Hardcore bands Newcastle brawl: Shock claims girls were violently assaulted after watching hardcore bands at a hotel
A young woman was allegedly punched in the face by a stranger as she walked home after seeing ‘hardcore’ bands at a NSW hotel.
The 21-year-old was with friends on Maitland Rd in Islington, Newcastle, after 11pm on March 8 when an unknown man punched her in the head, NSW Police allege.
Police said a fight broke out and the girl’s 20-year-old girlfriend was also beaten and injured before the attacker and his comrades fled.
Paramedics were called to the scene and both women were treated at hospital, police said.
The woman was in a group of four who had previously been to Melbourne-based hardcore outfit AWOL, supported by bands Mauler and Skorn at The Newcastle Hotel.
They had just left the show and were walking back to Hamilton train station when the apparently unprovoked attack was launched.
The group had left the Newcastle Hotel, also known as ‘The Newy’, when they were allegedly attacked by a group they did not know
They were at the venue watching hardcore bands, including AWOL, visiting from Melbourne
Police confirmed they are investigating following a ‘fight’ in Islington.
A friend of the two women disagreed that it was a fight, saying the altercation occurred after the unknown group made homophobic comments to the group that had just left the show.
“When the younger group commented, the aggressors immediately threw one punch, followed by a larger attack,” they claimed.
‘It is absurd that young girls, boys and everyone in the LGBT community has to worry about death when they go out for a night. This was a hate crime,” they said.
It is understood that both injured women were known to the local bands playing that night.
One woman said on social media that the wider live music community in Newcastle is in uproar over the seemingly random alleged attack.
Newcastle’s music scene is outraged by rumors of the alleged attack, a woman said
“At approximately 11.10pm on Friday, March 8, 2024, a group of four people were walking along Maitland Road when a man from an unknown group allegedly punched a 21-year-old woman in the face,” a NSW Police spokesperson said.
‘The two groups were said to have had an argument. The group of unknown persons had fled before the police arrived,” police said.
‘Two women, aged 20 and 21, were treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics for head injuries and bruising. They were both taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment.”
Anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.