Live Review: The Smith Street Band, PUP, Great Cynics, Apart From This

The Smith Street Band ended their month long Get High, See Everyone tour with two shows in Adelaide at The Gov. Showing no signs of exhaustion, the four piece gave their all on the first sold out night.

Apart From This are no strangers to facing the tough opening crowd and delivered a tight set of '90s influenced post hardcore. It is always a pleasure to see the Melbourne band as they improve with each tour and clearly know their way around their instruments. UK’s Great Cynics were slightly underwhelming. The three piece didn’t offer anything beyond some short and sharp, punk rock.

PUP on the other hand was there to impress and they did just that. Spit and sweat flew everywhere as they tore through each intense song. Front man Stefan Babcock twisted his head around the microphone and unleashed guttural screams while the lead guitarist manipulated his instrument to conjure ear-splitting sounds. The Canadian outfit still connected with the crowd on slower jams and quite a few punters up the front appeared to be fans.

When The Smith Street Band appeared, the crowd edged closer to the stage. Opening with Something I Can Hold In My Hands, they continued with Surrender, also from their latest release Throw Me In The River. Front man Wil Wagner always gives heartfelt explanations before each song. “If you’re against immigration, fuck off and never come see our band again,” he warned before Wipe That Shit-Eating Grin Off Your Punchable Face, an open letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The band’s acknowledgement of current issues is the real essence of punk rock.

Also singing of the struggles as a youth, life and love, The Smith Street Band have built a genuine connection with their fans. The crowd never needed to be told to sing louder as they shouted every lyric with their arms around one another and the beer flowed freely. They revisited old favourites such as Get High, See Mice, Ducks Fly Together and Don't Fuck With Our Dreams. It wasn’t constant good vibes and when someone in the crowd continually threw rubbish onto the stage, Wagner had to warn them to stop.

As it neared the end of the night Wagner declared this was the loudest crowd of the tour. A heavily repeated sentiment but coming from this punk poet it is almost believable. They added Throw Me In The River to their encore, which was dedicated to the guys in Apart From This, before ending with album closer I Love Life. The crowd slowly trickled out. Perhaps fearing the feeling of content will leave with them. But The Smith Street Band has longevity flowing in their veins so don’t expect them to disappear anytime soon.