To say it had been a busy night already, that Friday night at the Oxford Art Factory, would be an understatement.
The occasion was Yes Or No? a stacked line up of local and interstate DIY heroes, put on by MOM publishing. When Spike Fuck played, their first Sydney show in who-knows-how-long, the OAF felt as full as it had ever been. By 1am (or was it 2am?) most of the crowd, full of NAS kids and Oxford St skaters had shuffled home or next door to that kebab place with the kind of shit pizza.
But a decent, excited contingent stuck around for the Sydney debut of Tongue Dissolver. A trio of Melbourne artists working across multiple cult favourites including bodies of divine infinite and eternal spirit & Wet Kiss (the latter also playing that night), Tongue Dissolver had built a word-of-mouth reputation as a blisteringly intense live band.
Their set exceeded expectations, to say the least. Noise rock turned into gabber turned into dub turned into something beyond comprehension. It was an intensely physical but ridiculously fun experience – no more arms were crossed, nor chins stroked – everyone was dancing, headbanging, experiencing. It was a highlight set from a night full of highlights – Tongue Dissolver are another impressive notch in AUS DIY folklore.