Live Review: Descendents, Bouncing Souls, Bodyjar & The Decline

It's great fun going to a punk show and scoping out the other attendees. I couldn't help but feel slightly out of place initially, finding myself lined up alongside a bunch of built-looking fellows in their late 40s, but once inside the venue it was easy to feel comfortable among a growing number of people who were all incredibly psyched to see one of the most enduring punk rock legacies in history.

The Decline were so stoked to be a part of such a momentous evening that they began proceedings without any warning whatsoever. The bulk of the crowd took this as an invitation to get as close to the stage as possible, and they were rewarded with an explosively vigorous punk rock performance by the locals, who were out to show just how much the headliners inspired them. Bodyjar were next, hitting back hard after reuniting for a string of shows in 2012. By this point, the venue was reaching near-full capacity, and it worked fantastically in the band's favour; drummer Shane Wakker celebrated his birthday by smashing the absolute shit out the drums, and Cam Baines' vocal delivery was supreme, particularly during crowd favourite, You're Not The Same.

It seemed to me that The Bouncing Souls were a little bland for this bill. Maybe it just wasn't their night, but with an outstanding set preceding them and the anticipation of what was to follow ahead of them, they seemed a little flat and unable keep up with the level of excitement expected for the evening. Having said that, Sing Along Forever produced a rousing singalong from the audience, and that was a great deal of fun.

Finally, it was time for the Descendents, and if anyone was feeling skeptical by the mere hour the lords of punk rock had to play, it was certainly vanquished as the band managed to smash out a 29-song set. Roaring into action with Everything Sux, the veterans hardly took the time to take a breath between songs, each one flowing seamlessly into the next. The crowd were in ecstasy, but nothing compared to the collective chorus of “I WANT A ... SUBURBAN HOMEEEE” during the aptly named hit Suburban Home. The four-song encore saw the packed out venue go nuts for I'm The One, and after the band's abrupt exit, we were left feeling very privileged to have experienced such a rare piece of punk history.