The Gig: Anti-Flag with Lemuria, The Artist Life, The Delinquints
Where: The Toff In Town, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
When: 19 September 2010
In One Word: Stupendous

This gig was originally scheduled to take place at the Mod Club but was switched to Sneaky Dee’s, likely due to a lack of advance ticket sales. In any case, the capacity crowd tucked inside the cosy little rectangle up above Sneaks’ restaurant weren’t complaining. On a good night Sneaky Dee’s cannot be beaten for a sweaty, fun rock show – tonight was a very good night.

Local boys The Delinquints and The Artist Life had warmed the crowd up with their respective brands of punk rock n’ roll. I’d only caught the dying moments of the latter.

Fans were rubbing shoulders and stepping on toes as they battled for a piece of optimum floor space ready for the headliners.  Meanwhile the main support took to the stage. A glance at the condensation on the windows provided visual evidence of the sauna-like heat being generated inside the venue. Lemuria would raise the mercury further. Opening with “Pants”, this Buffalo, NY powerpop trio soon had me misty-eyed as I stood soaking up their sound. It was love at first listen.

“The beats give Lemuria a pulse, and something to twitch to but it’s the words that give their music life, and something to cling to.”

There’s a bittersweet quality to much of Lemuria’s music; sometimes delivered with a tongue-in-cheek, sometimes with a raised middle-finger, sometimes with a wink, but always with an honest, if a little twisted, backbone. With just guitar, bass and drums, Lemuria have a straightforward sound but they managed to conjure up several different moods throughout their set by means of subtle variations in tempo and tone. The beats give Lemuria a pulse, and something to twitch to but it’s the words that give their music life, and something to cling to. Lyrically, things range from the deceptively clever, like the aforementioned “Pants”, to the more straight-forward “Lipstick”; two songs offering polarizing dialogues about love and sex, and both of which with lyrics that were easy to latch onto at first listen. The vocals are shared by guitarist Sheena Ozella, whose voice is bright, light and quiet, while drummer Alex Kerns backs up with a low and dreary tone that compliments the overall subdued vocal delivery of Lemuria.

The band has a mix of the warped and the sweet that reminds me of The Vaselines. In fact, seeing as I was too flat skint to be able to buy any of their music at the show, it was The Vaselines that I turned to listen to when I got home. Sheena – she was born to be a punk rocker with a name like that – said that this was only their second time in Toronto. I’m sure I’m not the only one who became a fan of Lemuria tonight. I hope they return soon.

And so to Anti-Flag. I have fond memories of seeing these guys four years ago at The Garage in Glasgow, Scotland. The Garage is a medium size venue with a capacity of around 600, so it’s about the same as the Mod Club -  so, it was a whole different experience to see Anti-Flag play in the tighter confines of Sneaky Dee’s, which has a maximum capacity of around 250 at an absolute squeeze. I caught a glance of drummer Pat Thetic warming up by playing on a little rubber drum pad while he was standing in the small corridor that runs alongside the wall next to the stage – there’s no backstage area at Sneaks.

Anti-Flag kicked off with “Die For Your Govermnent”, sparking an instant frenzy among the crowd. Fans surged to front with only the monitors on the stage in the way to separate them from the band. Fans moshed and stepped over one another to get closer to the stage, but generally the atmosphere was kept fun and friendly. During the middle of the set, one guy at the front got aggressive towards a photographer next to him, but the band reacted by stopping and telling the guy to kindly leave, via stage right. The only other sparks that flew were those coming from the overheating camera flashes of a few machine-gun photographers, with bassist Chris #2 getting visibly agitated by them, and at one point he politely asking one of these photographers to lower his strobe. I trust the members of Anti-Flag managed to survive the night without their retinas being permanently scarred. (For the record, I wasn’t using flash and I never, ever have done – this is the reason why flash photography is banned at most shows. It’s annoying as fuck for the bands.)

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania punk rock band played through a 20 song setlist which got progressively better. Anti-Flag did not let up for one second. A big highlight from the middle of their set was “Fuck Police Brutality”, a song which Justin Sane introduced by talking about the G20 in Toronto, as if the crowd needed any kind of reminder of the events in June – the key lyric of that song was shouted along by all. Later on, another G20 reference was made when Justin Sane dedicated “This Is The End” to a girl in the audience who had been accosted by police at the G20 for having a bottle of saline solution (for contact lenses) on her possession. [For those interested, or for readers unaware of events of the G20 summit in Toronto, please check out my own G20 photo-video below.]

Anti-Flag wrapped up with “The Modern Rome Burning” before taking a quick breather and returning for an encore that included a cover of The Clash’s classic “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?”. The night ended as drummer Pat Thetic walked into the crowd and made it clear that he wanted some space opened up on the floor, much to the confusion of one fan who got on his hands and knees, seemingly thinking that Pat wanted to build a pyramid. Instead, Pat had his bass and snare drum moved to the floor where he played out surrounded by a jubilant crowd.

