Midway didn't start life as a two-piece band, but Jordan Snowden and Kade Winfield were the last men standing.
Taking a leaf out of the book of Wollongong surf rockers Hockey Dad, the pair have forged ahead as a power duo since early 2021.
"We wanted to move the band in a certain direction," guitarist and vocalist Snowden says.
"We're keen on trying to make this something.
"The other guys were into it more as a hobby, which was totally cool. We're still friends with some of them. But this is our priority. We work for it. We drop everything for it.
"This year we've gigged harder than we ever have before."
Midway formed in 2018 as a foursome. Line-up changes saw the lead guitarist and drummer both depart before Winfield, a friend of the bassist, was invited to fill the seat behind the kit.
Then the world went into lockdown. It meant that Winfield and Snowden, former students of Maitland High School and St Francis Xavier respectively, could not play together before a live audience until venues re-opened.
Winfield, 21, played drums at school, but lockdowns denied him the chance to play to flesh-and-blood punters in a licensed venue until last year.
"Now I'm experiencing it like it should have been," Winfield says.
"This is my first band that I've played live with, coming out of school. It's my favourite thing ever."
For performing bands, playing live is not just the opportunity to connect with fans but a chance to road-test new material. This interaction has "heavily" influenced Midway's new songs.
"How people react to the song definitely affects how it might change over the course of being workshopped," Snowden, 19, says.
"All of our songs change once we've played them live a few times. Some things work, some things don't. I like to take on people's input, see what we can add or take away."
Midway released music when they were a four-piece, with four singles available on streaming services. The stand-out is a punch of grungey garage rock called Red P's, an anthem brimming with youthful urgency.
It's a sense of early freedom to which many will relate.
Since exploring their sound and writing new material as a duo the sound has shifted from its grunge influences.
"Silverchair's my favourite band," Snowden says.
"Obviously there's different parts I take away from their music, but we're definitely more 'surfie', more Hockey Dad-style stuff. But all that '90s stuff sneaks into our music.
"One of our songs, High in Demand, everyone's saying sounds like a Foo Fighters song. It's funny how the brain works."
Working with two instruments has meant both players have had to step up their game, filling the sonic space where the low-end melodic rhythms of a bass guitar would typically reside. But the pair are also embracing simplicity.
"It's perfect," Snowden says. "You don't miss the bass, you don't miss that other person there.
"Obviously it means we can't do what we used to do, all the intricate things we were trying to do before. Now it's riffs based around chords - I have to step up but it's a great challenge."
Winfield has pushed himself to be more dynamic behind the kit: "I would say I've stepped up too, in terms of creativity, just to bring something more to the band."
Midway have recorded seven tracks at Newcastle studio Novotone with producer and engineer Andy Price of the band Bloody Hell.
"Pricey's an absolute legend," Snowden says. "Such a positive experience. Unreal."
Midway will showcase this new material at West Best Bloc Fest on Sunday, October 2, joining 69 other bands across seven venues in Newcastle's CBD.
"It's just a good step in the right direction," Snowden says.
"Exposing ourselves to other musicians, other bands and other people that might like our music."
West Best Bloc Fest is loaded with local artists but barely scratches the surface of the sheer volume of original bands that have emerged from COVID lockdowns.
Midway are stoked to be part of the city's musical resurgence.
"The scene's coming back," Snowden says.
"You've got heaps of bands, like Unpretty, The Appointments, Sitting Down. We've got plenty of mates in bands and at least one of them is playing every weekend. There's always something to go to."
