5 December 2023 – The Tivoli, Brisbane – words by Cody-James Henderson – pictures by Justin Gittins
A question for readers. How many times does someone have to tour Australia before we can legally make them citizens? 10? 15? How about 22?
Because Australia’s favourite Californian Punks Pennywise are back one again. Touring in conjunction with Good Things Festival, there was no chance these icons were just going to make an exclusive festival appearance. Not in their favourite country in the world to tour.
Before hitting the Gold Coast, Central Coast and Torquay the band stopped in at The Tivoli in Brisbane with FANGZ and Fake News, a night that was set to be one for punks from all walks of life to enjoy.
Fake News: Fake News are a living personification of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater days of Punk Rock. Hailing from all parts of Queensland, the 5 piece defied what is often a common misconception about opening acts. They took the stage like it was their own headline show, and with amount of fans in the front rows it may as well have been.
Donning the classic long shorts/skate shoe combos, you could be fooled that the band was going for a simple nostalgia act. Nope, not even remotely close. Punk rock is their game, and they’ve shaped it into their own. It wasn’t without its classic tropes of Punk Jumps and music on the double time, but it absolutely made make for one hell of a show. Standing still just wasn’t an option for these guys.
Not a single layer of what Fake News played was lost in the void. The bass was punchy (and it actually belonged to Randy from Pennywise, oh how things come ‘Full Circle’ if you will) the guitars provided a distorted harmony over the crashing doors of the drums. But the vocals really drove home the energy that Fake News brought in short, standby punk rock.
A Tuesday night is no easy show to try and move tickets for, even if you’re supporting one of the biggest punk bands of all time. But Fake News managed to bring in many friends and capture just as many new fans who may have missed the ‘news’ about one of Queenslands strongest sounding Punk outfits.
Whether you buy a CD or stream your music; get your mates around, crack out the PlayStation, have some drinks, set up Tony Hawk and blast some Fake News and before you know it, it’ll be the late 90s all over again.
FANGZ: Like wrestlers with their own theme music, FANGZ hit the stage to the sound of Turnstile blasting through the venue. Straight-arming a beer like they were ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin & dressed in matching overalls, the recurring 90s theme isn’t a lost irony tonight.
Whether it’s a school night or not, FANGZ couldn’t give a damn. They’re here to party as if New Years came weeks early. Ever seen a vocalist do a cartwheel on a small stage? You will at a FANGZ show.
FANGZ have always been one of those bands I had always heard of but schedules never lined up for me to see them live. And I regret all of that. Oh I’ve been a fool for so long.
Their blend of all things Melodic Hardcore, Punk Rock, Hard Rock and Party themes really give them a stand out edge that begs the question; why aren’t FANGZ one of Australia’s leading Rock Bands? There is literally something for everyone here. Even the older punks in the audience found themselves toe tapping and dancing around when instructed.
FANGZ have generational appeal and more people need to be aware of this. Plus a band that can take their craft seriously whilst balancing wits and humour between songs with either undermining each other is something so many bands could take a lesson from.
“This place is too fancy for me. It’s like meeting your girlfriend’s dad for the first time. I’m shitting myself and I don’t want you to know that I’m on drugs” says Bassist Jameel Majam. To him I say, make yourself familiar with a room like this. Because soon before long, FANGZ should be headlining rooms like this.
Just don’t leave vocalist Joshua Cottreau unsupervised, or he may help himself to the blocked off upstairs area, climb over the railing and almost dangle of the floor 12 feet below. At least he securely slid down the stairs. Safety first kids.
Pennywise: Worknights are a tough shoot for anyone. Especially when a headliner doesn’t hit the stage til close to 10pm. But did that stop hundreds from packing out the Tivoli Dancefloor? Absolutely not. (Although, a special shoutout to the guy who tried starting a Pennywise chant 15 minutes before the set to try and coerce them out earlier, I feel that)
But after the sounds of The Clash dimmed down,, the Hermosa Beach icons hit the stage with the raucous ‘Fight til you Die’ opening the night, sending the crowd into a fury.
“This is a backyard party motherf*cker” Guitarist Spencer yells asking for lighting to be changed to a more ‘romantic blue’ before continuing into a barrage of hits and deep cuts.
“I know some of you may have work tomorrow or some sh*tty excuse. But I wanna see you dance.” And boy did the crowd dance. It’s hard not too when the band fires hit after hit at you. Songs like ‘Every Single Day’ ‘My Own Country’ & ‘Same Old Story’ just kept the crowd motivated.
Pennywise knows it’s been a long time as a band and they’re no longer spring chickens, but the intensity that the band still plays at shows how much heart they still give even after 3 Decades. This is the bands 22nd visit to Australia, but they still play like it’s the 1st time. As if tomorrow they fly home and won’t ever get to travel the world again.
With a career spanning 12 albums, how do you put together a setlist to appease crowds? Simple; you play something from almost every record. Even if you’ve only played it 4-5 times in the past like ‘The Western World’ (my personal favourite Pennywise track, I never thought I’d ever hear) and even taking requests from the audience for covers or deep cuts.
Spencer also believes NOFX isn’t actually breaking up in 2024 as Fat Mike has a c*caine addiction he needs to fulfill (but he did offer to start a GoFundMe to help with this) as they belted out covers of ‘Bob’ & ‘Kill all the white men’ but also some Descendents & Bad Religion as well for the fans wearing their merch. Just don’t ask them to play Lagwagon.
The fun and games between songs was enjoyed by the hundreds in attendance, but it meant as curfew was slowly approaching, a song had to be cut (curse you curfews, you took ‘Perfect People’ from me)
If you’ve seen Pennywise before you knew what was coming. Vocalist Jim Lindberg lead the crowd to a sing-along of ‘Stand By Me’ and although he tried to remind people of the lyrics, the Pennywise faithful was already one step ahead.
And then, the punk brotherhood national anthem. ‘Bro Hymn’ is the greatest set closer in Punk Rock history. It’s not even close. No other track gets the crowd singing in unison the way ‘Bro Hymn’ does, nor does anything bring a room full of generational punks together the way ‘Bro Hymn’ does. From all walks of life, the stage filled with special guests, FANGZ & Fake News singing their absolute hearts out. Not often do you get to see fans supporting their favourites, but the joy on their faces being a part of punk legacy was absolutely priceless.
Pennywise is the Punk equivalent of a fine wine. It only gets better the longer it’s around. I’ve been lucky enough to see Pennywise a few times before dating back to 2014 (I’m a young one, leave me alone) but I have never seen them as good as they were last night.
This isn’t a band trying to live off a legacy or a name. Pennywise is a band that embodies all things that are Punk Rock and do this for the love of the game. And it’s a game they won a long time ago.
