Review: Joshua Hobbins
Photography: Nate Rose

A stormy and humid Wednesday night at a packed Valley Loft in Brisbane saw local openers Sunbleached get the crowd buzzing from the get go, with Superheaven/nothing grungy shoegaze vibes permeating through the venue. We get a clap along to the solo bass break in second song No Cure for Life, from this year’s I Crawled into a Hole EP.

The heavier vox/screams from vocalist Josh Baker were lapped up by the punters, and the dual vox in old tune Rain on Hot Cement was a highlight of the set for me. Beware of the Dog then hit us like a heavier Glitterer, with the super catchy chorus getting the crowd jumping.

Closer and final track Flowers Grow from Ugly Places showcased what Sunbleached do so well – the tight rhythm section holding it down while the guitars exude their chorus, shoegazey, feedback goodness. The band were blown away with the crowd response, and I’m excited to see where they go to from here.

For their first show in Australia, Boston’s fleshwater kicked it off with minimal crowd interaction and just got down to gazey business.

The set began with Closet, and Marisa was right on from the start, setting the tone with their 2022 album We’re Not Here to Be Loved’s dense, layered sound coming across brilliantly live. Baldpate Driver showcased some incredibly tight playing, with the bass resonating powerfully and filling the venue.

Their take on Björk’s Enjoy was a standout, with Anthony stepping up for lead vocals and delivering a powerful rendition. Linda Claire had the crowd fully engaged, showing it’s a clear favourite among fans. Following up with What Was Really Said leading into The Razor’s Apple, the back-and-forth vocals between Marisa and Anthony had the crowd hyped.

Then came Woohoo, with a slow-building drone intro that erupted into high-energy riffs, and the drummer impressively nailing the blasts midway. The crowd ate it up, and it easily became a set highlight for me with its thick, sludgy vibe. Kiss the Ladder brought even more intensity, with the bass coming in heavy and solidifying the track’s impact.

The interplay between vocalists shone again in This, If Anything, enhancing fleshwater’s dynamic live energy. Backstairs Breathing began with a deep bass groove that carried through, while Foreign saw the crowd lose it, with every riff and melody grabbing them. Marisa truly shone here, especially during the breakdown, with the pit bursting open and the crowd surfers getting amongst it.

“What’s up, Brisbane? Did you have fun at the fleshwater show?” asked the band before they wrapped things up with Stand Alone.

The crowd couldn’t get enough, and at the end of the set chanted “One more song” repeatedly, to which Andrew stated “We played every single song – there’s no more to play!”

As I left the Valley Loft, I had a thought that if I had heard fleshwaterwhen I was in high school in the 90s, they would have been right up there with my fave grunge bands from that era. Great bands, great crowd, great venue and a great night had by all.