In time for their tour here this week, below is my DOA review which I wrote of their show in Sydney on their last tour that was published on Sludge Factory (now SF Media) in March 2011... I'm sure their gig on Saturday night back here - said to be the bands last before DOA's singer Joey Shithead follows his convictions into Canadian politics... Check it out here.
Supports will be HOSTILE OBJECTS, WOLFPACK, and RUST
Read on...
D.O.A. + Deathcage + Topnovil + Headbutt
Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills SYDNEYFriday, 11th March 2011
Review by Derek J. Huckel
First on the bill tonight were
HEADBUTT, a five piece band which could perhaps best be described as
Oz Yob Punk Rock. The tunes they pumped out were fun, fast and
energetic, immediately getting you caught up in the three chord tempo
rhythm. But if use of the word 'cunt' is offensive to you, or at
least, use of it about 50 times in 30 minutes then maybe give these
guys a miss. It was amusing in a way to begin with. Song titles
included 'Fuck You' and 'Fuck-off Cunt', 'Religious Cunts', a song about a
guy who's dead and was a cunt, another about fat cunts - whom one of
the guitarists included himself, '2 Bucks' (which I think was about
homeless cunts), 'Cunt of a Day', 'Sink More Piss', and a song which I
think is a cover for a personal search of religion called 'Gods Arse'.
I find it ironic that a band who mightn't agree with religion spend
time writing and singing about it how HEADBUTT did. Each to their own
I say.
Wollongong's TOPNOVIL were next up
after a short wait and the area in front of the stage was full
immediately! It was earlier nowhere near as full for HEADBUTT. Maybe
that was first band syndrome, or alienating the crowd with all the
'cunts'? TOPNOVIL held the crowd in their palm pretty soon after
launching into their first song 'Trash'. Followed quickly by 'Rock n
Roll', and 'Punk Rot'. All these and those that followed were tight,
fast and kept your attention with their musicality in the rhythm
changes and lyrics. The singer Dee Dee put his heart and soul into
this thirty minute set, as did the rest of the band Pauly, Brady and
Lucko. He told us as much too that they wanted to jam as much as they
could for us into their 30 minute set, even telling us this at three
times normal pace like he'd had one too many energy drinks. The
singers emotion burst through his eyeballs as he bounced around the
mic, tilting at several different angles like straining to grow
another few inches. In one song singing 'with punk rock in our
hearts/ we will never die' and in that minute with his energy filling
the room with those words, most of us believed him. The power and
feeling of the band was felt by the crowd and made all bop away in
some fashion or other. Songs 'Sidewalk' and 'Scenario' followed next,
then 'The Crew', 'Time to Fight', and 'Wasted'. The band literally stopped
for ten seconds for a drink then launched back into what they were
here for - playing more punk rock full tilt! Ska coloured their tunes
too, one or two were pretty much straight ska whilst another few had
ska flavourings. Closing the set were 'Never Trusted You', a great
cover of 'Radio' (I couldn't pick who by), and 'The Fight'. I was made
aware that TOPNOVILs' name was derived from an expression
'liv(e)-on-pot' spelt backwards. Interesting piece of neat trivia for
a great band! They've been around since '97 honing their craft and
tonight they looked and sounded like that time has not been wasted
but has made them a very sharp and spot-on unit. Indeed kicking ass
tonight and it sounded (and felt) good!!
DEATHCAGE were on and in your face
immediately. If you know England's ENT - EXTREME NOISE TERROR - then
that band could give you an idea of what we had here on this
frightful eve. They quote 90's Japanese hardcore bands
such as DEATHSIDE, CRUDE and BASTARD as key influences. They have
been around since 2008 and have a growing following which could only
have been strengthened tonight. Their wham-bam 'take no prisoners'
approach grabbed a lot and lost a few in the audience. Just looking
at the guys in this four piece band then you might have thought you
were going to get stoner rock by the long curly haired stocky guys
look on bass, or glam from the long haired feather cut of the
guitarist. The leather gloved crew-cut wiry singer might lead you to
believe some type of fetishism was about to occur. In the third song,
as we were being sonically assaulted by a technical guitar, speedy
bass playing and a wicked rat-a-tat relentless drumming, the singer
launched himself into the crowd and ricocheted off several punters
before climbing back to his perch on stage. 'Daggers Roll' was one of
the last power packed songs to their set. The kinetic energy and
sound these guys were putting out became somehow enjoyable but
numbing at the same time, making it a respite when they were done.
