An Evening with a Gang Called "SPEED"

Sick New World took place this past weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, and with it came various side shows in the Lone Star State. Sydney, Australia hardcore outfit, SPEED, hit the road on a co-headlining run of shows scheduled around their Sick New World performance with San Jose-based beatdown band, Sunami. The hardcore heavyweights brought their energetic, mayhem-filled performances to the Paper Tiger in San Antonio, Texas, on October 23, 2026.  

San Antonio is no stranger to hardcore music. The hardcore scene here is huge and tends to show up when big bands come through the area. Being the first band to perform at a show can sometimes be tough, but the eager San Antonio hardcore fans wasted no time getting rowdy as soon as hardcore/thrash Houston-based band Skourge hit the stage. Their performance set the tone for the rest of the night and left a lasting impression on me. I have an image seared into my mind of the whole floor opening up into a pit and it being invaded by two-stepping concertgoers. 

Next up, Nemesis delivered a raw, heart-pounding performance to a hometown crowd. This is when the concert started to feel a little dangerous, so I had to take a few steps back(the Paper Tiger is notorious for not having a barrier/photo pit). I’m no stranger to hardcore shows, though, having grown up going to shows at my local VFW hall, but the sheer number of hardcore dancers and moshers during their performance had me rethinking my life choices for my camera’s sake. Nonetheless, I left the fast-paced set unscathed and excited to experience SPEED live. 

SPEED was slated to perform next, and you could feel the energy in the room between sets. Excitement filled the air, as this was SPEED's first time in San Antonio. People began pushing forward, trying to get to the front. I settled in a corner of the pit with my telephoto lens and was ready to take in the performance.

SPEED's debut performance was nothing short of incredible. The Paper Tiger erupted as soon as they performed their first song, "Shut it Down." Stage divers took over the stage for the duration of the show as they performed their standout tracks like "Don’t Need," "Real Life Love," and "All My Angels," among others. The Aussie’s aggressive hardcore style really resonated with San Antonio. “Life is ugly and life is beautiful” are the perfect SPEED lyrics that encapsulate what I witnessed. Sure, there’s the violence in the pit, but you also see the community, the positivity, the everlasting desire to keep growing, personally and professionally, and perseverance in the face of adversity. That is the ethos of hardcore. It’s the essence that drives the scene.

The band ended the set with their hit song, "The First Test." The song features a wicked flute feature by vocalist Jen Siow, a unique sight at a hardcore show. The song culminated with the crowd joining in to chant “SPEED” as the song ended. 

Sunami ended the night with a brutal set. The band, which originally started off as a parody of “tough guy” beatdown music, has embraced the sound and has become known for their over-the-top breakdowns and intense live shows. This night was no different as they delivered a set that San Antonio won't soon forget. The band ensured that the audience got what they came for with performances of their songs, "Contempt of Cop" and "Mind Your Business." The set culminated with an intense encore performance of their song "Weak Die First," which had everything you'd want from a hardcore show: gang vocals, stage divers, circle pits, two steppers, crowd killers, and even cardboard boxes flying around the venue.

I don't attend many hardcore shows anymore, but this show really made me nostalgic for my early years of attending concerts. I will certainly be seeking out more of these shows to cover and will certainly be catching SPEED and Sunami again next time they roll around my area.