Toe to Toe are an Australian hardcore band from

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The band was most prominent in the Australian hardcore scene during the 1990s, touring and recording less frequently by the 2000s. They have been described as "one of the best hardcore outfits ever to grace the planet" by ''Punknews.org''.

Influence and style

Toe to Toe's stated aim is "to reintroduce the sounds and ethics of 80's hardcore punk", having been influenced by the emergence of the

Washington, D.C. hardcore Washington, D.C., hardcore, commonly referred to as D.C. hardcore, sometimes styled in writing as harDCore, is the hardcore punk scene of Washington, D.C. Emerging in late 1979, it is considered one of the first and most influential punk scenes in ...

band Bad Brains, Portland hardcore band Poison Idea and later,

New York hardcore New York hardcore (also known as NYHC) is both the hardcore punk music created in New York City and the subculture and lifestyle associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by ban ...

bands such as

Agnostic Front Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre. History First era (1980–19 ...

and Sick of it All. They have tried to distance themselves from the

metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

aspects of punk. The band's name itself, including much of their lyrical content and album artwork reference

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

terms to match the aggressive musical style.

History

Toe to Toe formed in 1992 by vocalist and

Resist Records Resist Records is an independent record label and retail store based in Newtown, New South Wales, Australia. The store was opened by Toe To Toe vocalist, Scotty McFadyen in 1996 before expanding to a record label in 1998. Resist also hosts an a ...

founder, Scotty Mac, who remains the band's only original member. Described by Missing Link Records as the "mainstays of the Sydney hardcore scene", the band has seen numerous line-up changes, released several recordings and have possibly been one of the only Australian hardcore acts to have received mainstream acknowledgment in the country, playing festivals such as Livid, Homebake and the

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running tour ...

s. They have also done national tours of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and America and have played with internationally renowned hardcore acts such as Agnostic Front, the Dropkick Murphys, and Madball. Political artist and activist, Azlan McLennan, described the band as superior to their US influences, citing Scott Mac's stance against

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagoni ...

Members

''As of 2016, the band's line-up consists of:'' * Vocals: Scotty Mac * Guitars: Nick Rakebrandt * Drums: Ant Deitz * Bass: Adam Check 2001-2004: *Vocals: Scotty Mac *Lead guitar: Pete Bursky *Rhythm guitar: Will Webber *Bass: Neil 'Beans' Ryan *Drums: Ben 'Mook' Mukenshnabl 2000-2001: *Vocals: Scotty Mac *Guitar: Will Webber *Bass: Neil 'Beans' Ryan *Drums: Matt 'Spider' Lodge (deceased)

Discography

References

External links