Nighthawks 10th birthday show
11 October 2025 in Melbourne, with Rain Dogs, NPCede and Dumbhead. (G.U.N were a late scratching from the line-up.)
Adrian was on his final warning after picking the last show we went to which had left us at the mercy of confusing and (probably) occult forces. But to cut this medium-length story short, his show selection rights have now been fully reinstated.
This show was upstairs in Nighthawks' funny little band room and was a celebration of the venue's 10th birthday. I have been to the odd show at Nighthawks, including one which was a breakcore show that memorably featured punters crawling around on the carpet, off their chops and definitely old enough to know better.
Dumbhead kicked things off and they were...how do I put it? They were amazing. With ambitious vocals, Radiohead-esque guitars and trumpet, to trip-hop beats, the band they most obviously brought to mind was Portishead. But Dumbhead are truly their own thing. There was one moment in particular where a chilled mid-track hiatus ended with the most satisfying drop which sucked me right back in, and the song continued. Just sublime.
I am a bit baffled why they're called Dumbhead. Maybe it's a Portishead reference? Anyway it amuses me that a band this good has such a goofy name.
NPCede probably put more thought into naming their band. In terms of their sound, well, if I was making a cyperpunk Ozploitation film, set in a godforsaken wasteland, I would hire them for the compulsory wild, crowded underground club scene. Think guitars, heavy beats, lots of screaming.
NPCede are high intensity in the way that a lot of bands were trying to be in the era of terrible film soundtracks that combined genres to make the Most Badass Music Possible. You know the ones: Spawn, Judgement Night, Blade II. The idea that if you combine heavy and hardcore genres something truly tough and cool will happen.
The difference is that NPCede have actually succeeded. To be very clear, I am not suggesting they make nu-metal fusion or anything like that. It's about intensity as an aim. NPCede make authentically intense music. They are really worth seeing live.
It was a bit unfair to Rain Dogs for them to be on last, to be honest. They had a flat affect, gothy repetitive beats and bass lines, which would have worked well if they hadn't been preceded by such a rollercoaster ride. I also didn't like the way they were mixed - I would have preferred if the vocals really cut through.
So I guess if I were dictator in charge of everything, I would've reordered the line-up to be Rain Dogs first, Dumbhead second and NPCede headlining. All three definitely worth catching.
