Meet Speed: the ferocious Aussie five-piece poised to become global hardcore titans
The discourse around hardcore punk’s global resurgence seems to be never-ending. And it’s understandable, when bands like Scowl and Militarie Gun are breaking out of California whilst the likes of High Vis and Higher Power represent an increasingly healthy UK scene. Over in Australia, however, there is a beacon that burns brighter than any other.
Sydney five-piece Speed live up to their name, through a bombastic, brutal hardcore sound which they’ve stuck to since day one. Since forming in 2019, the road to their debut LP Only One Mode, which arrived this July, has been characterised by passion and fury while they’ve put in the hard yards on the live circuit.
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Now, they’re experiencing an exponential wave of global growth within the scene – and beyond. Kourtney Kardashian is wearing their merch. They’ve been nominated for three ARIA Awards – winning the gong for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album this year – which is unprecedented for a hardcore act. Frontman Jem Siow’s flute solo in The First Test went viral upon its release in May.
We meet Speed in the belly of the beast, an hour before they take to the main stage at Manchester’s Outbreak Festival; the UK hardcore mecca is hosting a one-off Autumn edition. Since doors opened, Speed’s merch table has been flooded with punters. The level of anticipation is sky-high.
“People always talk about the era of hardcore that we’re in at the moment, how it’s grown to a level that nobody ever anticipated,” says guitarist Josh Clayton, sitting alongside his fellow axeman Dennis Vichidvongsa. “Outbreak and [LA Festival] Sound and Fury are the proof. If a festival like this can get over 5,000 people, year after year, that goes to show what the strength of hardcore is at the moment. I don’t know if there’s been a festival of this scale that is so entrenched in the culture.”
When they hit the stage shortly after 6pm, the room is packed to the brim. 10,000 miles from home, their performance represents the physical manifestation of what Only One Mode has already grown into, as frontman Siow canters around the stage, jump kicks at the ready. Clayton and Vichidvongsa shatter through riff upon riff, their joy seeping out of the stage as clearly as the savagery of their sound.
Heavy Lifting
From biceps to breakdowns, each member of Speed is absolutely shredded – and there’s a distinct correlation. “The riffs need to make you want to lift as much weight as you possibly can,” explains Clayton. “It’s gym motivation, so the breakdowns have to be hard. They have to inspire you, make you feel fired up.”
“I can’t help but flex when I play,” he continues, while Vichidvongsa also reveals Only One Mode stays on repeat during his gym sessions. Whether it’s the barrage of headbanging moments in Don’t Need or the frantic Real Life Love, the album serves as a peppering of riffage which can keep even the most seasoned hardcore listener engaged throughout.
“Once I cracked [hardcore riffs], that’s all I’ve played since,” admits Vichidvongsa, who first picked up a guitar in his teens after being inspired by his father, who played the keyboard. Meanwhile, Clayton’s lightbulb moment was School of Rock. “I never considered the idea of playing guitar… [until] I saw the little kids in School of Rock. When they made the band, they started playing Smoke on the Water – they made it look so easy!”
Both opting for Jackson SL2MG guitars, it’s not the only commonality between the two – who often double down with the same riff, adding to the sheer might of Speed’s sound. “We have our shared moments,” says Vichidvongsa. “We handle different duties, though. Dennis hits all the solos and the dive bombs – I fill in all the gaps, when everything else cuts out,” continues Clayton, who instantly receives the return compliment. “Josh has a crazy right hand.”
Image: James Hartley
Brick By Brick
Only One Mode – which is also Siow’s Instagram handle – bestowed Speed’s debut album with its natural title. Following a unified path has been the quintet’s motto since day one, which organically led them to a full-length LP. “The record, for us, is not something that we necessarily had on the cards when we started the band,” reveals Clayton. “The album represents this new era… it really just hits home that we’re not the band that we were when we started out. Our attitude and our relationship with each other has changed.”
“We treat every [project] like it’s going to be the last thing we do,” agrees Vichidvongsa, a sentiment which shines through in the frenetic urgency of Only One Mode. The duo’s notions of humble service to the project epitomises the brotherhood behind Speed; all five members contribute vocals at points during the album. “Playing the guitar is just a vehicle for contributing to the band,” says Clayton, dismissing any individual ambitions. “We play guitar to make people mosh.”
Their ARIA nominations – which included them going against dance heavyweights Rüfüs Du Sol and indie-rock upstarts Royel Otis in the best group category – hold little material significance for a band driven by this mindset, born out of the underground. “As a hardcore band, we’re so conditioned to being outsiders, so our barometer of success is very different to a lot of musicians in Australia,” explains Clayton. “With that said, we’re very grateful.”
Flying the flag for Sydney hardcore and the wider Australian scene, Speed are now determined to give back to the community which shaped them, and help address some of its insular flaws. “When the band started, hardcore in Australia was in a real lull. Not a lot of people were coming to shows anymore,” recalls Clayton.
“Post-Covid, things have turned around… now it’s really awesome, tight-knit and unified. There’s different sounds, people from different walks of life, but especially in Sydney, I think there’s this mutual respect and excitement for one another,” he continues, beaming. In that respect, Speed’s work is only just beginning, as they help foster a pathway for bands to break out whilst riding their own undying wave of momentum.
Crucially, none of it is taken for granted. “We had to earn our stripes,” concludes Clayton – and boy, have they earned them. “Look around. This is crazy,” ponders Siow one hour later, perched atop Outbreak’s main stage while trying to process the gravity of the moment. You wonder if they’ll be headlining the place when they next return, as their trajectory continues to propel hardcore to stratospheric new heights.
Only One Mode is available to stream everywhere now
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