The Insanest Gig Ever

So I chilled at this park nearby for a while. It was the only park that wasn't taken over for ticketing/event purposes or whatever. Why the government allows private entities to take over public places—I have no clue, but I thought that surely just chilling there would be all good. I didn't feel like sneaking in—it just wasn't a day to try doing it. This outing was a solo outing for me, as usual, as I pretty much didn't really have anyone to hang out with, and of course, when you're by yourself, you're less gutsy to do crazy shit. I was (and still am) also undergoing a mental/spiritual journey to more or less redefine and find myself, so yeah, not much going on in the socialising or fun department, I was also taking a break from social media.

Now, how does this all relate to the ISANEST GIG EVER? Not really at all, but it's good context for how I was feeling as before the gig. Anyways, this security chap yelled at me while I was sitting on a park bench outside the huge ass fences separating the showgrounds from the park. I didn't even see the band from where I sat. I only heard muffled booms and bangs from where I sat. Either way, I knew my little escapade was over, and I sat on the bus to Ithaca Hall, in the old richie rich suburb of Red Hill, to go see the main course.

Little did I know, that what would ensue, would be the most insane gig I've ever experienced. So insane, it redefined how I view music, how I view life, how I view people, and basically, I walked out from Ithaca Hall a different person from the person who walked in.

As I walked from the bus stop and approached the hall, I eventually saw a scene that was pretty... Empty. There were at most 10 people standing outside, and inside it was empty, apart from a draping red banner with Shock Value's insignia, reminiscent of what Radio Birdman used to do, A Marshall JCM 900 amp, a table with a little bit of merch, and some old 20th century artifacts stored in the hall. It was not a packed gig at all. There were around 2 or 3 people that looked like some Paddo skaters that decided to fuck around here for a while, along with a bunch of band members and other people. It looked like this was to be a low attendance gig.

Anyways, I went inside and I sat down with my mates Arran and Johnnie from Piss Off, and we had a bit of a convo going, though it was to be cut short with the first band, Frenzee, doing their soundcheck, with the guitar tone being applauded by Johnnie as the guitarist played a bunch of blues and pentatonic licks.

Eventually the singer walked in with the setlist, and now it was time. For the first act I was to witness, it was to be the one and only, Frenzee.

With a sound highly reminiscent and obviously inspired by Amyl and the Sniffers, they packed a punch and delivered that classic Amyl bite, though it was not the most exciting set or anything that really stuck out honestly. As a fan of punk rock, it was business as usual, fast, loud guitar, shouty vocals, and hard punchy drums. Within a blink of an eye, their set was done, and out the venue we went.

The between-set was pretty uneventful, and I know, I know, how on earth is this the 'most insanest gig'? Well, the action and action is gonna start at some point, just not now.

In the meantime, funny antics entertained me, Arran, Johnnie, George the singer (I will say George the singer and George the drummer to differentiate between the two Georges in Shock Value), and Tani and Theo, two people I know from talking to at gigs and whatnot.

I played the piano that was present at the hall, or I least I tried playing it for shits and giggles, which was pretty funny, and I talked to Arran and he was pretty funny as well (not meant as an insult). Anyways, before long, the next band, Care, was on, and it was time..... To dance. Tani said it was time to dance, and she was so damn right. Tani's so damn cool.

The funky yet still rock sound of Care yielded a sound that was very danceable and gave you the old electric feels (Sorry, I just had to say it like that).

There was one song in particular with an immaculate bassline, what sounded like syncopated rhythm, and great guitar tone. Pure eargasm. I just really liked it, and the small closely knit crowd of friends of friends of friends gave it a very communal vibe. Everybody was connected with each other. Everybody knew some person, and that person knew everybody else. It was like having a good time with your mates, you felt like a VIP and like you owned a share in the gig. There was no feeling of cliqueyness, which contrasted sharply with the hedonistic, frat/brat feeling of popular kids at the Laneway Festival.

