10 November 2022 – The Brightside Brisbane – words – Kai Giovanni – pictures – Justin Gittins
We don’t need me to go on and on about VOIID – their grit, uninhibition, and punk attitude has always spoken for itself.
After quickly rising in the local punk scene with debut 2017 EP Pussy Orientated, I found myself at one of their under-18 shows back in 2019, after they released the Drool EP. They have hands down been my favourite Brisbane four-piece ever since. And for anyone whose punk-tuned interests hadn’t been yet piqued, 2020 saw ‘Sour’, ‘Bug’, and the Socioanomaly EP cement their raw voice as a – from then on – unignorable one.
VOIID have become a conduit for silenced members of our modern society: a purposed use of distinctive alt-punk stylings to vent about, speak up for, and rebel against all the bullshit issues which affect us on social and personal levels. And if their 2022 ‘Lexapro’ tour has made any statement clear, it’s that this is just the beginning of VOIID.
The final stop of their national tour saw the quadrio back in their Brisbane hometown, taking the stage of The Brightside. Appealingly, the night’s line-up wasn’t restricted by genre.
Pale Horsey combined noise music with garage stylings and a hypnotically unpredictable frontman, resulting in an already-wrapped and venue-filling audience. Talk Heavy then, with ease, took to the tough job of keeping this massive crowd charmed – their intricate musicianship, moving songwriting, and chorus hooks sticking themselves in my brain for the entire trip home.
The night never saw a dull moment.
So much so that, before you knew it, VOIID were taking to the stage in all their dancing glory. Experiencing Anji and Kate acknowledge the audience always feels like saying ‘hi’ to a friend you haven’t seen in years. VOIID’s charm is one in a million.
The first of the night’s two unheard tracks, ‘All So Two’ opened their set, perfectly submerging the venue into the introspective-yet-heavy atmosphere of the band’s new and refined sound. With sprinklings of other tracks off their upcoming album – ‘Sex Dreams’ and ‘Lexapro’ – VOIID’s set brought a dynamic musical contrast between tracks.
This was thanks to the inclusion of – for years, unplayed – deep cuts from their aforementioned first two EPs. A ‘Vile’ Drool call-back sat alongside Pussy Orientated favourites ‘Deranged’ and (one of my all-time VOIID tracks) ‘Galaxy’. The venue celebrated like anyone would, knowing this may well be the last time they’d hear these outgrown tracks: with roaring singalong and crowd-wide moshing.
Combined with today’s VOIID staples – unapologetically-rocking Socioanomaly tracks and celebratory guitar-smashing – every part of the night made the ‘Lexapro’ tour a VOIID show to remember. And now, with upcoming singles and shows and appearances all leading up to their debut album, it’ll without a doubt be one to remember too.
