Moody Beaches (Farewell Show)

Emerging from the ether, Moody Beaches return to the Northcote Social Club for one last sonic rip through their back catalogue before the post-grunge project completes it’s final orbital loop. 

Joining the celestial celebrations will be the Kate Alexander Band (featuring members of Hana and Jessie-Lee’s Bad Habits, Cash Savage And The Last Drinks and Party Pest) and Bizarrgo (featuring members of Cable Ties and Shrimpwitch). 

Offshooting from Melbourne’s punk-rock underbelly in 2017, Moody Beaches (Poison City Records/Beast Records France) have firmly cemented themselves as a must-watch live act across New Zealand and France and as a staple of the Australian indie punk scene. 

Raw and often scathing, Moody Beaches channel the thunderous riffs of early post-punk and grunge, driven by the melodic vocal hooks reminiscent of The Breeders and The GoGo’s.

Since releasing their debut EP ‘Weird Friends’ on Poison City Records in 2018, Moody Beaches’ music and energetic live shows have gained a well-earned reputation for their ‘huge sound and chunky riffs’ (The Music) and ‘the kind of harmonies you can’t hack in the post-punk genre unless you’re somewhat spiritually in sync’ (Beat Magazine). 

Moody Beaches released their debut album, ‘Acid Ocean’ (Poison City Records/Beast Records France), in April 2023 to critical acclaim, and was nominated for the prestigious 2023 Soundmerch Australian Music Prize. ‘Acid Ocean’ was featured as PBS Album of the Week, where the album was described as:

‘a potent 10-track serve of harmony-driven and brooding, fuzzed-out anthems, with cutting lyrical themes touching on social and economic injustices, invisibility as we age, and the numbing from modern life.’

NME Australia featured the singles ‘Crowded World’ and ‘Counting Reasons’ in the lead-up to the album’s release, and spotlighted ‘Acid Ocean’ as a top pick in their ‘10 New Australian Releases’ article, saying:

‘‘Acidic’ is an apt word to describe this debut full-length, a searing, visceral record that, imagines what it might have been like if ‘Dig Me Out’-era Sleater-Kinney had taken just a couple cues from The Jesus Lizard.

Distorted bass (refreshingly high in the mix), muscular drumming and sharp, fuzzed-out guitars build up the thrilling, almost uneasy tension that brims throughout, held together by the trio‘s ultra-tight musical chemistry. Their melodic harmonies are a highlight each time they appear, along with the glorious falsetto of lead singer/guitarist Anna Lienhop on tracks like ‘The Suburbs’ and ‘Counting Reasons’.’