Live Review: Swapmeet @ Northcote Social Club 17/09/26

Adelaide band Swapmeet brought their high-energy live show to Melbourne last weekend, taking over Northcote Social for three sold-out shows as part of their Australian tour.

The night was opened by Adelaide artist Ebop, aka Ethan Brandwood, joined onstage by Charlie, Isaac and Frank. Their energetic set was full of personality and humour, warming up the room before Canberra four-piece DogWorld took the stage. Featuring Yasmine Hosseini on rhythm guitar, Ella Tinney on drums, Jesse Dowley on bass and Max Sturm on lead guitar and sampler, DogWorld delivered a tight and lively performance, with their 2025 single 'Inmypocket' standing out as a highlight.

By the time Swapmeet took the stage, Northcote Social was packed. The band's set focused largely on material from their new album, Mount Zero, showcasing the intricate arrangements, unpredictable shifts and energetic musicianship that have become central to their sound.

Starting out in Adelaide, the band has previously explained that their main focus during live sets was having really high energy and making their sets as fun as possible. It’s clear to see that the band have carried that stage presence with them as they’ve grown. That same fun, enthusiastic and carefree attitude carried throughout the night.

Swapmeet opened with the masterpiece that is 'My Heart Breaks II', the final track on Mount Zero. The song moves through a series of distinct sections, building from softer passages into harsher moments before stripping everything back for an impactful and quietly intimate final verse. 'My Heart Breaks II' really showcases the band's songwriting process on this album, with the members bringing together and drawing inspiration from existing songs they had written individually and combining them into what you hear on the album.

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Tracks from their EP Oxalis were met with immediate recognition, with the crowd responding particularly strongly to 'Collision', a foundational track for many avid Swapmeet listeners.

After leaving the stage, the band returned for an encore following classic chants of "one more song". They closed with 'I Wish I' from their previous album, a perfect encore, beginning with Venus' soft, evocative vocals and diaristic lyrics before building into an intense rock finale. The room erupted into a mosh as the track reached its final section, with bassist Josh jumping down to play amongst the crowd and bringing the night to a suitably chaotic close.

After the show, I got to speak with the band. I asked them if they had any major comments they wanted to add, and Jack immediately started listing his banh mi order — no chilli! A testament, I'd say, to their fun-loving attitude as a band.

For all the technicality in their music, Swapmeet never feels overly serious on stage. There's an obvious familiarity between the four members that comes from genuinely enjoying playing together, making their live performance feel fluid and intuitive. Throughout the whole night, there seemed to be no real separation between the band and the room. Rooted in their history of playing shows alongside friends in Adelaide’s tight-knit scene, their stage presence is exciting, engaging and unpretentious, igniting a sense of collective enjoyment around their incredible musicianship.