Look, it’s something we’ve all wondered. Ninja versus pirate: who would win?
And sure, while the smart money is on the ninja, there’s something deep inside all of us – the small part of us that loves chaos and craves dressing up in eccentric garb, with an eyepatch and a rum-swilling accent (“yaaaaar!”) – that knows whatever the outcome, the pirate is having much more fun.
In fact, as Mother Junkst of pirate rockers Lagerstein explains, the driving force behind the band’s shenanigans is the pursuit of all things fun. As the fourth Lagerfest hits the road this month, you’ll soon have the chance to experience this pirate wonderland yourself.
“Lagerfest at its heart is about fun,” Junkst says. “It’s bringing together a unique day, where there are lots of things to do. You can come and see some awesome bands – and we’ve worked really hard to put on a really diverse lineup – so you’re going to find someone onstage very different to whoever just went before them. We’ve always felt that a really long day of bands can get a bit overwhelming, so the plan for Lagerfest is to have all sorts of options. If I don’t feel like seeing bands, I can play some beer pong, or just check some of the acoustic artists. It’s a ‘have it your way’ kind of day; there’s just heaps to do.”
Lagerfest is still a relative newcomer to the annals of roving festivals, but in short order it has amassed an impressive following thanks to both the quality of music – the sheer energy of the seven-piece Lagerstein is astounding, let alone the likes of The Stiffys, Darker Half and more – and the atmosphere it encourages. It’s loud, it’s raucous, but mostly it’s about the fun. And the rum, of course.
“[At] our very first [Lagerfest], our drummer was the manager of a pub and convinced them to let us use their entire car park, so we had this really huge space to put on a gig,” says Junkst. “And it seemed natural that you would have a gig of many bands if you had such a sweet outdoor space. And the guys in the band, we’re just silly as. We love playing games, and so we wanted it to be more than a normal gig. At that first one, we had a dunk tank, a bungee run. We wanted it to be this day that’s all about fun, like a big house party where everyone is getting along great with awesome music.
“Last year at the Triffid [in Brisbane], we had so many people dressed as pirates. I always find it’s a really diverse audience. We have people in their 50s to people just turned 18, and I think what really characterises a Lagerstein or Lagerfest show is that everyone is there to enjoy this spirit of fun and camaraderie. It’s really great.”
To that end, the vision of the festival isn’t all that different to their original vision of the band itself: fun, camaraderie, and a whole armada of booze.
“The core of us all met around six years ago, just playing around the Brisbane scene in a heap of symphonic death metal bands. We had this idea that we wanted to be in a band that was just… more fun. Still great music, but not as serious as that really epic death metal. It’s kind of a random background for a bunch of pirates to come out. But I remember us talking about wanting to be a band where we could do beer bongs onstage,” he laughs, “and that was kind of the beginning.”
