6 August 2022 – The Triffid, Brisbane – words by Lucas Bell – pictures by Tam Schilling
A night fifteen years in the making for some, Sunk Loto’s third and final sold out Queensland reunion show has finally come. To say this was probably one of the most anticipated gigs for a Brisbane act in 2022 is a massive understatement. The shows were practically instant sell outs, and the success of these shows spawned additional dates to Sydney and Melbourne later this year. But before we get to the main course of what was expected to be an absolutely brilliant night, we had some pretty good entrees with Brisbane’s Bastard-Metalheads Osaka Punch, and Melbourne based rockers The Last Martyr.
Starting the night off brilliantly, Osaka Punch came out to a pretty great reception and immediately busted into some iconic tunes. After walking out to ‘Power of Love’ by Huey Lewis & the News, they smashed out ‘Hall of Shame’ and ‘How We Operate’. We were then treated to a new song called ‘Kamikaze’, which was another fun, funky track. They even managed to pull off a ‘Push It’ by Salt n Pepa medley in the middle of it. The set was closed off by an instrumental song I wasn’t actually aware of, before busting into a venue rocking rendition of ‘Bulls on Parade’ by Rage Against the Machine. Osaka Punch isn’t a band I’d seen live before. But immediately after they left the stage, I was begging for more.
30 minutes roll by, and the lights go down for the next act, The Last Martyr. The mood is immediately set. This is some dark, broody stuff that’s about to happen. Then, as lead singer Monica Strut took to the stage, the lead guitarist suffered some pretty hectic production issues. The show was delayed five or so minutes. Strut jokes off the issues by wishing the crowd a good night, as if it was the end of the set. The crowd busted into joking chants of “One More Song” and “Encore”. After resolving the issues, Strut returned to the stage and kicked off the performance.
Now, I will say, I really liked this band. However, I don’t think the majority of the crowd did. The venue was half full for Osaka Punch, and they seemed to get a bigger response than The Last Martyr, which is unfortunate. They even busted out a cover of ‘Faint’ by Linkin Park, but it didn’t feel like they were able to pull the crowd in. Speaking with a few people during the break between The Last Martyr and Sunk Loto, the consensus seemed to be the same. The Last Martyr should have been the opener. They were musically great. But with a dead audience, a major production botch at the start, and a general feeling of trying to play catch up with the audience deflated their entire performance.
Another 30 minutes skate on by, as the crowd begins to grow restless for the main event. As the lights went down, the crowd exploded. Sunk Loto were a band that disbanded before I got a chance to see them live. And the moment the opening notes of ‘5 Years of Silence’ started, I felt like I was in high school again. It truly was a nostalgia inducing experience. The show then basically became a playthrough of their biggest record, Between Birth and Death, with songs from Social Anxiety and Big Picture Lies scattered through the set.
Some of the biggest moments of the night were two massive singalongs during ‘Everything Everyway’, and ‘Sunken Eyes’. I said earlier that hearing ‘5 Years of Silence’ brought instant nostalgia, but these two sing alongs brought out true feelings and emotions I was not expecting. It’s like you could look around, and see everyone in the room as teenagers, reliving their youth for 80 minutes. And it was truly a beautiful sight to see. The set was closed down with the triple threat of bangers from Between Birth and Death, including ‘Burning Bridges’, ‘Erased’, and ‘Soul Worn Thin’. As they walked off the stage, the crowd were begging for more, and we didn’t have to wait long to get it.
Walking back out, Loto gifted us with two old school tracks. After a belting rendition of ‘Porcelain Buddha’, lead singer Jason Brown could not express his gratitude for the warm welcome back into the scene. And doubled down with a declaration to the fans. Sunk Loto is back for good, which received rapturous applause. Loto then closed the set out with ‘Vinegar Stroke’, before sending the crowd on their way. Fifteen years in the making these shows took to get to us. And knowing it isn’t going to be another 15 years before we see it again, has me personally hyped for the next shows.
