Propaghandi @ Manning Bar

Hey creationists, you had best stay at home. Canada’s favourite vegan, pro-gay, pro-refugee, pro-animal rights, pro-feminist, pro-hockey (but anti-capitalist and anti-church, of course) punk rockers are back in town. Propagandhi returned to Australian shores to (finally) tour their 2012 album, Failed States, brought out by Sydney’s Blue Murder who did the same in 2011.

Wandering through a drizzly Sydney University campus towards Manning Bar, it was clear that there was a real anticipation for this show. With 30 minutes to go before the support acts were even due to start, the lines had already started to form.

Death Mountain, who only played their first show mid-last year, were a solid opener. A little bit post-punk, Jawbreaker-esque in parts, a little almost stadium in others, the band’s technical skill shone through a multitude of time signatures, although a second guitarist might help Adam Lees when he’s throwing down solos.

As soon as Crisis Alert had whipped through their opener, I felt like I’d done them a disservice by not being aware of them sooner. Soaked in ’80s hardcore attitude, watching this band was like being at a 1984 D.R.I. show. They were so fast and had so much energy, every 90-second song made me grin like an idiot (as I stood safely near the bar… so punk). For the kids listening to make-up-wearing hair rock right now, you’re making a fucking mistake. Listen to Crisis Alert, please.

Propagandhi took to the stage without fanfare and tore into ‘Dear Coach’s Corner’ from Failed States and ‘Fuck The Border’ from the classic Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes. The crowd, showing the band just how much it meant to them, shouted every single word back from the very first lyric. The majority of the set was dedicated to Failed States (as expected), but the band also included songs from Potemkin City Limits, Supporting Caste, and even a couple of classics from Less Talk, More Rock (‘And We Thought That Nation States Were A Bad Idea’) and How To Clean Everything (‘Haille Sellasse, Up Your Ass’). The crowd appreciatively responded with circle pits all evening.

Propagandhi were everything I expected them to be. An education wrapped in furious energy and vitriol.