LIVE REVIEW: WARGASM + POLTERGEIST9000 @ THE BRIGHTSIDE 2/12/25
Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi Photos Tahni DavisI was quite excited about going to The Brightside to see and hear the next generation of the industrial-punk snarl of Wargasm, the mixed, English and Irish duo Sam Matlock and Milkie Way (aka Rachel Alexandra Hastings). It was their first ever Australian gig. Even before the doors opened, one thing was clear. Things were going to get strange. And loud.
The opening band was Poltergeist9000 (aka P9) with their sound: a fusion of electro-synth punk nearer to electronic body music, with rap, hip hop and nu-metal wrapped in. P9 are a duo comprising of, Cal Griffiths and Jaxon Micallef. The Newcastle-based band brought their signature fast-paced style and sound to The Brightside.
P9’s set was like a smack in the face as the sound hit the crowd. The duo performed a series of songs from their recent release, and second album, ‘I Can See Pam and Her Legendary Hands’ such as ‘COPS’ and ‘Doppelganger’, and their new single ‘Traks’. The performance was raw, but wasn’t sure about what it was trying to be exactly. Was this 1990’s inspired Beastie Boys’ hip-hop, or was it more nu-metal invited to a 1990’s rave?
I have seen bands like Hed (PE), Kim Dracula and CombiChrist make this mix really work. It works if you have the fundamentals right underneath – the songs and there, must be a definable melodic hook to get listeners in. P9 are still developing this area. Their energy on stage was undeniable, and it will be interesting to see where the duo goes with their sound and songs.
After a short break, the musicians supporting Wargasm were on stage getting instruments, and other equipment ready. Setlists went down on the floor and the anticipation levels in the crowd was building. It was a very different crowd from the traditional heavy metal crew.
The night of music had already been set like a blender to genre purée and Wargasm were only going to intensify that reality. Their sound is a collision of guitars, bass, thrashed drums, and electronic rave music and the genre is picking ‘your own adventure’. There was lots of flesh and unapologetic sex appeal, but was it style over substance?
The band opened their set with ‘Bad Seed’, and followed it quickly with ‘Vigilantes’, and then their popular song ‘Venom’. It was a strong chaotic sexy start. But the sound and the lighting were muddy. Wargasm tore into ‘Fukstar’ with Sam Matlock immediately demanding a circle pit like an indignant drill sergeant, screaming his lungs out, while Milkie Way was headbanging her way across the stage.
I decided to move around the venue to watch Wargasm’s performance from different angles. The crowd was certainly very enthusiastic and The Brightside became a very sweaty and hot venue as the band stripped off even more. There was lots of bouncing and excitement.
Wargasm delivered songs released over the last few years, including ‘Rage’, ‘Pyro Pyro’ and then a newer song ‘Small World Syndrome’. The setlist was littered with collaboration songs as well with ‘70% Dead’ originally recorded with Corey Taylor and ‘Bang Ya Head’ recorded with Fred Durst both featured in the set.
I went outside, and the sound was better from a distance, and I could actually hear the band. The instrumentation was heavy. Unfortunately, the sonic mix was slightly thin in its sound and the vocals were wobbly from both Sam Matlock and Milkie Way. The melodic hooks in their recorded songs were missing from the smash, and smash through, live performance which was unfortunate. The curation of the set demonstrated their evolution is less in sound and more in cementing their objective to produce a live experience of relentless, high-energy fury.
Wargasm launched into ‘Modern Love’, ‘Feral’ and ‘D.R.I.L.D.O’ that saw Milkie Way whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Their set ended with fan favourites ‘Spit’, ‘Do It So Good’ and the encore track ‘Lapdance’. Wargasm put impressive amounts of effort into their set. The crowd were going off as they brought this memorable gig to a close. It was a ruckus experience.
Since dropping ‘Spit’ in 2020, Wargasm have barely stopped for a breather with touring and recording, but maybe they should to check in about where they are headed musically. Wargasm’s chaotic sincerity is impossible to ignore, but more work in the music underscoring their delivery is needed.
