Sydney four-piece Oslow have their roots in hardcore, but material from their upcoming LP – songs like ‘Cold, Dark Space’ – sees them moving in a more melodic direction, albeit with touches of the breakneck pace and abrasive din associated with bands like Cloud Nothings and Violent Soho.
A polite, unassuming stage presence belies their muscular, aggressive approach and they benefit considerably from an enthusiastic, sold-out crowd who remain fully engaged throughout.
Canadians Pup also ride on surging waves of audience exuberance and have the raucous but good-natured crowd yelling along and pumping fists from the very first snatch of the diary entry- like ‘If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will’, which segues seamlessly into the frantic ‘DVP’.
Their most recent record, The Dream Is Over draws its title from a doctor’s sobering words to singer Stefan Babcock after he badly injured his vocal chords. Given they managed to bounce back so well from adversity, rvery song on the record is shot through with palpable relief at their continued existence, as well as the fiery defiance of a band that has taken a few blows but remains on their feet and swinging.
So much of the appeal of Pup is their ability to take their tales of loserdom and self-loathing and attack them with enough conviction and fire that they leave any trace of mopiness far behind. Early set highlight ‘Can’t Win’ takes lyrics of malaise, regret and inertia and sets them on fire, while ‘My Life is Over And I Couldn’t Be Happier’ somehow makes its farcical tale of getting caught masturbating into a rallying cry.
‘Dark Days’ is another energetic tantrum, with gang vocals battling for space against buzzsaw guitars. By the time the band reach ‘Guilt Trip’ the crowd-surfing has well and truly kicked off, and punters are regularly finding themselves on stage, some even taking the opportunity to add some of their own backing vocals or kiss the sweat-drenched faces of the band members.
Apart from one break required for some running guitar repairs, it’s a four-to-the-floor nonstop juggernaut of a set, but the energy doesn’t flag through the lurching dynamics of ‘Factories’ or the sheer speed and vigour of ‘Familiar Patterns’. The hardcore blast of ‘Old Wounds’ is the final song, with Babcock ditching his guitar to stalk around the stage and do some crowd-surfing of his own.
