Live Review

Toxic Holocaust, Kromosom, Teargas & Malakyte

It's a pretty good turn out tonight for Toxic Holocaust, who prior to this hadn't really been on anyone's radar. The turn out could be put down to the popularity of Teargas or Kromosom, but considering promoter Rob McManus from Heathen Skulls' recent hit rate, there's good reason to believe he's also on a winning streak.

Malakyte, first band for the evening, have raised a few eyebrows with their relentless Facebook-bombing, but turn heads with their performance. It's clear these guys are really, really, positively, amazingly, endearingly, having a great time. They've brought a devoted set of young fans to the venue, who are just as enthusiastic, and almost as fun to watch as the band.

Part of the fun of attending a mixed bill show, especially when it's going to be bands of similar yet (to the snob) wildly different genres, is watching the subtle changes in the crowd with each band. When Teargas start, the black latex and fresh blood has left the building for a cigarette. In its place are a discerning group of longtime Teargas fans who are itching to get down, and do. The band, who've been on the scene and regularly playing for a few years, have had less on lately following half the band's exodus to Melbourne. They are truly loved in Brisbane. This is better evidenced at a $10 show then a $30 show, but nonetheless the die-hard fans have made the trip. The band are in good form, but their home is definitely the DIY venue. Where I've seen them do their damage is in the setting of an over-crowded small room uncomfortably shoved between a band photographer and my drunk best mates. Clearly, they're still among friends here, and this outing would signal what has been rising for a while, namely the popularity of the genre of which Teargas are raging purveyors.

Touring alongside Toxic Holocaust are Melbourne band Kromosom. I've seen them before, but they've had a line up change. Only the night before I'd read an interview in MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL, Neil from Teargas interviewing the band. It sets me up for the night. These bands are great friends, and have been for a long time. Yeap, who has taken over on vocals, carves up his surroundings. He quickly commandears the bristling crowd into a fist-pumping circle pit. Thus it's kept until the end of their extremely short set. There is a clear drop-off in intensity from Teargas to Kromosom, and the mood shifts slightly yet again to make way for Toxic Holocaust.

When the headliners take the stage, I'm outside. They've been around since 1999, hail from Portland, and are the incarnation of central member Joel Grind's love of metal and punk. I launch back up The Zoo stairs, to find the venue still close to full. Toxic Holocaust look great, and sound pretty impressive for a 3-piece, considering thrash metal is usually a 2-guitar genre. What a friend says between songs, who owns all their records, is that it's a strange thing to see what you enjoy listening to at home live. There was no bias in the way he stated that fact, and I still can't tell if any was intended. What I do know is that this band will be well-received in Australia, and I appreciate the fact that when a band I've never heard of tours Australia, it often means you'll also catch some of the home turf bands you wouldn't get to see otherwise.

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