Speed just grabbed the first ever New South Wales Music Prize, walking away with a mind-blowing AU$80,000 for their debut record, Only One Mode.
Last year, the government rolled out this fresh music prize as part of a huge ten-year plan aiming to boost homegrown acts, since it’s getting harder for local bands to compete—especially with streaming apps pushing worldwide stars ahead of folks from the neighborhood. With the spotlight on them, Speed edged out contenders like Ninajirachi, Rüfüs Du Sol, Onefour, Shady Nasty, Kobie Dee, Barkaa, and more, claiming victory for themselves.
“To be honest, this award is for all the up-and-coming kids who are making Sydney hardcore the most exciting it’s ever been,” Speed announced as they accepted the prize. “With that being said, this award belongs to them—the people around us who make it what it is—and we’ll take some time to think about the best way we can pay that forward to keep growing this the right way.” That’s pretty cool.
Their album Only One Mode doesn’t just go hard—everyone expected that—but the band throws in surprises, too, with their wildest move being a flute riff in their track “The First Test.” Even though they stick with harsh breakdowns, it’s Jem Siow, Aaron Siow, Kane Vardon, Joshua Clayton, and Dennis Vichidvongsa who make every note feel totally real. Hardcore punk with a flute? It kind of keeps you guessing.
Fans think it’s awesome how punk bands mix things up these days.
Over the summer, Speed jumped on the road with Turnstile for a massive North American run as the opening act. Each show had Jem Siow speaking up onstage, saying how hardcore needs to feel like home for everyone, and even getting serious about the tough stuff—like speaking against racism and talking honestly about the rise in male suicides. On many nights, he explained how being creative and making noise with his brother and friends is what helps manage tough times.
If you’re curious, the total prize fund for this annual thing is AU$160,000, broken up into three main awards. The biggest chunk—AU$80,000—went to Speed’s crew, shining on artists who’ve made a real impact in the last year. There’s Barkaa Big Tidda, who picked up the AU$40k First Nations Music Prize, and Ninajirachi, who scored the Breakthrough Artist slot, also at AU$40k, given to acts that have exploded in the last twelve months. Sound NSW, a local branch that helps organize, support, and cheerlead new talent, runs the whole show.
Sometimes awards like this really shake up how we discover new music, and who knows, maybe the next big surprise will have bagpipes or a tuba or something truly out-there.
