If one cliché had to be chosen to describe Sunday night’s Ignite show, it would have to be: its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. The crowd was small but absolutely pumped, just how a punk show should be, no one would dare tell you the show wasn’t a success. Ask any punk band whether they’d prefer to play to a full room of miserable pricks not getting into it, or a quarter full room of psycho pricks having a great time, the psycho pricks will win every time.
Local band and winners of Triple J’s Taste of Chaos competition in 2006, The Restless Words, opened proceedings solidly. Guitar based, fast paced and straight up punk laced, it’s good to see the 5 up and comers keeping the classic sounds of their quoted influences like Strung Out, Propaghandi and Pennywise alive. Persistence with the support slots should see the lads garner a loyal following on the live circuit.
With Miles Away being… away it would seem, Perth’s other conquering hardcore act Breakeven filled the relief spot for them. Heart is never an issue with these guys they tear up the stage wherever and whenever they play. With the crowd beginning to get their pit kicks on, they were a sharp, quick, ear thrashing prelude to the might of Ignite. Not much needs to be said of them in this case, they will always attract a crowd, they rarely disappoint and they work fuckin’ hard. Cheers to ‘em.
Touring 2 years after the release of the awesome Our Darkest Days, it was a completely unexpected but extremely welcome announcement that the punk icons Ignite were going to be coming to Perth. The in your face intimacy of the Amplifier is prime for gigs like this; it was Sunday night, it was a handful of genuine punk fans and it was punk music for the VHS extreme sport soundtrack generation. Full credit to the crowd of 20 somethings as well, they were seemingly going as hard as they did in high school despite the extra responsibility they’re apparently meant to have as upstanding Australians.
Zoli Teglas’ vocal ferocity doesn’t lose any of the authority that it has on recorded tracks. He has a damn good set of pipes both in his neck and attached to his shoulders as it happens. There is no gravelly screaming or straining, his natural tenor has the power and smoothness of a Ferrari and is one of the most distinguishable and impressive voices in punk music.
Bleeding and Fear is Our Tradition is a hard hitting one two combination punch to open their latest album with and worked exactly the same way in opening up their live show. The punters were exploding off the stage in an instant, it didn’t matter that the pit wasn’t providing the longest of rides, the high flyers just looked happy they had free run of the stage without security intervention. The way a punk show should be.
While most covers of U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday have raped the song over the years, Ignite’s version makes sweet punk love to it and there was no song more appropriate on this Sunday than the band’s trademark cover; and the crowd lapped it up. In amongst all the bedlam, the lads also managed to pull off an acoustic couplet of tracks which wasn’t in the slightest bit corny, as sometimes happens. The acoustic guitar they were using sounded so unbelievably good through the PA: ultimate clarity, no hint of feedback and maximum volume with perfectly pitched highs and lows. How the hell did they do it?
The acoustic interlude allowed people a chance for a breather and to regain their wings and so when Ignite closed with seminal track Veteran, the mosh reached its chaotic peak. Boots, elbows, arms and heads in faces, sweat in eyes and vocal strain. The aftermath featured many bleeding foreheads, making their opening track Bleeding and their U2 cover laughingly more appropriate. Oh fuck yes.
