Live Review: The Meanies, Batpiss, Clowns, Firearms

Stalwarts of punk rock, The Meanies, played the Sydney leg of their Silver Jubilee Tour last night, and tore the house down for a room of diehard fans.

The venue could not have been more punk rock; entering the Imperial Hotel, revelers were ushered down a secluded staircase into The Roller Den, a dark, dingy room with nothing but a stage and a bar. It was pretty special to see so many loyal fans who have obviously followed The Meanies from the beginning, dusting off their leather jackets for the occasion.

The night was opened by an array of homegrown punk rock bands. Locals Firearms made the slowly growing crowd stand up and pay attention as they smashed out some ‘80s-inspired hard rock/punk tunes. Melbourne outfits Batpiss and Clowns also delivered with an impressive mix of metallic punk rock that had the crowd sufficiently amped. But it was when headliners The Meanies took the stage that the room really came to life.

Their performance was everything you would expect from Link, Ringo, Wally and Jaws. A band that has been around the traps for a quarter of a century would certainly have learnt a few tricks, and they pulled out all the stops. With a distinctly punk backbone, The Meanies personify how Australian pop punk has evolved over the years. Each song they delivered was a short, savage anthem drawn from the band’s extensive catalogue of catchy hardcore tracks.

Age has obviously not wearied them, with frontman Link absolutely owning the night. His relentless thrashing on and off the stage was contagious, drawing mass hysteria amongst the revelers.

The crowd lapped up hits such as Gangrenous, Sorry ‘Bout The Violence, and 10% Weird while The Meanies proved to us that they will continue to own the Aussie punk rock scene for many years to come.