SPEED unleash absolute mayhem in Belfast as hardcore’s rising powerhouse returns for round two…

Words & photos by Jamie Orr (@diabolicallywicked) | Sep 07, 2026

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You’ve done it. You’ve survived the great UK summer heatwave. It’s a new season, but it’s not over yet for everyone in Belfast. Just because it’s Autumn doesn’t mean you aren’t going to have to deal with the heat in a compact room while taking a couple spinning kicks and flailing fists, as SPEED pulls through for round two.

One year later, multiple cities, festivals, headline shows and mega support slots on insane line-ups throughout the year. It’s no surprise the influence SPEED has had over the hardcore community but also modern music. It’s been an absolute path of destruction. Multiple viral clips throughout social media and of course the signature flute that has created an ungodly aura for the band as soon as frontman Jem Siow wields it onstage.

In my opinion and I’m sure many others, SPEED have become an incredibly important fixture in bringing hardcore to a wider audience much like groups such as Knocked Loose and Turnstile. They’ve introduced new fans to a scene that thrives on chaos, community, and connection, while remaining a band that is dedicated, heavily focused, and deathly true to its roots. That balance is what makes SPEED so important. They’ve shown that hardcore can reach a much wider audience without compromising the intensity, identity, and values that made the scene special in the first place.

That influence is clear in the support lineup too, with Belfast’s own If It Bleeds and Frayed Ends BC representing the local scene, alongside San Francisco hardcore outfit SPY. It’s a strong bill that showcased the diversity of hardcore while giving local bands a chance to reach a wider audience and throw down alongside heavyweight hardcore acts.

Opening the bill, If It Bleeds made sure to bring plenty of weight to an already packed room, with the crowd turning out in force to support our local acts. The five-piece delivered fast, punchy breakdowns and harsh, guttural vocals, showing plenty of confidence fresh from winning the 2025 Northern Irish Metal to the Masses competition and appearing at Bloodstock Open Air 2025. They were joined for their final song, “No Fast in Belfast,” by Embrace Execution frontman Gavin Brown, who shared the stage last year with SPEED during their first Belfast visit. The dynamic between both vocalists created a ferocious finale and a fitting end to a strong opening set.

Frayed Ends BC are up next, keeping the energy going from If It Bleeds set. They get straight to it; their set immediately amps up the energy in the room as more audience members take to the opened space in the middle of the venue beginning to throw out their best two-steps. Frayed Ends BC’s music feels very rooted in old-school hardcore punk, mixed with chugging bass and angry, deep screams, giving ita sludge-metal feel packaged within this hardcore format. It’s two impressive performances from our very own local bands, and no doubt it won’t be the last time we see their names appearing on bills such as this.

Finally, before SPEED take the stage, SPY is up next. Immediately, the shift in the room is evident. There are a good number of crowd members I overheard before SPY even took to the stage, voicing their excitement to finally see the band, and no doubt they were going to make sure to show out for them.

Audience members pace back and forth throughout the opened pit as SPY hit the ground running, unleashing what feels like a bottled-up wave of energy. Frontman Peter Pawlak flies back and forth across the stage, rushing and jumping alongside bassist Tommy Sherry, almost colliding at times. That energy quickly has the crowd riled up, as the first bodies begin flying from the stage.

SPY deliver a blistering, violent set, playing songs such as “Violent Majority,” “Afraid of Everything” and my personal favourite from the band, “Bootlicker.” It’s a controlled, fast-paced punch to the face, and I’m sure some poor soul probably took one to the face during the set. I certainly got put through the ringer as the crowd surged towards the stage, my legs being chipped away at by full-force kicks. It felt like I’d just done a couple of rounds in a UFC fight. A perfect warm-up before SPEED’s imminent explosive presence was about to overtake the room.

SPEED take to the stage to a roaring reception, chants of the group’s name filling the room as the members smile from ear to ear. Jem Siow grabs the signature flute and approaches the mic, and from there you know exactly what is about to be unleashed, absolute carnage.

Jem leads everyone into “REAL LIFE LOVE” as the song builds towards its heavy, chaotic breakdown. The room erupts, with people rushing the stage and launching themselves in all directions, while the mosh pit becomes a whirlwind of pushing, shoving and bouncing bodies. Barely one song in, Jem addresses the sheer insanity unfolding before him, exclaiming that this is already more chaotic than the first time the band graced the walls of the Oh Yeah Centre.

Keeping the momentum going, SPEED fire through a brutal number of intense songs such as “DON’T NEED,” “SHUT IT DOWN” and “AIN’T MY GAME.” There is no let-up as Jem bellows throughout the room, calling for more aggression, with the crowd obliging his every command as the room continues to descend into an animalistic frenzy.

Frontman Jem Siow takes a moment to connect with the audience in quite an endearing moment, and one that highlights what I love about the hardcore community. He discusses the sense of community and belonging within hardcore, and how insane it is that the band can travel to places like Belfast, meet people fromdifferent communities and still be unapologetically themselves. Jem explains how he has come into himself and feels more comfortable with who he is, before touching on the importance of their multicultural background and how that has become such an important part of the band’s identity. As an Australian band with Malaysian heritage at the heart of their identity, Jem, alongside his brother and bassist Aaron Siow and guitarist of Laotian descent Dennis Vichidvongsa, proudly carry that multicultural identity alongside guitarist Joshua Clayton and drummer Kane Vardon.

Jem also takes a moment to discuss the infamous flute and how he initially didn’t want people to even know he could play it, especially within the hardcore community. He was afraid of how it would be perceived, but since its introduction, the flute has become an unmistakable part of SPEED’s identity and live shows. What could have once seemed out of place within the hardcore scene has instead become something the band have embraced, with Jem now confidently bringing it out on stage in front of audiences across the world. At this point, it almost feels like a sixth member of the band.

From here, SPEED launch back into the madness, playing fan favourites “KILL CAP,” “NOT THAT NICE” and “ONLY FOES.” The audience continues to up the ante with an intense circle pit, and you can feel the end of the set approaching, with the stage diving and crowd surfing becoming even more intense as Jem invites more and more people up to the challenge. I’m not going to lie, I even took the call seriously myself, getting involved by taking to the stage and diving into the crowd, camera in hand. I couldn’t help myself; I needed to get my participation medal too.

Last up, you know the song. The track that has propelled SPEED to insane heights: “THE FIRST TEST.” It has become an integral part of the group’s rise, featuring in countless viral social media clips while helping shape the flute’s identity within the band. As the opening notes ring out, followed by Jem’s declaration to “move it!”, the room erupts once again, cementing SPEED as the absolute powerhouse they have become.

The fans giving it everything they’ve got, spin-kicks, two-stepping, moshing and a disgusting number of stage divers. For one brief moment, it feels like a divine release of aggression and violence, everything the crowd has been building towards finally being unloaded at once. And then just like that the night is over.

SPEED is no doubt an unstoppable force and, with the continued development of the band’s identity within the hardcore community, are quickly becoming one of the greats. You can feel the admiration from the fans for this band, alongside the band’s own admiration for the community they’ve built around them. Even moments after the concert had finished, Jem Siow took the time to speak with everyone who wanted to chat, take pictures and have merch signed. He really is one of the friendliest men in hardcore, and it’s clear just how much he and the rest of SPEED mean to the community. They have become an important part of thehardcore movement, not just through their music, but through the sense of community and belonging they continue to build wherever they go.