Live Review: Skegss, Dumb Punts, Los Scallywaggs

A massive queue struggles to make it inside the packed out Triffid as the doors begin to open. As security move people into either the all ages or over 18's area, there’s a mad rush to the best spots of the ex-aircraft hangar, ready for a night full of reverb-y and overdriven guitars. It’s clear another Skegss show is here to grace our city.

Los Scallywaggs take up the stage space first, delivering what sounds like the love child of The Ramones, Bass Drum of Death and Bad Brains. There’s an issue with Dale Smith’s bass guitar, and it seems like he almost gives up playing completely during one track, but after a quick fix-up from the sound check, the awkwardness is rolled over and the three punks carry on with the show.So early into the night, it’s impressive to see the kids up on the balcony going wild, flicking around their hair and even starting their own little mosh pit, already rougher than the adults downstairs. With someone throwing a teabag at drummer Nat Tyrrell there’s another small sect of confusion, but the craziness continues even after their close with White Face.

Next up is Melbourne’s Dumb Punts. Sporting an opening set of fuzzed-up riffs you’d expect at an AC/DC show, the whole set manages to draw in a crowd during all tempos, whether they’re playing Space Waster or their closing track Chiller, the crowd’s either singing along or smashing into each other.

The lights drop, and suspense builds incredibly as Waka Flocka Flame’s Hard In Da Paint blasts over the mix, and way before Skegss even hit the stage, the crowd’s already going absolutely mental. And as the track fades into the air, frontman Ben Reed strums into Up In The Clouds. Before the chorus hits, there’s a brief moment of beauty between band and crowd, and as that chorus hits, the venue lights up, and the crowd uplifts in a vocal symphony.

There’s a sea of phones carried through the venue, but as the band go into vibrant performances of Fun and Spring Has Sprung, there’s no plausible excuse to not capture the moment. Between songs, bassist Toby Cregan engages the crowd, introducing each track and making sure the kids on the balcony are enjoying themselves. They play old classics like Wake The Fuck Up and Mustang, but no Skegss set would be complete without premiering a new song just as vibrant as the rest of their material, or without having a blast with My Face and a wall of death queue for Slayer.

The Punts jump back on stage and grind against Ben and Toby during New York California, and a swift move sees Toby give a guitar to Punts drummer Seattle Gallagher, only to rip into an overdriven solo. Toby calls for everyone to sit down during the build up of the track, and as the band blasts right back into it, the crowd’s jumping around more than ever.
To call this night incredible is an understatement. Closing out with LSD and Got On My Skateboard, there’s of course chants for an encore. But as security begins to direct out the remaining crowd, you can’t help but feel that this set was almost too short-lived. But when Skegss come back, hopefully it’ll be even greater than ever.