Speed ‘Only One Mode’ Record Release, Sound and Fury Kick-Off

There is a sort of poetic justice to the full circle moment that saw Australian hardcore outfit Speed celebrate the release of their first first length LP, Only One Mode (Flatspot Records/Last Ride Records), as a part of the lead up to Sound and Fury 2024 in Los Angeles, California. It was only two years prior, at Sound and Fury 2022, when the S&F team invited Speed to play their first US show at that year’s festival. The (at the time) relatively unknown band took to the stage early in the day under the blazing Southern California sun to play a set that would change the course of their lives and set Speed on a path to become one of the most well-known and loved hardcore bands today. This year, Speed returned to Los Angeles and Sound and Fury, but this time they were no longer an opening act, but rather the headliner at a sold out show celebrating the release of one of the year’s most eagerly anticipated albums.

From the jump, the mood of the entire evening was one of celebration. The crowd showed up early and when Foreign Hands, 2000s inspired metalcore out of Delaware/Pennsylvania, opened the show the room was clearly ready to move.

Los Angeles’s own No Way Out took to the stage next and the floor of the theater filled with bodies as the band ripped through a fast and furious set featuring a variety of vocalists from the LAHC scene. After No Way Out’s solid set of straight up, aggressive hardcore, the crowd was clearly warm and eager for more.

Initiate, SoCal locals and S&F veterans, took to the stage next, opening with a blistering cover of Cro-Mags’s “It’s The Limit.” Ripping through their set, Initiate was an injection of pure, raw energy into the evening, igniting the crowd into an excited frenzy as they played a solid mix of tracks from both their 2020 album, Lavender, and their most recent release, Cerebral Circus.

All photos by Greg Flack

The theater was packed and teeming with energy as Glasgow’s Demonstration of Power made their way to the stage, filling the air with heavy riffs and thundering bass that had bodies flying from the stage and the pit in full effect. The theater exploded with cheers of approval as Jay Peta of Mindforce and Speed’s own Dennis Vichidvongsa joined Demonstration of Power to cover Death Threat’s “Disgrace,” bodies packing the stage and leaping into the crowd as DOP paid respect to the band that vocalist, Shaun Alexander, declared “the best band in the fucking world.”

SFV locals and masters of showmanship God’s Hate took the penultimate place in the line up, and the crowd on the packed theater floor pressed forward into the stage as the band, dressed for battle in camo, bullet proof vests, and even a ghillie suit, launched into a terrorizing set of relentless riffs and pounding bass and drums. The pit vibrated in time with the music, limbs swinging recklessly across the room, a mass of bodies pressed into one another, hands in the air and screaming along with the lyrics that it seemed almost everyone in the room knew by heart. At one point, as the crowd chanted the vicious chorus of “Finish The Job,” vocalist Brody King launched fellow AEW wrestler and rival Darby Allin into the crowd to screams of approval from the audience. God’s Hate never fails to put on a spectacular show and their set left the room electric in anticipation of the headliner to follow.

At last, Speed themselves took to the stage and a hushed silence fell over the theater as vocalist Jem Siow gently raised his flute, an instrument so far from those usually associated with the aggressive riffs of hardcore and, yet, such a part of Speed’s unique musical imprint, and conjured the melodic opening notes of “Real Life Love.” The first track off their brand new album (Only One Mode), was the perfect jumping off point for their set, a gentle introduction that quickly gives way to a maelstrom of chaos. As Jem gently placed his flute down, the rest of the band went off, unleashing the crushing riffs and aggressive rhythm section that Speed is known for. The pit immediately exploded into a flurry of stage dives and bodies thrashing against one another, all pressing forward to get closer to the stage. This was the moment the whole room had been waiting for.

While there may have been more than 1500 people packed into the sold out theater for Speed’s set, it felt as intimate and personal as any local show could. Jem played to the energetic crowd, reminding them that “this is your fucking scene, this is your fucking stage, this is your fucking mosh pit, and right fucking now it’s fucking EVERYTHING,” and the mood throughout the room was electric. Speed are not only an awesome hardcore band sonically, they truly embody the hardcore spirit in everything that they do. This may have been a record release show, but more than that it was a celebration of what is possible when community and hard work come together to create great things. Speed had come to Los Angeles as a relatively unknown Australian hardcore band in 2022 and returned on this night two years later as victors, and everyone was invited to the party.

Speed ripped through a relentless set with seemingly endless energy, feeding off the enthusiasm of a crowd who was clearly loving every minute. It may have been their party, but Speed gracefully shared the spotlight, inviting members of other bands to join them on stage, and taking every possible opportunity to thank those involved, not only in the evening’s events but in any and every aspect of paving the way to this momentous milestone in the first place. Speed may have ascended to the headliner’s place on the bill, but they’re determined to take everyone else with them. Hardcore is built on community and no one seems to understand the importance of that better than them, and it’s beautiful to see them in the spotlight sharing that message.

There could have been no better ending to the evening than dozens of audience members rushing onto the stage to join Speed for “Not That Nice,” friends and chosen family enveloping the band who had worked so hard and come so far to reach this milestone. From opening Sound and Fury in 2022 to returning victorious in 2024, Speed has come a long way, and it seems like they’re only just getting started.