We might be up in the big smoke of Sydney city this evening, but both of our opening acts proudly call the leisure coast of Wollongong home. First up are White Blanks, a trio that are rambunctious and exuberant in their delivery of garage-dwelling indie-punk. Vocalist/guitarist Marcus Aiello gets so excited during one song that his nose starts bleeding. He rectifies it by shoving in a tissue, and we’re straight back to the joyful noise of whirring guitars and hammering drums. It’s a sweaty mess of swung-about instruments and throat-tearing choruses, and it’s executed with just the right amount of grit.
The Pinheads take to the stage next, normally a septet but down to six without their keyboardist. Then again, only the real trainspotters would notice such a thing – when the show gets going, it’s hard to focus on anything apart from fearless frontman Jez Player. Equal parts Iggy Pop and Lux Interior, Player throws himself into the surge of the crowd – prowling on top of speakers, bouncing off punters and landing smack-bang on a foldback following some crowd-surfing. There’s a fine line between pleasure and pain, and no band knows how to ride it quite like The Pinheads.
Who’d have guessed that of all the bands to make a comeback in 2017, one would be Gold Coast punks Bleeding Knees Club? Frontman Alex Wall unexpectedly revived the name late last year with a brand-new lineup – and, although former partner-in-crime Jordan Malane is missed, it’s a real trip to hear these songs again after so many years.
Tonight’s show is well and truly sold out, and it’s not long before the entire thing descends into chaos. Bodies spill on and off the stage, while beer is splashed all over pedal boards and mic stands get knocked over. The security guards are having a field day, trying to kick out surfers while three more take flight off the side speakers.
All the while, Wall and co. are powering through a mix of choice cuts from their recent Chew The Gum EP and songs from the early days. The new lineup is tight in its execution, but it’s never at the expense of the songs’ unkempt energy. By the time they’re sloppily covering ‘Tubthumping’ by Chumbawumba and setting the whole thing ablaze with finale ‘Bad Guys’, it feels like all the years this band was absent have passed in a matter of seconds.
Bleeding Knees Club played Hudson Ballroom on Friday May 19.