I scarcely listen to Anti-Flag much on record but live they are a whole different beast. Tonight’s show was the best I’ve witnessed in Sneaky Dee’s since Fucked Up’s wild outing here last Halloween. An enthralling set from Anti-Flag and the discovery of a fantastic indie pop trio? A stupendous night.

© Brian Banks, Editor, Music Vice

Pictures of Anti-Flag and Lemuria at Sneaky Dee’s:

G20 video – a selection of photos taken by me at the G20 summit in Toronto:

Related links:
Anti-Flag
Lemuria
Brian Banks Photography

SOUNDWAVE 2010 PREVIEW

February sees the return of one of Australia’s most innovative and exciting music festivals for those who like their music fast and hard. With over 40 bands on the tour, the question of which acts to see will surely be at the forefront of the minds of Soundwave attendees, so here’s Music Vice’s guide to who’s who this year. We recommend:

The Creepshow
Bringing more to the psychobilly genre than most, the Creepshow’s keyboard-laden tracks and powerful vocal melodies owe as much to the Sunset Strip hair metal scene of the late 80s as they do to the Nekromantix. Sticking to the well-worn psychobilly subject matter of demons, scorned women and the undead, the Creepshow are sure to be a fun start to proceedings.
Related link: The Creepshow at Scene Music Festival 2008

The Aquabats
Perhaps best known for being the band in which Blink-182s Travis Barker cut his teeth, and being the guys behind kid’s TV show Yo Gabba Gabba, this group of goofy Californian ska-punkers are a must-see for Soundwave 2010.

Comeback Kid
For the hardcore fans in attendance, Comeback Kid brings to the table all that a hardcore band should be. Break-downs a plenty and a level of musicianship above par for the genre mean that Comeback Kid will more than likely win over a slew of new fans on this tour. Get there early to avoid disappointment.

The Weakerthans
Flying the Americana/folk rock flag on this tour are The Weakerthans. This group from Winnipeg, Canada proves that you don’t need a stack of Marshall amps and cookie monster vocals to move a festival crowd, though the rock n’ roll fans will also find plenty to like about The Weakerthans. A strange blend of Lucero, The Eels and Weezer; this is another band to look out for this year.

Anti-Flag
For the politically charged, activist punk rockers in attendance, you need go no further than Pittsburg, Pennsylvania’s Anti-Flag. While their lyrical content may be too much for some of the older, more jaded festival-goers to endure, there’s no denying Anti-Flag’s ability to pen a catchy hook and capture an audience.
Related link: Anti-Flag Interview

Reel Big Fish
Last year’s Soundwave festival was a veritable haven for late-90’s ska fans, with Goldfinger and Less Than Jake playing back-to-back sets. This year Reel Big Fish will be catering to that crowd, and with one of the best festival songs ever in their arsenal (1996’s “Beer”) they are sure to please.
Related link: Reel Big Fish Interview

Paramore
Equally sure to please a lot of people are Paramore, who will be the must-see for many of the younger crowd attending Soundwave. Of all the pop punk and emo bands that the last decade gave us, Paramore were a more-likeable cut above the rest and became one of the biggest bands around. With their third album Brand New Eyes topping the charts everywhere back in September last year, their popularity only seems to be growing – worth a look.
Related link: Paramore at Kool Haus, Toronto

Anthrax
If you don’t know why you should be seeing Anthrax then you don’t deserve to be going to music festivals. An absolute staple of 80’s heavy metal and more influential than the Bible, Anthrax know what they’re doing, and they do it well. Predictions are for a sweaty mass of hair and leather to contend with at the front of the crowd for this one, so if that’s not your thing it’s advisable to enjoy Anthrax from a distance.

Alexisonfire
Another one for the hardcore kids, this Canadian 5-piece have a strong following, which has been growing as of late thanks to their latest release, Old Crows/Young Cardinals which provides more crossover appeal than previous releases.

Anvil
As some of the elder statesmen of this year’s Soundwave, Anvil prove, in much the same way as Motorhead, that three old men can rock harder and better than the current trend of 5 or 6 piece heavy rock acts. Anyone who has seen the recent documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil will know that this band has well and truly done the hard yards over the last three decades and will be a solid bet for your festival-going dollar.
Related link: Anvil at Canadian Music Week 2009

Placebo
Brian Molko and pals return for what seems like their thousandth run of Australian festival shows. With an ever growing back-catalogue of hits to draw from, Placebo rank highly as one of Australia’s best loved rock and roll imports, being the soundtrack to so many happy summers, and this tour promises to be no exception. Again, crowds will be heavy for this set and pitty goes out to whatever unfortunate bands draw the short straw and have to play at the same time as Placebo.

