# Speed (Australian band)

Speed are an Australian hardcore punk band from Sydney. Formed in 2019, the band consists of lead vocalist Jem Siow, guitarists Joshua Clayton and Dennis Vichidvongsa, bassist Aaron Siow, and drummer Kane Vardon.

## History

In the late 2000s, Jem Siow formed Your Ghost Is a Gift with vocalist Joel Martorana. Siow was the band's lead guitarist. The band changed its name to Endless Heights in 2009, releasing two studio albums and five extended plays (EPs) before breaking up in 2019. That same year, Siow recruited his brother Aaron Siow, Josh Clayton, Dennis Vichidvongsa, and Kane Vardon to form Speed. In October 2019, Speed released a demo EP on Last Ride Records. The following April, the group was signed by Flatspot Records. In June 2020, the band released the single "A Dumb Dog Gets Flogged", which Jem Siow said "was born in reaction to the failed leadership of our government during the 2019–2020 Australian bushfires. Empathy and compassion should always be the premise for meaningful action." the two-track single 2020 Flex, Later that month, they released the two-song EP 2020 Flex, consisting of "A Dumb Dog Gets Flogged" and "Devil U Know".
In June 2021, the band released "We See U" as part of the hardcore punk compilation, This Is Australia Vol 2. In May 2022, the band announced the release of Gang Called Speed as their official debut EP, alongside its lead single "Not That Nice" which addresses Asian hate crimes. They said, "Even though this is our first EP, [we're] sort of approaching it almost like a debut album. That's why it's called Gang Called Speed – this is the identity of the band. This is what we're all about. This is Australian hardcore." Gang Called Speed was released on 24 June 2022 and debuted at number 5 on the ARIA Charts. "Not That Nice" appears in the wrestling video game WWE 2K24.
In April 2024, Speed announced their debut studio album, Only One Mode, which was released on 12 July.

## Band members

* Jem Siow – lead vocals, flute, occasional bass and lead guitar
* Dennis "D-Cold" Vichidvongsa – lead guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals
* Joshua Clayton – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Aaron "Saato" Siow – bass guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals
* Kane Vardon – drums

## Discography
### Albums

List of albums, with release date and label shown :
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | AUS |
| Only One Mode | Released: 12 July 2024 Label: Last Ride (LRR58), Flatspot Formats: CD, LP, digital download | 10 |

### EPs

List of extended plays, with release date, label, and Australian chart positions shown :
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Details | AUS |
| 2020 Flex | Released: 19 June 2020 Label: Last Ride Records (LRR26), Flatspot Records (FSR53) Formats: CD, 7-inch EP digital download | — |
| Gang Called Speed | Released: 24 June 2022 Label: Last Ride Records (LRR41), Flatspot Records (FSR61) Formats: CD, LP, digital download | 5 |

### Demo albums

List of demo albums, with release date and label shown :
| Title | Details |
| Demo 19 | Released: 9 October 2019 Label: Last Ride Records (LRR22) Formats: Digital download, Cassette |

### Singles

List of singles, with year released and album name shown :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "A Dumb Dog Gets Flogged" | 2020 | 2020 Flex |
| "We See U" | 2021 | This Is Australia Vol 2 (compilation) |
| "Not That Nice" | 2022 | Gang Called Speed |
| "Move" | 2022 | Gang Called Speed |
| "One Blood We Bleed" | 2022 | The Extermination Vol. 4 (compilation) |
| "Real Life Love" | 2024 | Only One Mode |
| "The First Test" | 2024 | Only One Mode |
| "Don't Need" | 2024 | Only One Mode |

## Awards and nominations
### ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2024 | Only One Mode | Best Group | Nominated |
| 2024 | Only One Mode | Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album | Won |
| 2024 | "Real Life Love" by Speed, Jack Rudder, Jem Siow, Thomas Elliot | Best Video | Nominated |

### J Awards

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2024 | Only One Mode | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2024 | Speed | Australian Live Act of the Year | Nominated | |

### Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2025 | Speed | Rolling Stone Readers Award | Shortlisted | |