22 November 2024 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane – words by Cody-James Henderson – pictures by Bec Harbour
The blanket that is Punk Rock doesn’t just offer security to those who are lost on their way. It covers many styles, approaches, genres, decades, beliefs & stylistic choices, keeping it one the most open and explored styles of music since its first wave eclipsed in the very late 60s. So what happens when you take 2 bands that have curated their own individual crafts of Punk Rock, put them on a bill together in a country thousands of miles away from home? You get a completely sold out national tour from 2 of the ultimate household names in Alkaline Trio and Dropkick Murphys.
Whilst the vendiagram between these two bands doesn’t cross over in the largest degree when it comes to their own brand of Punk Rock, there is a level of unity and loner that transcends into the hearts of the listeners. There can be no denying what both of these bands have done for their respective scenes, but just what kind of a show could both bands muster for the final night of a highly successful national tour?
Alkaline Trio: In the time between tonight and Alkaline Trios last Australian tour, the band has released 2 albums, an EP, Tom Delonge would leave Blink 182 and Skiba would join, release 2 albums with Blink, Donald Trump would be voted in as President (TWICE) the world would go into a lockdown for the Covid virus, Tom Delonge would rejoin Blink 182 and get the world to believe in aliens!?
What a crazy 10 years that was, ANYWAY.
With just how quickly this tour would sell out across the country, it’s safe to audiences have been waiting for Alkaline Trio to make their ways back to the land down under, and wasted no time making the band feel welcome. ‘Time to Waste’ opens the night on a fanfare as the hall erupts with voices crying out loud. The classics continue out pouring with ‘We’ve Had Enough’ and ‘Take Lots with Alcohol’ please various generations, sending old school fans into a flurry that soon becomes bodies surfing their way across the crowd as opposed to the front of the stage.
Alkaline Trio – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Bec Harbour
“We’ve been having a wonderful time in your land down under” says Skiba before dropping into a handful of tracks from the bands latest album and critically acclaimed album Blood, Hair & Eyeballs. There’s no such thing as a ‘Bad Time’ when it comes to Alkaline Trio and it’s apparent that these new songs have sparked a resurgence in heavier hitting material. A lot of this could be to do with Willards inclusion into the band, as his playing pounds into the depth of your souls. But to say he’s been a perfect fit into the live side of Alkaline Trio would be an understatement.
“I wasn’t sure we’d ever see each other, again. When that Covid thing happened, I thought it was all over. I’m so glad I was wrong” appropriately forewords ‘Armageddon’ as the middle of the set spans across a careers worth of material. The likes of ‘Sadie’ ‘Calling All Skeletons’ ‘Crawl’ and fan favourite ‘Mercy Me’ and even a deep cut from the lesser known Rock Against Bush compilation in ‘Warbrain’ invoke some of the loudest singing I’ve ever heard in this venue. This was 11 years of pent up struggle and emotion exploding as the cork finally leaves the bottle times almost 3000. And whilst all those voices may not harmonise in the nicest way, the way Skiba and Adrianno sound completely flawless across almost 3 decades of material is just phenomenal. And to pull it off whilst dressed to the eyes in formal attire and hardly break a sweat is just inspiring to watch.
Alkaline Trio – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Bec Harbour
“This is the last night of the Blood, Hair & Eyeballs tour, and the last time we will play this song” As the band goes into the title track of the album, i realise just how quickly time has flown since lockdown. This album was on my radar the second it was announced, and here we are already at the end of the cycle. And just like that blink, we hit the end of the bands set. Oh how I wish it wasn’t so.
The culmination of the Blood Hairs & Eyeballs tour ended tonight in Brisbane with an explosive sing-a-long to the all time emo ballad ‘Radio’. The band noted it has been 11 years since they last toured Australia, and have no intentions of the wait being that long ever again. With the efforts of the crowd tonight and with the entirety of the set had me feeling, we can only hope the next Alkaline Trio shows are sooner than we expect.