Every gig should be like this. I prefer this small, hanging out with your mates crowd rather than big stadium gigs, or even the Gormless Records gig a few weeks back where sure, it's the same scene in a way, but where it felt like there were groups and you just weren't accepted as one of them.

One person I spoke to at the Gormless gig apparently had friends at the gig, but yet he still stood alone and walked alone in the boulevard of broken dreams, because his friends were cliquey little shits. That's what I'm talking about by cliqueyness. When you have 'friends' and 'people you know', but you don't know them to know their soul, to really forge the deep connection you have with some people.

Anyways, after Care's bratty and blistering set that was surely more danceable and more authenticity in the spirit of brat than what was currently happening at fucking Laneway, out it was again. This time, there were more silly antics, and it felt like a big cosy get together of sorts. I chatted with Arran, Johnnie, this guitarist guy who was to play guitar with them, and the members of Shock Value.

It was clear that any hope of a 'proper crowd' was long gone. The Hall with its wooden construction felt like a little Wild West shack in the middle of the desert of Red Hill. I can't really describe it too much, you had to be there, but basically it was chatting with mates, and there were a few funny points, including one where Arran tried to create a full blown debate between two people, and there was much chat about ordering pizzas. Unbeknownst to people, the pizza talk would become a full blown operation to secure pizza, which took over an hour for some reason. I also taught the guitarist guy how to play I'm Stranded by The Saints on guitar, which I'm pretty proud about, teaching the guy who's gonna play guitar in front of you in a few minutes how to actually play the damn song.

I also managed to be able to secure a deal with Piss Off to play New Race by Radio Birdman on guitar with them during their set. We thought of it as a moment similar to Birdman's Paddington Hall appearance, where it was to be pure rock and roll madness, supreme crowd command, and shouts of 'yeah hup', as the anthem of the Australian DIY youth scene is belted out ceremoniously.

Anyways, next band up—Antics. Now, I didn't actually get to see them, because in the meantime me and the members of Shock Value had a chat in this backstage area. It was to be a chat that would change my life.

What ensued was a deep philosophical and meaningful conversation, particularly between me and drummer George, where he thanked me for writing this zine, and by doing it, providing a platform for local bands, and just doing something that not a lot of people want to invest time into, and really have the passion for, and just doing it, which really made me realise and have a reason for doing this. They also more or less explained their band, and gave valuable thoughts and insides into the scene, it just made sense. It was just the atmosphere really. I see Shock Value as people, and people make mistakes sometimes, and sometimes, people twist and turn stories to make themselves seem like the hero and to fit a certain narrative, when really, nobody is, and the story isn't how it seems, but people are people, and people are weird and when you've experienced things, and you understand why people do the things they do, and why people are sometimes dicks who exclude, be rude, troll, bully, fuck you up, you just...... Understand. You just understand. Sometimes the moment of understanding hits you when you try something or do something. You kinda need to experience something like that to know what it's like.

I also gained a greater understanding of the scene through just the enlightening experience and learning how people kinda work in a way. It was just awesome with the small community matey vibe, and made for a really, really good night, where things felt deeper than ever, where people become fucking awesome and you just want to be nice, and where the music hits harder than it has ever hit before. It was from this moment onward where the real fun would begin, that would truly qualify this as the Insanest Gig Ever.

After that, I was feeling a bit elated, a bit wired, and quite a bit ready to rock and roll, and who better to rock and roll with, and rock all over you, than the one, the only, PISS OFF.

During the soundcheck and time before they started, me and Arran goofed around by singing Walk All Over You by AC/DC, with us doing it in funny voices, and Arran singing it unimaginably very high pitched way.

Beginning their set with Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf, which they masterfully performed at the Gormless Records gig a while earlier, this performance was an evolution of that in a way, and I'd say, it was fucking better. With the small as crowd, Arran could not do the stage banter he would do at more packed gigs. I don't know what it is, but stage banter actually feels alienating as a crowd member sometimes. It feels like they're talking to everyone else, but not talking to you.