There was alot of anticipation in the
room waiting for D.O.A. This Canadian band of punkers has been making
music since 1979 & still going strong, if the strength of their
music tonight is anything to go by then I can't see them pulling the
plug for a while yet. I saw them previously in the 90s and they were
as relevant and as powerful then as they were tonight with their
political and socially conscious lyrics. People went off as soon as
they hit the first note. The strong following at the front of the
stage didn't stop all night and knowing all the words, some would've
done the singing if they could. I think Joey 'Shithead' (aka. Joe
Keithley) had some at hello. 'Class War' was one of the first songs
played people were pogoing and jostling. Joey asked for the lights to
be toned down as with all the flashing lights he said '...it's like
being in a Japanese cartoon.' The mosh pit started up again with the
next song 'Waiting For You'. Joey is a great frontman, vibrant and
energetic bursting with the emotion fuelled by his lyrics. Bass
player Dan Yaremko is a great side man too, you can tell these guys
have been together for a while, he'll step up and back for when he
feels Joey there – it looked like a sixth sense thing at times, or
obviously if the song requires it. The young-looking drummer was great too. Jesse
Pinner had great power & spot on timing, keeping the solid beat
and a glue for the front two. Apparently the drummer has been only
with the band since May last year.
'Police Brutality' was next, or as singer
Joey called it 'Fuck The Police'. 'I live in a Car' followed. I thought
this was going to be a UK Subs cover but its not. It's off their new
album 'Talk – Action = Zero'. It's sentiments are the same as the
SUBS song but updated I guess to modern day econo-crisis - their lyrics:
'They took my job, my wife and my kids/ And the bank foreclosed, I
think I flipped my lid/ Now the welfare line is all that’s left/
Yeah, I think I’m dying from this corporate death'. 'I am an
Atheist' was the next tune that sent the mosh into a frenzy. I
wondered if it's the subject matter or most knew the song but the
tempo of it is ratcheted up past the others quite a bit. Joey dedicated the
next song to a Sydney guy Nigel and his family who had D.O.A. stay
with them last time the band were here. Sadly the guy passed away.
'Bombs Away' off '13 Flavours of Doom' (1992 ) was the song for him.
Shithead was obviously heated having sweated buckets for us tonight,
asking 'Don't you believe in AC (air conditioning)?' adding 'us poor
Canadians from the land of ice and snow...' After a towel down 'Liar
For Hire' was next, singing of the un-great character traits of many
politicians, then 'Disco Sucks'. Joey got a bit narky at getting a cord
bumped out. Doesn't this come with the territory sometimes? I guess
he's so amped and it would piss you off. The band were very
appreciative to the support bands, thanking them a few times during
their set, the dedicated the last song 'The Prisoner' to them. This set
off a surge of crowd to the front who hadn't been up there or
returning people intending to wring all their energy out that they
could muster from themselves for this legend band & their musical
heroes who had put in 120% to this high overload energy set. D.O.A
went off worn out. And as expected, the medium sized rooms crowd
bayed for more. Joey and the guys came back for two more songs. The
first songs intro Shithead used to introduce the band, then the
bassist Yaremko intro'd him 'weighing in at a massive 550 pounds,
Joey Shithead!!!' In reality, Joey is as thin and wiry a guy his age
could be!
Sadly their tour of Australia and New Zealand was
only ten days long but they fit as much in as they could, finishing
on the Sunday after this show. Catch them next time they're here – or get one of their 17
albums (!!) - I'm sure you won't regret it!
Tune: D.O.A. - 'Police Brutality'
DEATHCAGE website
TOPNOVIL website
Tune: TOPNOVIL - 'The Crew'
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