Gig Review: Wargasm at Rescue Rooms

Words: Iulia Matei
Photos: Natasha Shipston
Monday 24 October 2022
reading time: min, words

Wargasm are one of the most exciting and energetic acts on the scene right now, so we sent Iulia Matei to check out their Rescue Rooms show...

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Having seen Wargasm at Bloodstock last year, I already knew I was in for a hell of a ride. Their show at Rescue Rooms, though? Absolutely knocked my expectations out of the park. I’ve never witnessed such a level of sheer, electric energy and blistering chaos unfold before my eyes - both on stage, and amidst the crowd.

The show kicked off with support act Knife Bride, which had people already forming manic mosh pits in an increasingly sweltering room. They were then followed by the Bimbocore legend that is Scene Queen, serving us her bubbly pink, unapologetic personality and her infectious melody lines and punchy riffs. She had the entire crowd headbanging to I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry at one point, which pretty much sums up her vibe perfectly.

By the time the second act was over, everyone was ready to welcome well-anticipated duo Wargasm. As they burst onto the stage with the aggressive start of Super Fiend, the crowd went feral. Milkie Way and Sam Matlock’s stage presence immediately skyrocketed energy levels to an all-time high, as their duelling vocals and deafening screams filled the room.

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It was their next song D.R.I.L.D.O that turned the atmosphere from excited to completely frenzied: a genre-melding masterpiece which had the crowd chanting “Drink! F*ck! Fight! Love!” in the true hedonistic and destructive spirit that drives Wargasm’s music. The equally infectious Selma Hayek followed, a banger that proves they can live up to the hype that’s been raised around them.

An aggressive and anger-filled trio of songs followed, with PYRO PYRO, Rage All Over and Fukstar, all of which encouraged a riot within the crowd, with their ‘eat the rich’ and ‘we’ve had enough’ sentiments. Wargasm's fast-tracked rise in popularity doesn’t surprise me one bit. You have two leather and bullet-belt wearing kids who show up on stage like they just downed a can of Red Bull and thrown themselves into war, shouting about the same anger and frustration that we’ve all had for far too long. Unfiltered chaos, blood, nudity and violence - who wouldn’t want that?

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It’s no surprise that the biggest reaction of the night came from their final, and most renowned track Spit. There is enough energy in that song to power the country for an entire year, and they both threw themselves into it fully – Matlock literally threw himself into the crowd during the “I only loved her ‘cause she looked like you” verse, being welcomed by a sea of tattooed and silver-wearing hands.

The whole thing was pure chaos. Loud and angry chaos. Probably the most fun I’ve had at a gig in a good while. Definitely the sweatiest gig I’ve been to. Wargasm are just the kind of furious injection of energy and rebellion we need to keep the momentum going against oppression and injustice.

Enough words from me, now. I’ll leave you with this review I overheard from this absolute legend, as he walked out of the venue, which pretty much sums everything up perfectly: “That was mad. Sweatiest gig I've ever been to. Like, it was in the air bro. The f*cking mist, you could feel it on your face. Never seen anything like it.”

rescuerooms.com

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