Beijing Based Hardcore Punk Band Struggle Session Heading to Australia

Beijing hardcore punk band STRUGGLE SESSION have announced an Australia tour and have sent in a massive update on the band. As a news website, we highly encourage MORE bands to do this!

“In our two-year lifespan we have had the pleasure of leaving our Beijing home to release our loud and sweaty hardcore mess all over China, Korea, Morocco, Spain and South America. Now we are excited to make our way to continent number five, playing nine shows in February 2019 from Brisbane to Adelaide. This is something of a homecoming trip for Sydney-boy Bass-man Alf, who for one is particularly excited to finally be able to speak some proper English again, away from his North-American bandmates.

We are very excited to play with a bunch of awesome bands but must give special mention to Sydney Extreme-Post-Op-Power-Grind act Scrotal vice who will be joining us on selected dates.”

15/2 Brisbane @ Unite
16/2 Super Secret Show
17/2 Lismore @ Hindmarsh House
19/2 Newcastle @ The Croat
20/2 Sydney @ Mothership *
21/2 Port Kembla @ Servo Food Truck Bar *
22/2 Melbourne @ Footscray Hotel
23/2 Melbourne @ Old Bar *
24/2 Adelaide @ Animal House *

* supported by Scrotal Vice

More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/986252685095635/

Band website: https://www.facebook.com/StruggleSessionHC/

STRUGGLE SESSION is born from a love of all kinds of hardcore punk from the 80s, 90s, and 00s, mixed with a snatch of grind intensity. It is fast. It is chaotic. It is fun. They live by the motto “no stage is the best stage”, feeling much more at home out in the audience – and much more comfortable with most of their clothes on the floor. STRUGGLE SESSION is “self-criticism-core” at its most intense, soundtracking any room with maximum destruction, putting all they have in to each performance, and leaving the audience a sweaty, heaving mess.

The vocalist Oliver leaps on and off the stage in a frenzy, working up the pit and screaming out every last breath of air. Guitarist Nevin wonders into the crowd, getting lost, sometimes losing his guitar. He’ll climb or jump off anything. Bassist Alfie is constantly losing his pants and performing strange dance moves, just staying close enough to the mic to get back for his backing vox. While the drummer Aaron seems to be continually drinking beer while smashing drums. He stands up or walks away from his kit but never seems to miss a beat. Their show is like some twisted struggle session where the members stand accused and denounced by the audience, and are forced to recite their crimes.

Based in Beijing, STRUGGLE SESSION features members of Chinese hardcore punk band Fanzui Xiangfa, Australian synth-grind band Scrotal Vice, Moroccan hardcore band W.O.R.M., and US band Handed To The Thousands. From four corners of the world, they united over a shared affinity for fast music, reckless abandon, and tasteful public nudity.

Since forming in late 2016, STRUGGLE SESSION has averaged one performance every five days, regularly brutalizing audiences in Beijing’s Temple and School bars as well as festivals, clubs, and DIY spaces across China. In 2017, they released a split LP with Guangzhou’s Die!ChiwawaDie! and took to the road for a tour in Morocco and Spain, later producing a documentary of their trip. In the Spring of 2018, they performed in Korea for the second time, releasing a split 7” vinyl with Seoul’s “dance violence” act Arryam.

Showing no signs of slowing down, in the Summer of 2018 STRUGGLE SESSION completed a massive South America tour. Playing 34 shows in seven countries, they brought their cathartic perfomance to bars, punk houses, and even street-side generator shows across Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Panama. The tour coincided with the releasing of a new split 7” with Brazilian DIY grindcore duo T.E.S.T., released on Genjing Records.

STRUGGLE SESSION is anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-homophobic, pro-positivity, pro-diversity and accepting of all.