BEACH SLANG // Kickstart My Punchable Heart

Beach Slang, Spring King and Food Court, Corner Hotel, Melbourne, 25 July 2016

Playing the Corner Hotel on a Sunday night in July is not ideal.

Food Court // Photo: Cian Marangos

The hordes of footy fans, the freezing winds, the fact that the venue only has one bar in the band room open before 9pm. Still, Sydney’s Food Court took up the challenge of opening the night, jangling through a set of Triple J-friendly dolewale. Yes, that is a thing.

Spring King // Photo: Cian Marangos

What’s better than a singing drummer? A singing drumming front man with three singing bandmates. For real. Cheery Brits Spring King emerge from behind the Corner’s red curtain and perk up the crowd as they run through tracks from Tell Me If You Like To, their debut (and very very hyped album). By the end of the set, people are dancing, everyone is smiling and best of all, the second bar is open.

Beach Slang // Photo: Cian Marangos

“We are Beach Slang and we’re here to punch you right in the heart,” says front man James Alex, and so the Philly four-piece kick off more than an hour of emo bangers, beginning with Filthy Luck from their second EP and taking in Bad Art and Weirdo Ideas and Throwaways from last year’s album, The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us.

Shoey son // Photo: Cian Marangos

“We fly out at 5am tomorrow morning so we thought we’d maybe not drink so much tonight,” front man Alex says moments before touring drummer Arik gleefully does a shoey (chugging a beer out of a shoe, for the uneducated) before a cheering crowd.

Having blasted through nearly their whole back catalogue, Alex and co brought out the covers, including choice cuts from Jawbreaker and The Replacements—bands not so far removed from Beach Slang themselves. By the end of the night, the audience has taken over the stage, Alex is hugging punters left right and centre and numerous shoes have been surrendered to the higher purpose of drinking vessels. Noisy heaven indeed.