Sick of It All
5th February 2024
Galatos, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Sarah Kidd with photography by Shelley Te Haara.
The gig gods were definitely smiling on Tāmaki Makaurau last night; hardcore punk on a Monday night would usually have a few fans wincing. But hardcore punk on the night before a public holiday…?
For awhile there it looked like New York stalwarts of the hardcore scene Sick Of It All were going to skip Aotearoa on their Australasian leg of the tour, but thanks to some hard working promoters (here’s looking at you Sticky Fingaz) Galatos was packed to the brim last night with fans ready and waiting to welcome the SOIA boys in style.
Kicking off the night were solid sets by Chase Mayne who brought some serious $uicideboy$ vibes to the stage and melodic hardcore outfit Amanaki whose cover of Rage Against the Machines ‘Bulls on Parade’ finished their set off nicely (catch them on tour with VEX HC at the end of this month and while you’re at it check out their latest single ‘Money Man’).
By now Galatos was brimming, but down front a wide circle of floor remained open as the dedicated fans of Drop Off Point began to limber up in anticipation of their set. Arriving on stage the boys were welcomed like conquering heroes, as ‘Voices’ kicked off their set in style, windmills and flying kicks soon filling up the void down front.
Originally beginning as a COVID project, DOP combine elements of punk, metal hardcore and beatdown, their desire to turn their lockdown project into something more paying off for them as their loyal fanbase grows by the day.
‘Rat Race’ only got the pit swirling harder, at one point one of the fans stealing the bassist’s mic to demonstrate how well they knew their work by singing all the lyrics, which really is quite the compliment. ‘Fuck It’ and ‘People Die’ kept the pace frantic, fans at one point invited up onto the stage in solidarity. Finishing on ‘Hamtown Smakdown’ Drop Off Point left the crowd on a high.
The sound of air raid sirens soon filled the air, a signal for those who wanted to be up close and personal to get into position, bodies jostled together, grins plastered over faces as the Sick of It All boys made their way onto the stage, the cheering only getting louder as vocalist Lou Koller raised him arm and acknowledged them all.
‘Injustice System!’ crashed down upon the front row, guitarist Pete Koller resembling a spinning top as he spun in circles never missing a chord, while Armand Majidi hammered out drumbeats with urgency.
Sick of It All have some serious legacy, besides a couple of small line-up changes when they first started out, the four piece have remained untouched for the last few decades, a claim that very few bands, hardcore or not can make. They may not be angsty teens anymore, more “pissed off middle aged men” as Lou would later state in the set, but that doesn’t mean that they have lost even an ounce of tenacity; SOIA play like their lives depended on it.
Lou is also one hell of a front man, discovering that it was one of the fans birthdays (Happy Birthday Chubbs) it became an almost running theme for the night as Lou referred back to him several times. Encouraging the fans to lose their minds and keep up with the pace, Lou reminded them that it was going to get fast and could they “dig it”, Auckland fans doing the band proud by proving that yes, they could, and they would keep up the pace for as long SOIA could.
“Thirty-five years since the release of our first album (Blood, Sweat and No Tears), I really thought I would be retired now and hanging out with Axl Rose” Lou later joked in the set; the idea of these guys ever retiring almost hard to picture, even bassist Craig Setari looking slightly quizzical at the prospect of leaving the life behind.
“Well, there is one lesson that you can all learn from Sick of It All – and that’s ‘DISCO SUCKS, FUCK EVERYTHING!” fans cheering before launching themselves into yet another fevered mosh in celebration.
Encouraging the crowd to get their two step on to their “Black Sabbath” heavy beats, SOIA soon smashed out some “mouldy oldies”, the fans encouraging them to keep going, Lou at one point inviting Chubbs (birthday boy) up on stage, who did everyone proud by delivering vocals worthy of a headline spot of his own.
‘Take the Night Off’ soon led into a wall of death instigated by Lou, hyping up either side, they joyously smashed together in the middle, the community spirit of hardcore on display as those who fell were scooped back up and slapped on the back before being sent back into the pit.
Finishing on ‘Step Down’ the fans and band gave it their absolute all to bring the night to a close, the boys taking their time to meet with fans, handshakes and grins being shared warmly.
Let’s hope it isn’t the last time we have seen Sick of It All, as these boys are still relevant (as shown by the evolution of their albums) and still destroying stages decades down the track.
Legends.
Were you there at Galatos for this energetic hardcore punk show? Or have you seen Sick of It All perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only.
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