The Bennies Party Hard in Brisbane

The Bennies, Fait Accompli, The Strums, Goon on the Rocks, Ash Mcintyre - Crowbar, Sunday 8 June 2014

Ash Mcintyre in his rawest form is a sight to behold. His 6 foot plus stature glides between relationships ending and meaningful political acoustic punk. Deliberate chords are intertwined with meticulous palm mute action, his voice emotive through a diverse range. Spinning out a slight vibrato that wavers mid song, sparks a beautiful finale to the opening set.

Like a hungry mongrel, Goon on the Rocks frontman comes at you from out of nowhere. In your face, he and his compadres deliver the type of punk rock money can’t buy. True to the core, this Brisbane outfit skip over a few chord fuck ups to tighten the noose and head to a cleaner set of sweat inducing, ceiling swinging fun. Impressive bass solos and a ska edge supporting the last appreciative declaration, “Cheers for getting loose, I’m gonna vomit so much after this.”   

Beating his chest in time, Jai Sparks hits up the mic. The influences present can be drawn clearly from their name. The Strums deliver celebratory goodness by sliding up to a swelling of complimentary notes and beats. Breeding a mass chorus of “Fuck Yeah!” turns to blood dripping from the vocalist’s head. Pouring and out of control, liquid flows as they roll into 'Two and Two is Three.' 

4 nights and counting, Fait Accompli have played without a breath to crowds across the East Coast with this tour. Drummer Skarlett Saramore is entranced in the cadence of her own rhythm. The beats get faster, then slow to make way for the melodic vocals of Ray Lalotoa and his alien sounding lead licks. A song about ‘How much they want to stop Tony Abbott’ falls into the heavy intro of ‘End of The World.’ Getting hot in here, Saramore decides to strip down. The applauding crowd drawing inspiration from an order of “Lets all fucking dance!” The trio unleashing disco punk vibes before the night really kicks in.

‘Party Smashers' sets off the poised heels and feet to hit the low slung roof. The hurling theme getting a second round in as The Bennies vocalist Anty Horgan warns “I’ve already thrown up 7 times tonight so I need your help” before launching into 'Ice Cold Beers and Juicy Juicy Buds.' In his fantastic tights of stars and stripes, he is forever grateful for the long weekend, “We’ve had so many joints this weekend, it’s been unreal, thank-you Queenie!”

With smiles all round, 'Mushroom Tea' sees Telecaster wielding Jules Rosenberg and bassist Craig Selak losing it, while Bowie cuts through on the snare with brut force. High fives and a low jam for a lead change slow dives into ‘Sensi-mi.’ From the wings, the first stage invasion is on and the scrambling front row require no further encouragement to join in the festivities. With a “Cheers" to the Crowbar, they head into 'My Bike.' 'Knights Forever', delivering a bridge and fulfilled invitation to sing it back louder now. Teasing with a ska end, they switch it up to close with a hard hitting delight, taking on their friends and acquaintances to sing out the night.

Kenada Quinlan

Photo by Allan Allport - http://moshpitson.com