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Stoic steeze and punk ditties: Flight To Dubai bring utter carnage to Waywards

There is nothing I love more than fast, loud and furious folks thrashing out pure punk ditties five feet in front of my face. And of this esteemed category, Flight To Dubai is quite possibly the crème de la crème.

The Sydney-via-Newcastle quartet has been cold-lampin’ that stoic steeze they do so well for about a minute now, but it’s already taking full effect. They shot onto the radar in a big way last year with excellent double single Graduation/ Last Hue. This month, they’ve topped that with their debut EP Frontal Lobes.

Flight To Dubai waywards the bank hotel dani hansen happy mag
All photos: Dani Hansen

Armed with a debut EP and the snarling brawn of a monster truck, Flight To Dubai brought a raucous live set to Waywards in Sydney.

The band moulds classic post-punk sensibilities and early blues incarnations with an aggressive undertow that veers on the unexpected. I had been eager to catch them live again after they last ripped through in December, thankfully I didn’t have to wait long between carnage.

Walking into Waywards, I arrived just in time to watch ARSE finish nuking the stage and wished to God I had gotten there earlier. Just as the room had a chance to catch its breath though, Flight To Dubai took their places and got straight to work.

There was no shortage of chaotic energy as frontman Atlas heaved and wailed, gripping and licking the mic while he stared manically at the mass in front of him. He was flanked by the rhythm section who kept hefty time and thrashed about in the confined space provided, just galvanising the tension.

Each song was a frenzied explosion of love and guts that ended methodically with a “Thank you” from Atlas.

By now, I’m no stranger to their brand, but as I stood idly by in that dimly lit den, I caught myself a little stunned by what I was hearing. The opening guitar line on Rose Scented Soap very nearly knocked me over as it washed over in a fresh daze amongst the imminent chaos.

That energy steam rolled throughout the entire set before wrapping up on relentless track Hail Damage. And in true Flight To Dubai finesse, it was all over as abruptly as it begun.