Live Review: Osaka Punch w/ hazards of swimming naked & Flynn Effect @ The Brightside

Brisbane’s Osaka Punch stepped up to the plate and more at their ‘Death Monster Super Squad’ EP launch at The Brightside. There was a massive fan turnout and the lads were truly in their element playing on their home turf. They were nearing the end of their tour with only one date left after this gig, but they played like it was the tour’s first night.

Osaka Punch are a local Brissie band known for their funky and unique metal-pop sound. ‘Death Monster Super Squad’ their first EP which follows the release of their 2012 debut album ‘Voodoo Love Machine’. You might think after all this time fans thought Osaka Punch were off the radar, but this launch gig proved the opposite as the venue packed as soon as the doors opened.

Flynn Effect were the night’s openers and set the bar high for their followers. The alt-rock quartet, led by vocalist Tomina Vincent, were in fine form for their set. With a dash of metal and a lot of catchy melodies, the 4-piece was the perfect party starter. An unexpected highlight to their sparkling set was their cover of Coldplay’s Talk, which got the entire crowd singing along.

Main support act was the instrumental 5-piece hazards of swimming naked. While the name might give you visions of a rebellious punk band or metalcore outfit (or a water safety class), these guys kept things refined and brought the energy down a notch to a hypnotising chilled-out state. Their set was awash with reverber and every layer of instrumentation worked with its surroundings. Just to top it off, the crowd got to hear a new tune from hazards, a super proggy song with intense flowing chords and complete with a lullaby style xylophone part towards the end.

By the end of hazards of swimming naked’s set, there was barely room in the venue to wiggle a finger. An impressive amount of Osaka Punch supporters showed up to watch their home show and chants of “OSAKA PUNCH!” popped up around the stage. By the time they came on stage, and after so much anticipation, the crowd broke into a roar. Giving the crowd a little instrumental intro, it didn’t take the quartet long to launch into their recent single Stonk. Frontman Jack Muzak competed with the packed crowd, who knew every word and sang loudly along.

Served With Mustard and Eat Red Carpet turned the audience into a moshing whirl. The bass was clear and booming and the percussions were insanely tight. The stage was set for sick guitar melodies and angelic vocals to fill the room, with everything dead on-key and in-time.

The craziest part of the set was definitely when the band performed their latest release Make The Call. With every single drum kick the floor pulsed up and down under the weight of so many jumping people. The air was heavy and hot and the mosh pit was a sweaty mess, and fans were loving every second. Muzak gave us plenty of the facial expressions that made the music video for this song such a cheeky masterpiece.

Never ones to disappoint, Osaka Punch stepped up the entertainment with a metal rendition of the ‘Ghostbusters’ theme song. 80s style synths were replaced with blistering electric guitar chords, complete with a singalong that probably echoed through the entire of Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. Of course, this still wasn’t the end of their surprises.

Towards the end of their set, songs Eat You Up and Electric Jam On Boogie welcomed guest players on brass instruments to give the songs even more pizzazz. By the end of the set there were six brass players filling The Brightside with orchestral jazz metal. Weird, yes. But funky, yes! When the fellas returned to the stage after a 10-second break to play an encore of Battleworm, fans went wild like it was their first song of the night.

The best thing about this show was fans had the best of both worlds. Normally, you either see a band rule the stage with their energy and charisma, jumping around and doing crazy sh*t with the price of a few slip-ups and loose ends – or you see a tight, refined band, concentrating on their instruments intently and delivering the most polished music possible. Somehow, Osaka Punch pulled off both! Bodies were flying around the stage and sending the crowd into a frenzy, but not a single sound was out of place. Even for a regular Osaka Punch gig-goer, this was a memorable night.

Check out the single Stonk below and our Photo Gallery HERE