Severed Slam 2024: Show & Shine at Reckless Brewing
Bathurst in early April carries that perfect autumn edge, where the morning air has bite but the afternoon sun warms just enough to make standing around talking cars entirely comfortable. April 6th, 2024, and I was pulling into Reckless Brewing Co for Severed Slam, a show and shine that combines two of life's better pursuits: quality beer and quality builds.
The Venue Advantage
Reckless Brewing operates out of the historic Crago Mill at 2a Piper Street, a heritage-listed ex-flour mill next to the Bathurst Rail Museum. The setting immediately separates this event from standard car park shows. Brick walls, industrial architecture, craft beer on tap, and the kind of atmosphere that makes people want to stay, talk, actually engage rather than just cruise through and leave.
The brewery's been running since 2022, founded by Grace (head brewer), Jarrod, and Alice, dedicated to making what they call simply the best beer possible. That dedication to craft translates well to an automotive event. Both pursuits require patience, attention to detail, and willingness to experiment until you get it exactly right.
Show and Shine Culture
Show and shine events occupy an interesting space in car culture. They're less formal than judged competitions, more accessible than invitation-only gatherings, but still attract people who've invested serious time and money into their builds. Severed Slam embraced this balance perfectly, welcoming custom cars and motorcycles without the pressure of trophies determining worth.
Walking through the display area, the variety immediately stood out. Custom cars that had clearly seen thousands of hours of garage time sat next to motorcycles wearing modifications that required specialized fabrication skills. Some builds leaned heavily into traditional styling, others pushed contemporary aesthetics, and several successfully blended both approaches.
The Builds That Caught Attention
One particular car wore paintwork that demonstrated why professionals charge what they charge. Deep, flawless finish that required perfect prep work, multiple coats applied with precision, then color-sanded and buffed to mirror quality. Not the kind of job you rush through on a weekend.
A motorcycle nearby showcased custom metalwork that spoke to serious fabrication capability. Someone had designed, cut, shaped, and welded components that fit like factory parts but delivered entirely custom aesthetics. The welds alone told you this builder understood their tools and materials.
Another build featured suspension work that required understanding geometry, handling characteristics, and practical engineering alongside the visual goals. Lowered properly, not just dropped and hoped for the best. The kind of setup that actually functions rather than just looking like it should.
Adrenaline Lifestyle Community
Severed Slam positions itself within what they call the adrenaline lifestyle community, a loose association of people who pursue automotive enthusiasm, custom culture, and related interests. Not a formal club with membership requirements, more a recognition that certain people gravitate toward similar pursuits and values.
This approach attracts a specific crowd. People who build their own vehicles, who appreciate others doing the same, who value craftsmanship over brand names, who'd rather discuss technical details than argue about which manufacturer makes the best stock product. The conversations throughout the day reflected this mindset, focused on process, challenges overcome, techniques employed.
The Brewery Element
Having quality beer available fundamentally changes event dynamics. Instead of people leaving after viewing everything once, they grab a drink, find a spot, continue conversations, actually network. Reckless offers American-inspired food through their Roadhouse restaurant concept, designed to pair with their unpasteurized, preservative-free beers.
The venue provides live music on Sundays and trivia nights during regular operation, but for Severed Slam, the entertainment was the builds themselves and the community that gathered around them. No need for manufactured activities when you've got genuine automotive enthusiasts willing to share their knowledge and experience.
Regional Event Quality
Bathurst sits about two hours west of Sydney, positioned perfectly for regional automotive events. Close enough to attract metro builders who want escape from city crowds, far enough to maintain that country NSW character. The local car scene supports events like this because they bring together scattered enthusiasts who might otherwise only connect online.
Regional shows often deliver better builder-to-spectator ratios, more relaxed atmospheres, easier access to the people behind the builds. Severed Slam demonstrated these advantages clearly. Owners stood with their vehicles, available for questions, happy to explain their work, no barriers or handlers or time limits.
Photography and Documentation
Brenden Anforth handled photography for BattleChapters' coverage, capturing the builds, the details, the atmosphere. Good event photography requires understanding both automotive aesthetics and how to work in varying light conditions, moving around crowds, catching moments that represent the day's character.
The invitation for attendees to share their own photos via Instagram reflected modern event culture, where multiple perspectives create fuller documentation than any single photographer could achieve. Everyone sees different details, notices different builds, captures different moments.
What Makes These Events Matter
Show and shine events like Severed Slam serve important functions in automotive culture. They provide motivation for builders working on long-term projects, destinations for finished builds to actually attend rather than sitting in garages, networking opportunities for people seeking specific skills or parts or advice.
They also preserve and promote custom culture in an era increasingly dominated by digital content consumption. Actually seeing builds in person, talking to the people who created them, understanding the work involved, these experiences can't be replicated through screens. The physical gathering still matters.
The Bathurst Advantage
Hosting at Reckless Brewing gave Severed Slam built-in atmosphere and amenities that standalone car park events struggle to match. Participants had reason to arrive early and stay late, turning a few hours of vehicle viewing into a full day of community engagement. The brewery benefits from increased traffic, the event benefits from the venue's character, attendees benefit from the combination.
This model works particularly well for regional events where venue options might seem limited compared to major cities. Converting perceived limitations into advantages, using what's available creatively rather than trying to replicate metro event formats.
As the day wound down and people started heading out, engines rumbling to life, exhausts announcing departures, the combination of excellent builds, quality beer, and genuine community had delivered exactly what show and shine culture promises. Severed Slam 2024 proved once again that the best automotive events happen when organizers focus on bringing the right people together in the right environment and then let the community create the experience.
Bathurst, Reckless Brewing, custom cars and motorcycles, autumn weather, and the adrenaline lifestyle community. Sometimes the formula is simple. Execute it well, and people will show up, participate, and plan to return next year.