AFI
Doing their best to cheer up the emo kids this year will be California’s AFI. With the increasingly prominent electronica aspects to their recorded efforts, it will be interesting to see how this translates to a live setting. There’s no denying the charisma or vocal range of front man Davey Havock nor the band’s songwriting skills, even if their fashion choices can raise more than a few eyebrows.

Faith No More
And finally, your headliners. Securing the newly-reformed talents of San Francisco’s Faith No More has proven to be an absolute coup for the organisers of Soundwave. While partially to blame for the rap-rock nu-metal explosion of the early 2000s, FNM are so, so much more than that. Mike Patton is without compare as the mad scientist of rock and roll and drummer Mike Bordin is a sight to behold. This is guaranteed to be a truly “Epic” performance. Do not miss.

Dates:
Saturday 20 February – Brisbane, Qld
Sunday 21 February – Sydney, NSW
Friday 26 February – Melbourne, VIC
Saturday 27 February – Adelaide, SA
Monday 1 March – Perth, WA

For tickets, full lineup details and all sorts of other goodies, check out Soundwave.com.

Music Vice’s gig guide for January, 2010. These are the shows we think you should check out – some of which you might find us at too!

Shows To Go To is a new monthly preview which we’ve began to coincide with our new site design that we officially launch tomorrow night, 18 January, 2010. Look out for more Shows To Go To in February.

Australia

Big Day Out

Rise Against are part of Big Day Out 2010

Aren’t those Australians lucky? While all us poor souls in the Northern Hemisphere are freezing our butts off, Down Under the sun will be shining at the first major music festival of the year. Headliners at Big Day Out this year include Muse, Lily Allen, Kasabian, The Mars Volta and Rise Against. And yeah, we’ll be there too!

Dates:
Auckland, January 15
Gold Coast, January 17
Sydney, January 22
Sydney, January 23
Melbourne, January 26
Adelaide, January 29
Perth, January 31

Full info and tickets at: www.bigdayout.com

Canada/US

Anti-Flag ‘The Economy Sucks, Let’s Party’ Tour with Aiden, Cancer Bats and guests

Catch Cancer Bats on tour in the US with Anti-Flag

Anti-Flag are on tour across America from January 12 to February 6 with Aiden and Cancer Bats. If that line-up wasn’t enticing enough already for you then look out for special guests including Trash Talk who join the tour from January 19 to January 27 – we’ve heard lots of good stuff about Trash Talk, definitely worth checking out. Dates at: MySpace.com/Antiflag

REDUCED FEE tickets available at: https://tixx1.artistarena.com/anti-flag
USERNAME: anti
PASSWORD: flag

Dinosaur Jr.
Did you think that great fuzz and distortion-fuelled music was extinct? Go see Dinosaur Jr. for the best kind of evidence that it’s still alive and roaring like a T-Rex!

Milford, CT, January 15
Bowery Ballroom, NYC, NY, January 16
Music Hall of Williamsburg, NY, January 17
Brooklyn Bowl, NY, January 18
Castaways, Ithaca, NY, January 19
The Ale House, Kingston, ON, January 20
Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, January 21
Capitol Music Hall, Ottawa, ON, January 22
More info and ticket links: www.dinosaurjr.com/tour.htm

Tegan And Sara
Canada’s most famous musical twins kick-off the new decade with a January tour in Canada!
6 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Orpheum
7 – Kelowna, British Columbia – Community Theatre
8, 9 – Calgary, Alberta – South Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
11, 12 – Edmonton, Alberta – North Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
13 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – TCU Place
14, 15 – Winnipeg, Manitoba – Burton Cummings Theatre
18 – Montreal, Quebec – Place des Arts
19 – Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall
20 – Toronto, Ontario – Kool Haus
22, 23 – Ottawa, Ontario – Bronson Centre
25 – Quebec City, Quebec – Imperial Du Quebec
26 – Fredericton, New Brunswick – Fredericton Playhouse
27 – Halifax, Nova Scotia – Halifax Metro Centre
More info at: www.teganandsara.com Ticket links: Live Nation, GEG

United Kingdom

The Prodigy
Shake off your New Year hangover by catching The Prodigy, who are ripping up the UK with a January tour.
Dates and ticket info at: MySpace.com/TheProdigy

Jamie T
For something a lot less aggressive, a bit less manic but overall equally as cool, catch Jamie T, with UK dates throughout January and extending into early February. These are the rescheduled dates originally planned for Autumn 2009 – original tickets are still valid for the new dates.

