Marc Roberts
25/05/26
Spent last weekend following along with Mindrace on their SEQ run hitting Brisbane, Gold Coast and Nambour, in support of their recently released debut LP: Mindrace.
Three completely different rooms, three different lineups, and three very different atmospheres, but every show felt intimate and special in its own way.
Spent last weekend following along with Mindrace on their SEQ run hitting Brisbane, Gold Coast and Nambour, in support of their recently released debut LP: Mindrace.
Three completely different rooms, three different lineups, and three very different atmospheres, but every show felt intimate and special in its own way.
You can find Mindrace's new self-titled album for purchase at the life.lair.regret bandcamp.
Saturday afternoon kicked off at PFR Lounge in Brisbane with Dizdain, Scram, No Harm and Consequence rounding out the lineup. Afternoon hardcore shows can sometimes take a while to warm up, but this one never really had that problem. The room filled early and stayed packed for most of the day, with every band feeding off how close everything felt inside PFR.
Consequence opened things with a fast and chaotic set that immediately got the room buzzing, while No Harm kept the pace up with one of the heavier sets of the day for their Brisbane faithful. Scram felt completely at home in that environment; loud, in sync and constant movement from the first song onwards. By the time Dizdain played, the room felt properly warmed up for their hard hitting set.
Mindrace closed the Brisbane show with the new album material sounding massive live. The melodic parts still carried weight without losing any aggression and the crowd reactions only kept building deeper into the set. What worked best was how natural the songs felt live already; nothing came across stiff or over-rehearsed. Even with the record only recently out, the room already knew where the big moments were.
No Harm & Mindrace @ PFR
Saturday night moved down to Vinnies Dive on the Gold Coast and the entire atmosphere changed immediately. Darker room, bigger bodies and the addition of some night time frolic, combined with way less space to move, made everything feel more intense from the beginning. The line-up there with Dizdain, Scram and Glory Days made the night feel relentless all the way through.
Glory Days opened with a fast set that got people moving early, energetic and fun with good crowd feedback. While Scram somehow managed to make the room feel even smaller once their set started. Hard riffs and breakdowns follow after their thunderous intro, which is up there with one of the best currently. Dizdain sounded huge in that space, full crowd participation was on order for the Melbourne lads, playing a heavy and fast set that got bodies flying.
Mindrace had more time for this second show, due to the time constraints on getting out of Brisbane, and the extended set was again well received with the band highlighting their melodic hardcore brilliance. Speaking with crowd members on the night, it was their first time seeing Mindrace. It was all positive as punters lapped in the energetic set.
The Gold Coast set probably felt the wildest of the weekend. Constant pile-ons, microphones disappearing into the crowd every second song and barely any separation between band and floor. The new album tracks sounded heavier there than they did earlier in Brisbane, mostly because the room itself forced everything to hit harder. You could tell by the second show of the run that the band were settling into the weekend properly too; everything felt tighter without losing any energy.
Dizdain & SCRAM @ Vinnies Dive
Sunday afternoon finished in Nambour with Scram returning again alongside Raw Impact, Human Condition and Flogg. By day three, everybody looked exhausted, but the final show still felt just as committed as the first two.
Flogg was a late addition to the lineup, but their 2 piece power violence again proved a delight to witness; always a fun show with maximum crowd support. Human Condition played one of the most direct sets of the entire weekend. Fast, direct and always providing great messaging in their performance and lyrics. Raw Impact brought out their classic punk styles, side-to-side tunes and sing-alongs galore. Fast riffs, fills and fun times to be had. Then it was Scram up again in the penultimate spot of the weekend. Scram is always well received in Nambour, putting in another belter of a set. There’s definitely something different about the final show of a weekend run. Nobody is pacing themselves any more and the whole room feels looser once everybody realises it’s nearly over.
Mindrace sounded completely locked in by this point. The newer songs felt bigger every set across the weekend and hearing them across three different rooms really showed how strong the record already is live. The team has really put together a solid release! Music to mosh to, music to sing along to, or as I got to this weekend; music to take in with appreciation and simply enjoy.
Human Condition, Flogg & Mindrace @ Blackbox
There has to be a special mention to Kurt from Scram, who I believe played 11 sets across the weekend while filling in on bass for Mindrace as well!
Really solid weekend from start to finish and a strong Queensland launch for a debut LP that feels custom built for live rooms like these.