13 September 2024 – The Tivoli, Brisbane – words by Cody-James Henderson – pictures by Bec Harbour
Friday the 13th. A day synonymous with bad luck, evil spirits and a horribly over done movie series that like its victims, should’ve died early on. But today isn’t all doom and gloom. As a matter of fact, for the citizens of Brisbane, it was time for a party. Why you ask? Because it’s always a party when Dunies come to town!
Dune Rats have embarked on the ultimate party tour with their good friends and fellow punks Fidlar. The co-headliner between America’s and Australia’s ultimate party bands hits the Tivoli in what is set to be one of the biggest shows of the entire tour. Accompanying them are Dartz and The Pingerz (no seriously, this isn’t the bands rider, these are genuinely the support acts) just how crazy could it get on a Friday night in Brisbane?
The Pingerz: Hailing from the Snowy Mountains in NSW (an appropriate location for a band named after a party drug) Pingerz are here to “be the lube for the evening”. If the band name wasn’t already a massive hint, the band’s suitability for this show was top notch. Endearing the QLD crowd with a cover of local punk heroes Flangipanis with a brilliant cover of ‘Phone Keys Smokes Wallet’ before a chant of ‘Big Clits, Little Dicks’ the band ripped through tracks off their first EP ‘Pink Mitsi’ (vocalist Teegan Symons drug of choice) it wasn’t long before the entire Tivoli were in the palm of The Pingerz. I’m not sure what punk bands have against cyclists, but if you are one you best suck the bands fists. Sometimes the most effective set comes from a group of individuals that don’t take themselves too seriously, Pingerz show that the most important thing you can do on stage is to enjoy yourself and what you do. Just don’t tell them what to do.
Even if drugs aren’t your choice at a party, let the soundtrack of The Pingerz be your drug of choice for your next party.
The Pingerz – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
Dartz – Part 2 of our ironically suited support act names, Dartz have crossed the Tasman to be a part of this tour bringing an extra level of international flare. A more traditional punk style, the band kicks off by asking if Brisbane earned their thirst by going to the gym before drinking. If they hadn’t, the impending mosh pit that breaks out in the centre of the room surely will have earned theirs. A large raucous ovation blares out as the band asks ‘how many people here are broke?’ It was painful to cheer along, but it was brilliant.
After a very detailed story of origin, vocalist Daniel Vernon turned the room into a frenzy with the song ‘Bush Weed’. Sure, the songs were all about drugs, partying and alcohol, but I have to commend Dartz for their high energy antics and musicianship. Whilst the indie punk scene is not my home, as someone who doesn’t drink, smoke, party etc I found solace in watching their performance. It reminds of the times I’ve spent seeing Descendents, Bad Religion, Pennywise; I felt at home at a show like this.
Even if you weren’t sure who Dartz were before tonight, you could appreciate their efforts to incorporate ‘I Want it That Way’ into the middle of a song turning the entire party into a choir. Dartz are the ultimate punk party act that deserve to be taking over the world.
Dartz – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
FIDLAR: As ‘Longview’ fades away as the lights dim, the party grows wilder as Fidlar hit the stage. As a circle pit turns into pure chaos, it’s time for ‘Cheap Beer’ (ironic for a venue like this) For a crowd that I witnessed vomiting in the gutters, pissing on walls and stumbling around before the doors had even opened tonight, this is an unmatched energy. The floors of the upper levels shook under my feet as the amps were set at 10, and the crowd was set to 11.
“The real question is, who is jumping off of that?” vocalist Zac Carper dares us. Hopefully no one as the floor opens for an even larger mosh pit. Crowd surfers cruise over the barricade, bodies get crushed, security fears for the rest of the set; we’re 4 songs into the night. I’m not sure what I’m in for the rest of the set, but I’m excited for this.
FIDLAR – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
What’s this? A cover of ‘Dammit’ by Blink 182 in the middle of ‘40oz on Repeat’? Oh great, this crowd isn’t stopping now. The smell of weird fills the air stronger than ever before, but it’s clearly not slowing anyone down. I find it hard to breathe not just because of the smell, but FIDLAR is a band that doesn’t take breaks between songs. It’s mayhem into mayhem and it’s commendable to see a band doing it without breaking a sweat.