So instead, he engaged by dancing with the crowd like the brat he is, moshing with them, and dancing with moves like Jagger. Tani and Theo were up to their usual business, and they are very good dancers, who just let the feels envelop them. It was pretty insane genuine raw rock and roll, there was no katate slam metal kicks, no punk push pits, and no indie pop swaying, nor club pop style disco dancing. No no, this was the beginning of a revolution. A new type of music enjoyment, and a new type of music enjoyer. And this was a performance where Piss Off truly shined, and were their authentic selves.

This was sort of reminiscent of Birdman's Paddington Hall performance. We were the disciples of rock and roll, and although the term is outdated and has 'race' in the name, 'a new race' kinda described it in a way. It was just where you knew this was the birth of something new, something great, a new thing, a new spawning of something. It was a fusion of rock and roll just pure feel based dancing, where you just let your body move how it wants to, with no fear of judgement at all, and this was the perfect place, without any judgement for a new type of gig goer to be developed, as again, everyone was mates, so it was all good.

This new race/possible new scene of sorts, is kinda centred around a mixture of old Australian pub/hard rock, but with a little bit less of the alcohol, and is like a modern development of it. One of my friends told me that old Australian rock is getting popular again, and in a way, it's good, but only if the racist, macho bogan undertones are successfully removed from it. And I'd say, it's not really possible to rewrite the past and pretend it didn't happen, but it is possible to write the future, and not repeat the mistakes of the past.

And I'd say the vibe was just awesome. It was a mixture of boys, girls, and anyone else. Like Frenzee had a female frontwoman, and Care had women on bass and vocals, which although it isn't the greatest amount of representation, as someone who is all for women in bands, it was pretty good to see. It's probably an overstatement to say this is a new scene, but it felt like the first real different thing, that harkens to the past yet opens new sonic territory, that made it feel awesome.

It wasn't like those pseudo-alternative gigs that felt really elite and where the band members were people from another planet you just don't talk to. It wasn't like those metal-scene hardcore gigs where everyone's dressed in black and all for HEAVY METAL with bands with names that sound more like some secret society than a music group, it wasn't like those Gormless or Project punk gigs either. This was like a culmination of everything, the economic conditions right now, the fact that Communify are being cunts who banned gigs, which meant Ithaca Hall was hired under the guise of it being an art exhibition, the indie art collective-rave adjacent vibes bought along (really by Tani, sorry kinda had to be really specific there), the chill vibes of drummer George (he's literally the living embodiment of the chill guy), the rock and roll influence that has been permeating Piss Off and associated bands for a while now, along with my interest in other genres of music, and combined with the fact that I knew pretty much everybody there, and the pure soul bonding/sharing that goes along with that.

Anyways, the emotion was just so so, significant to the experience, and it defined Piss Off's set. Born To Be Wild was blown to new proportions and played like it was played from a another dimension, and I sung every lyric of it, and busted out the moves like the frontman of The Easybeats. The dancing was such a vibe and so enveloping that even Arran began doing his own kangaroo hop, and duckwalk like there was no tomorrow. It was just a pure celebration of the DIY all ages scene, and it was like a moment in history. The energy and just feeling of remarkableness and being a part of something was just like Radio Birdman's Paddington performance, just made to suit a small crowd.

Next up was The American In Me, which was performed like usual, but of course, with a 'new race' vibe from it, and it felt like Arran, Johnnie and guitarist guy were performing just for us, like an exclusive gig, and it was like it was made to tailor suit the people present, and it was performed in a way that made you feel like a part of the the performance. Like you just had to be there. Honestly, Piss Off's, and the next band's performance were the best performances of music I've ever witnessed, and you may think it wasn't that significant, or wasn't really all that exciting, but it just really was, at least for me, or maybe the other present, hopefully.

