Live Review: Dead Kennedys, The Bennies, Fait Accompli

Noisy, melancholy post-punk power trio Fait Accompli opened up the night at The Hi-Fi.

While the crowd at this point was fairly thin on the ground, this didn’t stop the band from delivering a heavy and soulful set to all those who made it out early, leaving the stage an amp-ringing mess.

Still drenched in the energy Accompli left on stage, The Bennies arrived to much applause from their dedicated Sydney fan base. The band’s sound is as eclectic as it is fun, sending the crowd into a skanking frenzy. Knights Forever and My Bike had the front four rows singing along, the band commanding the audience with their fun and friendly attitude. The Bennies are everyday, Aussie heroes: who better to rock out with?

While at this point the crowd was still looking a bit scarce, in the moments before Dead Kennedys took the stage it became absolutely packed, made up of two groups: those who were there and wanted to do it all again, and those who were too young the first time. While the lack of Biafra may have turned off a few fans, the band didn’t seem too worried and hit the ground running with a noisy vintage punk sound that hasn’t changed since the late ‘70s, with all the classics including Too Drunk To Fuck and California Uber Allies sounding just as they did way back when. Whether they were 18 or pushing 60, everyone ended up in the pit: crowd surfing, diving and snatching the microphone whenever they felt like it.

Front man Skip Greer seemed determined to piss off the audience, insulting everything from Australian sports (“they’re all just fake American football!”) to calling the audience “too old for punk rock”. Hey, would it really be punk if people weren’t offended?