For Australian bands, breaking into Europe isn’t just another tour — it’s a test of endurance. Long flights, relentless schedules, unfamiliar crowds and the constant pressure to prove yourself night after night all come with the territory. For Sydney heavy rock band Battlesnake, that challenge became the backbone of their latest tour documentary, Year Of The Snake.
Sydney’s Crowbar, what a place! Home to some of the best chicken burgers in the city and still one of its most vital live-music rooms. The scene of many a dark, sweaty night (Frank Turner’s last gig here still lives rent-free in memory), Crowbar may now boast excellent aircon, but don’t worry, the vibe remains unmistakably, gloriously Crowbar. And it was in this hallowed Leichhardt haunt of rock ’n’ roll that The Datsuns staged their thunderous return.
Festival fit and full of fun!
Supporting the evening was Sydney’s own, Avalanche. Fresh off their first European tour supporting rock legends Airbourne, Avalanche were buzzing with confidence. The energy and pace barely let up as Bottle of Sin landed early, preceded by a grinning call of “Who’s drinking tonight with us, Sydney?, a rhetorical question if ever there was one. Sorry Dad, I Joined a Rock Band followed, dedicated to “people who do stupid things,” delivered with a knowing wink.
The humour continued with On the Bags Again, a reminder that yes, Sydney loves to party. Classic rock parody is part of Avalanche’s superpower, and it was on full display: synchronised ZZ Top moves, AC/DC bunny hops, and even a wildly good Men at Work’s Down Under cover, during which the guitarist stepped off the stage to jam in and with the crowd.
Festival fit and full of fun, this was going to be a tough act to follow… Little did the crowd know what was coming!
Brace for impact – “We’re back!” Coming straight out of the traps at 1000mph, The Datsuns opened with Gods Are Bored, instantly setting the room alight. Any lingering doubt about whether the band ‘still had it’ was obliterated within seconds.
Playing after the main character energy of a band like Avalanche has its risks! But The Datsuns soon reminded everyone why these Kiwi’s have shared the stage with some of the biggest bands in the world at events like Ozzfest and worked with Led Zep’s own John Paul Jones. There was no let-up and the set highlights came thick and fast. New material shone as they played Ugly Leather from their still-unnamed upcoming album, and Helping Hands, Harmonic Generator and “boogie song” Goodbye Ghosts became full crowd-participation moments.
Lead singer, Dolf de Borst embraced the return with hijinx, climbing the speakers, striding around the stage swinging the mic, and introducing the band like a preacher mid-sermon. When the set ended, the chants for “one more song” felt optimistic. But these guys don’t do things by halves. FIVE encore tracks followed, including Stuck Here for Days, Brain to Brain, a snarling cover of Dead Boys song Sonic Reducer, then MF from Hell, and ferocious closer, Fink for the Man. BOOM!
“We’re back,” de Borst declared. “There was a time we thought we wouldn’t be – but we are.” And we can all agree the music world is better off for it.
As the lights came up, the hunt for picks and setlists began, and the room buzzed with post-gig joy. Backs slapped, bar hit and smiles everywhere. Crowbar had hosted yet another classic, and The Datsuns proved they’re not just back – they’re unstoppable.
Text and Photos Sergio Martin ©
We are about to witness three decades of an uncompromising artistic vision condensed into one spectacularly vicious evening of apocalyptic heresy. A blistering live experience that blends unrelenting ferocity, theatrical grandeur and their signature blackened death metal sound as BEHEMOTH perform tracks from their storied discography alongside new material.
This city doesn’t sleep. It headbangs, it crowd-surfs, it screams itself hoarse at 11pm on a Tuesday and does it all again the next night. Right now, Sydney is living through what can only be described as a full-on live music renaissance — and if you’re not paying attention, you’re already missing it.
Pearl Jam were about to hit Sydney in a few days, and while I was out running errands, a poster caught my eye—photography exhibition. Curiosity kicked in. On the day, I got up early and headed into the city to check it out. Somewhere on the train, I figured I’d look up the photographer’s website. A quick scroll… and then it hit me—wait a second. I’d seen these images before. Not once, not twice—everywhere. Magazines, posters, promo shots… these photos had been part of my world for years without me even realising who was behind them.
That photographer was Chris Cuffaro. The list of artists he’s worked with is endless. At the exhibition, Chris gave a talk, breaking down the stories behind the shots—this time mostly focused on Pearl Jam, but with a few unexpected gems thrown in. I remember thinking, so you’re the guy behind all these images I’ve been looking at my whole life. As you can imagine, everyone had something to ask. One after another, Chris fired back answers—funny, sharp, sometimes a little sarcastic, and completely unfiltered. No PR filter, no safe answers—just honesty. After the exhibition, we said we’d stay in touch—the kind of thing people say all the time. But this time, it actually stuck. A few days later, we were still talking, and before long I found myself helping him out with an exhibition here in Sydney, a workshop, and a few other projects—getting a closer look at his world along the way.And as you’d expect, the stories are endless. Talking to him feels like a mix between a rollercoaster ride and a trip back in time. That’s when it hit me—I had to sit down and do a proper interview with him.
There’s a pretty big chance that even if hardcore isn’t your main thing, you’ve at least heard of Cro-Mags. And if you haven’t? Well, you’ve definitely heard bands that have. From metal to rock to punk and beyond, countless artists—some sounding nothing like them—still namecheck Cro-Mags, Bad Brains, or Minor Threat as game-changing influences. These are the bands that didn’t just shape a genre—they rewired how people think about music, and how they create it.
We had high hopes of finally seeing Codefendants tear through Australian stages, but it wasn’t meant to be — at least not this time. Due to visa complications and decisions made by the Australian government, the band has had to cancel their planned Australian tour. It’s frustrating news for fans and for the band alike. We were ready. They were ready. But sometimes the red tape wins.
We’ll be waiting for the day they can finally make it back down under.
Text and Photos: Sergio Martin
A few months ago, Comeback Kid announced their Australian tour: six shows to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album Wake The Dead, played in full. An album that didn’t just mark a moment for the band, but a real turning point. Faster, sharper, more melodic, and more intense than Turn It Around, it helped them stand out in a hardcore scene that was already packed at the time. Recorded at the Blasting Room with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore, Wake The Dead sounded bigger, tighter, and more direct—polished enough to reach a wider audience without losing any of its bite.
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