Next up was I'm Stranded, a cover of The Saints song, and they kinda butchered it in a way. Arran missed the vocal cue, and guitarist guy didn't know how many times to play, or how to play, which is understandable, I'm Stranded is not a song you can easily memorise, coming from someone who has rehearsed and covered that song before. I've seen footage of people performing the song, including one of Artie and the Rantans performing it at one of the first Project Punk events, and nobody gets it perfect, whether it's vocal delivery, how the guitar riff is played, or how many times to play this part or that part, and it's mostly because I'm Stranded is a such a weird song, the guitar was in a weird tuning and with a tone that made it hard to hear the notes, and it was recorded pretty lofi.

But Piss Off put a unique twist on it, Arran made it into his song, and sung impromptu vocals over it, all while everyone danced like true Brisbane folk, to the first punk rock song from Brisbane, possibly the first punk rock song ever. Although they absolutely butchered the song, it was still very very good.

Now, possibly due to how seriously they butchered I'm Stranded, the severely low crowd attendance, or a combination of those reasons, they ended their set there. It was a bit disappointing, considering I thought I was gonna go up on stage and rock all over the world like there was no tomorrow, but I wasn't going to be disappointed for long, because...

Before long, Shock Value were setting up, and the pizza business was finally sorted out, and everybody helped themselves to a slice, along with a copy of the zine on the same table. Now, I usually sell the zine, but really, I didn't give a fuck, pretty much everybody there was a mate of mine, and yeah, with the zines on the table, people grabbed a copy, and mates help mates out, and who cares, that's just what you do for mates, and funnily enough, on one issue in particular, there was this funny photo of Arran and Johnnie on the back cover, and people got them to sign their foreheads on the back cover. It was funny as.

Anyways, singer George announced that the gig felt like a weird sleepover, and it kinda did feel that way, for me, it felt like a little party, kinda like the movie Project X in a way, but without the mayhem, and with real music. It just felt like the best night of my life, and like a moment where I became a reinvigorated man.

Shock Value started their set, and it was a bit of a blur in a way. There was this weird plush doll that me and the guys from Shock Value found in a storage area backstage, and for some reason, someone brought it out and began throwing it around. Meanwhile, Arran got some masking tape and covered himself with it, and I got wrapped with Arran, which got us stuck together and made for a funny stage antic, the doll also got the masking tape stuck to him as a handle to be thrown around. Just thinking about it makes me laugh at how ridiculous shit became. As far as I remember, the doll got christened the name Jonathan by singer George. Arran brought out a caution wet floor sign, which he soon kicked for shits and giggles, and was soon kicked around by the crowd, and kicked when the beat dropped or something. Arran also brought out this large as broom that was at the hall, and used it to sweep the dancefloor like he was cleaning it, and also the debris and dust towards Shock Value, as if they were the dirty dozen or something.

It was just pure anarchy and mayhem. Everybody was busting out moves that no other gig had seen before, and Arran and Johnnie had their own little dance routine thing going on, and Jonathan was being thrown around and smacked like the naughty boy he is.

The fucking wet floor sign was being kicked around, and kinda exemplified how crazy the dancefloor was. Jonathan was also thrown onto singer George, who threw it around for shits and giggles, and also shot into the air, and thrown from a chair at the back of the hall. A highlight of their set was 'Heart Attack', a song I love so much, and really exemplifies the feeling of being enamoured, and I enjoyed belting out the lyrics to it. It was the pinnacle of entertainment. Pure sonic bliss.

I had to leave early, but as soon as I walked out that door, I knew, I had just witnessed the best performance and utter experience ever. I walked out that door, a new man. Utter rock and roll perfection. SUPPORT ALL THESE BANDS TODAY, THEY ROCK:

Frenzee

Care

Antics

Shock Value

Piss Off

They're the best lineup I've ever seen.