January dates:
Tue 19 Nottingham – Rock City
Wed 20 Birmingham – 02 Academy
Fri 22 Sheffield – 02 Academy
Sat 23 Manchester – Academy
Mon 25 Leeds – 02 Academy
Wed 27 Glasgow – Barrowlands
Thu 28 Newcastle – Northumberland Uni
Sat 30 Preston – 53 Degrees
Sun 31 Norwich – UEA
More info at: www.myspace.com/jamietwimbledon

Anti-Flag were in Glasgow, Scotland on a surprisingly sunny May evening when I met drummer Pat Thetic.

At first it didn’t look like I was going to get the chance to speak with Pat because one of the house security guys seemed to be trying his hardest to stop me from doing it by confiscating my camera and calling me a liar when I told him I had an interview pre-arranged. Thankfully I got a hold of Jesse Jones, part of Anti-Flag’s crew, who managed to sort everything out. Jesse got my camera returned to me as well as getting me a photo pass for the rest of the night – cheers Jesse! So after getting my camera back I headed outside the venue with Pat to do an interview. We sat down on some steps in the car-park and chewed the fat as Big Brother watched over us…

So Pat, how are you tonight? Sorry about the hassle there with the security guys on the door, they aren’t usually as over-the-top as that.

Pat – “Hi Brian. Yeah well security are dickheads, there is no need for it to be like this.”

Yeah… security at gigs now is getting a bit ridiculous, people go to rock shows to have a good time and meet the same type of security that you get at international airports. It’s sad to see but hey everything is getting like that these days, it’s the whole ”1984″ / ”Big Brother” thing come true…
Pat – “Tell me about it, there’s probably a security camera watching us right now – they’re everywhere…”

Well we walked outside and right past some fans in Anti-Flag T-shirts and they didn’t even recognise you, so it seems stupid to have such a high level of security.
Pat – “Hahaha…. yeah I can walk around the streets and nobody knows who I am!”

Who are you anyway? Pat Thetic… is that your real name? And Justin Sane and the others, surely those ain’t your real names?
Pat – “Haha, no. Well when we started Anti-Flag all those years ago we all made a decision to drop our real names and choose band names. So ever since then we’ve just gone by the names we made ourselves.

What are your real names then?
Pat – “I can’t tell you that, it’s a band secret.”

Worth a try… So, about an hour or so until you’ll be on stage, how do you find the British crowds?
Pat – “Well we’ve been to the UK a few times and yeah the crowds are always good. Its usually the same wherever we go, people just want to have a good time.”

Yeah man, and of course you’re here playing songs from your new album just out last month. And For Blood And Thunder is Anti-Flag’s first album on a major label, how’s that been so far?
Pat – “Yeah, well we signed with RCA and so far they’ve been really good and there’s been no problems. I guess RCA is Columbia records for you guys in the UK. Being with a big label just helps get our music heard, especially outside of the U.S.”

The whole message of your new album; speaking out against all the continued bullshit of the Bush era with war, lack of democracy, propaganda and so on… To me you guys are one of the few bands who have the balls to make a stand against this, along with Green Day and NOFX who are up there more in the mainstream…
Pat – “Well I don’t think we’re big, not compared to Green Day and NOFX. It’s good that Green Day and NOFX get more exposure to these issues, it helps get the message across to more people. Green Day’s America Idiot album was huge and that made a lot of people listen.”

Ah yeah, Green Day. It’s good to hear you giving them respect because here in the UK they get slagged off a lot by a lot of people who are ignorant enough just to criticise a band for getting popular. I’ve been a Green Day fan since Dookie, all Green Day albums are awesome and a bit different, but American Idiot is the one that makes such a huge statement to the mainstream.
Pat – “American Idiot was a good album and Green Day have brought huge exposure to things like Iraq and Bush. They are good guys, we’ve supported them on tour. I’ve been in the same room as Billie Joe Armstrong. He seems like a good guy from what I’ve seen from the time I’ve spent around him.”

In the summer Anti-Flag will be playing Warped Tour, looking forward to it?
Pat – “Yeah man, well we finish our European tour this month then in from June to August we’ll be with Warped. So we’ll be busy touring non-stop pretty much, which is what its all about.”

Good stuff, how about we wrap this interview up with a bit of word association?
Pat – “Sure..”

Scotland.
Pat – “RAIN!”

Haha, it’s dry today man, this is like summer for us. Next word – milkshakes.
Pat – “Soy. I don’t like milk!”

Bush
Pat – “hmm…[pauses for thought]… LOVER!”

Blair
Pat – “Lover!”

Ha, I think I see a bit of a theme here. Let’s see if there any other lovers you can think of. Security?
Pat – “Lover.”

Well lover can be the new codeword for scumbags…
Pat – “Yeah well we need to cure those fuckers anyway, that’s for sure!”

With that I wished Pat good luck for their set, and I headed inside to see a wicked set from The Unseen while Pat went off to get something to eat and get ready to play.