while it lasted.
Major draw card No Fun At All brought the Swedish So-cal flavours to the masses, blasting through teenage angst anthems Beat Em Down, Out Of Bounds and Suicide Machine. Resembling the Proclaimers, except a whole band full, they slowed the pace down for the heart wrenching, yet so fucking awesome Should Have Known. Sound problems were the obvious down fall of the sweet vocals of Ingemar Jansson and after just 40 minutes of All Fun At All, they thanked the bands who had played and those yet to play and exploded into the ceremonious Master Celebrator. Set of the day!
Bringing even more nostalgia to the already eye and ear full, Snuff brought another element to a festival already brimming with authenticity and musical genius, the trombone! Working through tracks from their long illustrious career, a lot of the circlers took their set as a chance to catch some air. A shame really, as Snuff were fantastic, working through set highlights Arsehole and Soul Limbo. Plus the weather outside was fucking shit!
There were a lot of punters pissed off about The Ataris subtraction from the final bill, however all was forgotten by the time Yankee indie punk rockers Bad Astronaut pounced onstage to keep the toes tapping. Their track Minus was well received but the intensity of the day really picked up when Boysetsfire hit the stage. Guitarist Chad Ivstan ripped it up on lead and Requiem was kick arse.
Closure sounded better then most of the songs on a day of murky mixing and poor acoustics, but BSF lit the match for the finale to come.
Jugheads Revenge kicked things off in one of the darkest venues ever seen. From the get go the "punk as fuck" war cry was in full voice, with the band reeling off the short and sharp Image Is Everything and kicking through some fine gems from their ever so "80's LA" career.
From the first bursts of Off With Their Heads, it was clear that the sound on the day was gonna be pretty dismal; some songs a little hard to recognize from each and every band, though Don't Make Me Go was a highlight for the newer found fans.
Having been the support act for, and consisting of Black Flag members, hardcore act Good For You delivered one of the tightest sets of the day. These guys were on their game with I'd Rather Die kicking arse and taking names at the front of stage. Blaze Of Glory was fun with the circle pit finally taking full flight. With a never ending catalogue, the half hour offered could have been a little longer but it was fun while it lasted.
Major draw card No Fun At All brought the Swedish So-cal flavours to the masses, blasting through teenage angst anthems Beat Em Down, Out Of Bounds and Suicide Machine. Resembling the Proclaimers, except a whole band full, they slowed the pace down for the heart wrenching, yet so fucking awesome Should Have Known. Sound problems were the obvious down fall of the sweet vocals of Ingemar Jansson and after just 40 minutes of All Fun At All, they thanked the bands who had played and those yet to play and exploded into the ceremonious Master Celebrator. Set of the day!
Bringing even more nostalgia to the already eye and ear full, Snuff brought another element to a festival already brimming with authenticity and musical genius, the trombone! Working through tracks from their long illustrious career, a lot of the circlers took their set as a chance to catch some air. A shame really, as Snuff were fantastic, working through set highlights Arsehole and Soul Limbo. Plus the weather outside was fucking shit!
There were a lot of punters pissed off about The Ataris subtraction from the final bill, however all was forgotten by the time Yankee indie punk rockers Bad Astronaut pounced onstage to keep the toes tapping. Their track Minus was well received but the intensity of the day really picked up when Boysetsfire hit the stage. Guitarist Chad Ivstan ripped it up on lead and Requiem was kick arse.
Closure sounded better then most of the songs on a day of murky mixing and poor acoustics, but BSF lit the match for the finale to come.
Black Flag need no introduction. The entrance of Greg Ginn (again) had the crowd aiming for front and centre, as it was completely obvious that shit was gonna get hectic. With a whole hour to work through their catalogue, songs from 1981's Damage brought the biggest reactions of the day as the mosh got more mental. It was both extremely awesome and extremely loud. The sound went up to 11, seriously!
Hits and Pits delivered on all four bases and hit major home runs. Hopefully this festival will continue to be a success for years to come, unlike other festivals (like Harvest, which was meant to be on the same weekend) dying untimely deaths. Even with the sound issues, Hits and Pits was a success. Bring on the future nostalgia built punk rockers!
Hits and Pits delivered on all four bases and hit major home runs. Hopefully this festival will continue to be a success for years to come, unlike other festivals (like Harvest, which was meant to be on the same weekend) dying untimely deaths. Even with the sound issues, Hits and Pits was a success. Bring on the future nostalgia built punk rockers!