INTO THE MOSH 127: KING STREET SUMMER CRAWL
Words by Sam Elliott and Matilda Elliott.
Back in 2018, we experienced our first ever King Street Crawl. We don’t remember a lot about where we went, but we do remember that we finished at the Vanguard. Sam attempted her very first crowd surf after a fellow punter in the crowd convinced her to try, only for her to basically dive into a pit of no one, rolling onto the floor. Luckily, her ego was the only thing hurt, and Matilda sliding down the banister of the Vanguard’s staircase like a witch mounting a broomstick - miraculously we weren’t kicked out. We look back fondly on these foundational moments and years of us emerging from the lower Blue Mountains in pursuit of the big smoke live music ventures.
Fast forward to Jan 25, 2026, King Street Crawl have introduced their inaugural Summer Crawl.
Though we have an intense soft spot for getting out and about in winter at the usual crawl timing, wearing our deteriorated knee high boots and comically large jackets over summer clothing, we were very excited at the prospect of seeing some of our favourite bands as the sun beat down upon us.
It was a 40-degree day, but this didn’t deter us. We winged our eyes with liner and put on the most poignant, bright eyeshadows to embrace the crawl head on. We started out at Vic on the Park with a couple of Ginger beers; one of Sam’s favourites, however Matilda gets heartburn from this bev!
Poltergeist 9000
Sam’s partner recommended this band as we huddled into the already packed band area at 3:40.
We were met with a chaotic atmosphere of energy, thrill and passion.
Appearing as a duo in this set, we were astounded to see the pair on stage jump around, rile up the crowd and make us all feel helpless to their presence, lapping up every drop, beat change and frequency.
The pair would take it in turns to perform into the mic, or, double their powers and prowess together quite literally gripping each other's arms and joining forces.
The Mulubinba/Newcastle artists were so much fun. We wish we knew more about them before seeing them so we could yell their words back to them in their set, but it’s ok, for what we didn’t know, there were lots of others who knew every track line for line.
After Poltergeist 9000, we were dripping with sweat (a commonality for the day), and slowly crawled our way up the hill to Young Henry’s Outdoor stage, which was situated right on the street near the Courty. This stage area felt like a little street party filled with grinning patrons and even a fire hose spraying to keep punters cool!
Le Shiv
After getting some bevs from the Courty, we sauntered to the front of Le Shiv, who were full of energy as always. Though we had the 40-degree sun pelting onto us the whole time, we couldn’t help but grin, dance and sing back to the band who gave their full energy to the crowd.
As we were at the very front, we were in front of the speakers so didn’t get the best sound possible! Which was ok because we could tell what song was playing from the chords playing or watching lead singer Pencil’s mouth verbally say the words! Plus, the crowd behind us was electric and sang all the words back!
Pencil even moshed and jumped around the crowd for a song. The crowd became a flood behind us of laughter and fun.
After that set, we decided to eat dinner and sit in an aircon before setting off on our next adventure. Nothing could have prepared us for the magic we were about to experience.
DMT Pancake
We have only seen this band in videos or heard about them through word of mouth, so as soon as we knew they were going to be playing at the BVH, we knew we had to be there.
The tinsel clad band room was filled to the brim with eclectic and kind people. It was also incredibly hot.
The band hopped on stage with different makeup ranging from clowns, to an almost medieval style. The best way we could describe this is the music you’d imagine a bard playing on a quest, or the music that goes on in Cirque du Soleil during a death defying act - you could feel the palpable transfixed nature of everyone in the room. The band blended the line between audience and band by offering intimate and interactive details.
The band passed around bubbles, and they encouraged us to sing along. They even performed blessings in the form of carrying audience members across the crowd.
We genuinely felt like for a little spot of time nothing beyond the walls we were in was going to impact us, and we were truly just in the moment and grateful to be graced by such talent and whimsy!
Leaving the set we walked past Buddy’s which was crawling with people! There was even a gazebo truck that was meant to sit maybe like 10 people max, but there were at least 30 people on their feet dancing the night away.
We continued to walk on and on to finish in a place that we had finished before; the Vanguard. We got to catch the end of Bridge Dog, which was so cool, we definitely need to give them some more love and see a full set!
Crocodylus
After that set, we waited eagerly for Crocodylus. We are longtime fans of this band and have always adored their live sets. Their energy and enthusiasm is infectious and we can’t help but jump around like idiots whenever we see them live!
This feeling was intensified by an unexpected reunion with a good friend of ours. As soon as the band started, we all giggled, sweat and jumped around just like old times to Crocs. We went absolutely wild for their new track, Limbo. We cannot wait to see what is next for them and this song truly made us feel so seen. When times are tough, it can seem like you’re stuck in this indefinite limbo and though it’s a universal experience, we feel directly impacted by this song and that’s such a beauty of it and a testament of their music! We’re ready to crawl ourselves out of our metaphorical holes and let in the good vibes.
We left that set with sweat pouring down our faces and our aforementioned makeup dripping down to our necks, but we don’t care. All in all, King Street Summer Crawl was a reminder that even though the world can feel incredibly harsh and difficult, there are moments of sunlight that remind us that there are incredible moments and people around and that we are all just doing our best! Seeing just a small cross section of the incredible moments and bands (and punters) that the crawl had to offer, we were able to see the light and awe of the local music community.