The night at the Gov began with Melbourne five-piece, Hawaiian Islands. This hard-core/punk outfit drew the well-sized crowd forward and got the punters moving and moshing. The band was tight, polished and exceptionally comfortable on the main stage, yet at the same time it appeared that they were still trying to find their sound. Nonetheless, the group proved to be a great start to the evening and it was good to see a support band that was so comfortable in their environment.
The next band, Teenage Bottle Rocket, came all the way from America to blow the minds of all punters present in the Gov. The band instantly drew a great response from a near capacity crowd and were majorly polished from their first beat to their last tune. The band head banged, danced and sweated their way through an epic forty-five minute set that no one present will be forgetting in the near future. Despite the seeming unfamiliarity with their songs, the energy and talent presented to the audience by these spotlight-stealing rockers left all present on a good old fashioned punk rock high!
Finally it was time for Frenzal Rhomb, the doctor from JJJ having stepped away from his studio to his rightful place alongside his band mates, Jason Whalley (Vocals), Tom Crease (Bass) and Gordy Freeman (drums). There was an interesting mix of people at the gig, with old Frenzal fans mixed with the new breed of punks, hooked by the band’s new album, Smoko at the Pet Food Factory.
The band launched into what would be one of the night’s highlights, ‘Muma doesn’t know you’re a Nazi’, setting the crowd off into a rampage of moshing and circle pitting. The band slammed their way through an hour-long set that included songs from their new album and many old time classics. The highlights of the set included ‘Punch in the Face’, ‘Russell Crowe’s Band’, ‘Never Had So Much Fun’, and finally ‘Bird Attack’.
The actions of some of the punters were disappointing as members of the audience attempted to invade the stage and a few became violent in the circle pits. The stage invasions were taken in good humour and handled well by the band, but after a while it just got old and some band members appeared rightfully frustrated. The ‘stage invading’ came to a climax when the band had to actually stop a song because of the circle pit and the people on stage.
Frenzal Rhomb will always be the Kings of Australian New Wave Punk, no matter which future bands come along. But even with all the new sub-genres of punk, it’s nights like these that make you believe in good old fashioned punk rock again.
– Patrick Smyth