As the crowd over takes ‘By Myself’ for one of the loudest sing-a-longs I’ve ever heard in this place, I watch more crowd surfers work their way to the stage. But I also see grown men attempting to grab a woman’s shirt and pull it up as she’s moving across the crowd. I know I should be focusing on the show at hand but I can’t ignore this kind of behaviour the way I watched others ignore it. Up until this point, crowd etiquette had been fine but this was disgusting (Editors note: security and venue management alerted to this).
Appropriately, before going into ‘5 to 9’ Carper had 2 rules.
1. Girls only Moshpit
2. If you see a guy in the pit, fuck him up
I’m not one for violence, but I’m here for this.
FIDLAR – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
Back to the positives, and I have to hand it to Fidlar. Their intensity combined with emotionally integrity really set the bar high on a night like tonight. Crowd interaction may not have been the highest I’ve seen from a band, but the time they did spend was incredibly effective in ensuring the crowd gave them everything they possibly could. Forgive me Fidlar, I was not familiar with your game. This was one of the best sets of 2024, I feel privileged to have witnessed it.
As a side note before we get into tonight’s headline act – respect and appreciation integrity extend outside of the pit. Going out for a concert, having a few drinks and a good time does not excuse poor behaviour outside of it. No need to shove, barge or abuse anyone to get by them. It’s poor behaviour and there is 0 excuse for it.
Now, where was I?
Dune Rats: I’ve never considered myself a Dune Rats fan. A lot of that stems back to myself being sober and not a party go-er, the polar opposite of all things Dunies stand for. This was going to be a true test, so I say bring it on.
The crowd set themselves off early as ‘Covered in Chrome’ by local icons Violent Soho blared over the PA. Was the smoke billowing on stage intentional, or had it billowed out of the green room? The scent of the room makes it hard to tell.
Wide eyed and bushy tailed, out come the hometown hero Rats (with Shane from DZ Deathrays along for second guitar). Blaring the title track of the bands newest album ‘If it Sucks, Turn it Up’ the voices are in unison loud and proud. And as the band roars into ‘Scott Green’ (a joke that has taken me years to get, shame on me) you wouldn’t believe that 3 bands had already played tonight with how the crowd is reacting.
Dune Rats – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
“This is for anyone who doesn’t have to get up early tomorrow” says Danny as the band cruises through ‘UP’ as the crowd elegantly bounces around. Even though a few punters left the evening after Fidlar, it appears most are here for the hometown boys tonight. It’s character songs galore tonight as ‘Too Tough Terry’ garners a radiating response from the audience, intertwining their thanks to all the bands that had performed tonight.
Whilst ‘The Pingerz’ paid tribute to Flangipanis, Dunies stepped up to represent the country with a soaring cover of ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?’ And if you’re a true blue, you absolutely know what the call and response is for this one. Let’s just say it was one of the loudest points of the night. Joined by members of Pingerz and Dartz to bring this one to life, the national pride was high tonight. The crowd was lapping it up faster than a straight arm can of whatever they could get their hands on. And trust me, it’s a lot. You should see the mess the venue is stuck with. Poor Tivoli.
Much like Fidlars set; although the topics and thematics are foreign concepts to me, I have to admire Dunies ability to put on a hell of show. Amidst the bright strobes, charismatic backgrounds and all around happy vibes, it’s hard not to feel like you’re having a good time at a show like this. For a band that’s been doing this for almost 15 years, there’s no indication of stepping back or taking it easy anytime soon that’s for sure.
Dune Rats – Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
By far, the loudest moment of the night goes to the intro of ‘Bullshit’. In everyone’s defense, it’s an easy intro to learn, but the combined efforts of a sold out Tivoli allowed it to be a standout piece of venue history. The very first show on the tour to sell out and it’s not hard to see why. Brisbane love their hometown icons, and by god have let it be known.
Encore mayhem occurred with ‘Six Pack’ leading the way. Fidlar would soon join for the tour collaboration single ‘Dead, Rich or in Jail’ for the penultimate time this tour. Beers, Bongs and Bullshit is a fair way to briefly describe the collective monster that is Dune Rats, but it’s a fitting end to one hell of a party (or kick ons depending on who you ask)
A scene where you feel out of your depth can be a scary place to try and endure, it’s hard to deny the fact that Fidlar and Dune Rats have collaborated to put on one hell of a tour where can really enjoy yourself. Sometimes it’s nice to take life a little less seriously and just enjoy yourself and tonight was one of those nights.