Dropkick Murphys: “If the kids are united, then we’ll never be divided” Sham 69 echoes throughout the hall. The lights go dark and Celtic hymns fill the air. The fighting spirit of Boston is in the house, and covering the stage. And the spirit doesn’t get as mighty, as that of the Dropkick Murphys.
Voices reach new heights as ‘The Boys Are Back’ unleashes chaos across the fields as vocalist Ken Basey takes to a pair of cinder style blocks on the barricade, lending his microphone to the voices, but safe to say with how loud the building is tonight it isn’t necessary. And like a scene from Duelling Banjos, ‘The State of Massachusetts’ turns every flat cap wearing man in the Brisbane area into playing their air banjos and every young person having flashbacks to ‘Nitro Circus’ marathons in the early 2010s.
Dropkick Murphys – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Bec Harbour
I’ve never seen a man head bang whilst playing the accordion (take notes Weird Al) but you never know what you might see at a Dropkick Murphys show after all.
“We hope to see you again next year, I think” Ken sets the audience ablaze before instructing the room to part in the middle for ‘Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye’. At this point of the set Ken has probably spent more time on the barricade, fist bumping every soul he possibly can. This is a level of energy lost on bands that have been around for the time Dropkick Murphys have. But if you pay attention to the words of the bands latest single ‘Sirens’ it’s always been a moment of unity when it comes to Dropkick Murphys. It was built on it, and it will die on it.
‘Two 6s Upside Down’ from one of the bands latest albums lowers the energy but still tells the tales synonymous in the telling of Murphys. But it’s not long before a “little bit of Glasgow” comes to Brisbane for ‘The Bonny’ and bagpipes blare through the speakers.
There’s something beyond a rock concert happening tonight. It doesn’t matter if it’s newer tracks like ‘Good as Gold’ or ‘Smash Shit Up’ or throwing it back to ‘Captain Kelly’s Kitchen’ there was always something happening. Crowd surfing, circle pits, mugging Ken’s microphone to be the first one to sing the next line. It’s an experience that I could spend hours trying to put into words, but it wouldn’t even come close to the feelings in this rooms tonight. It’s truly something spectacular, and everyone is relishing every single moment of it.
Dropkick Murphys – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Bec Harbour
“This one’s for everyone with a fucked up family at the holidays” as ‘The Seasons Upon Us’ spreads Christmas in November. Now I’m an anti Christmas music kind of guy. However, I can make an exception for Dropkick Murphys. Especially as the band lets us know that this isn’t a time of year they usually tour due to the holidays. So for that sacrifice alone, I’ll allow a Christmas song to spread the cheer. Not that much more cheer needs spreading tonight.
Taking time to dedicate ‘Rose Tattoo’ to multiple people directly, I have to go back to the level of unity and strength in tragedy that Dropkick Murphys have put on display tonight. To acknowledge specific individuals that are here tonight and pay respects to those they are mourning is not something I’ve seen at a show before, but you can automatically tell that this isn’t just the band trying to be seen as good people, this was a genuine outpouring of respect from the fighting Irish. And it’s made a bigger fan out of me.
An appropriate main set closer ‘Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced’ serenades the souls at the bar getting their final drinks before last call. An aggressive body is taken out of the venue by security, it’s as if we’re in an ol timey pub, serenaded with old folk tunes the likes of which men have known for centuries. It’s a chaotic moment of bliss. But it’s not the end after all, as we begin to dance to ‘Shipping Up To Boston’ for the encore. An appropriate song for the Boston Natives to end a world tour on.
Dropkick Murphys – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Bec Harbour
It’s safe to say that both bands have been around the block just a couple of times in their respective careers. But bringing the two of them together was an absolutely immaculate idea. The efforts given tonight were nothing short of spectacular from both acts, putting to bed that touring parties need to be as close in sound as possible. Sometimes the slight contrast can make for the greatest shows. And tonight was one of those nights. Maybe we could see a Ska/Hardcore Punk show one day, or maybe I’m just a dreamer.
What I am though, is incredibly honoured and privileged to have witnessed two of the greatest acts in Punk Rock deliver one of the standout shows of 2024.
