Punk It Up
8th April 2017
Kings Arms Tavern, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review and Photography by Sarah Kidd.
Mohawks, boots and even a kilt – a plethora of punks and fans of the genre are making their way into The Kings Arms tonight for the highly anticipated Punk It Up. Due to recent noise complaint issues with the venue, extra precautions have been taken in regards to sound proofing, so the entrance tonight is by way of the sports bar. Tables have been erected with a fantastic selection of vinyl, CD’s, books and some high quality t-shirts featuring everyone from the Subhumans through to Circle Jerks.
First band to take the stage are the mighty Markdown – easily the youngest playing tonight, this hardcore punk band are all about the retailcore; which is like hardcore, but about retail. The four piece hail from Auckland and are all employed at Real Groovy – they also have quite a reputation for their set lists which are like mini works of art. They hit us hard with their fast paced songs. ‘Ahhh Fuck’ is about the mistakes that can be made with a phone in a retail situation; while ‘Dead Broke’ and ‘Noodle Clan’ are about the food choices you are forced to make while trying to survive on minimum wage. Markdown ends with the brilliant ‘Puke-A-Rama’ a state they say we should all try to achieve.
Next up are Leatherhead all the way from Waiheke Island. This amazing four piece band recently supported The Damned at The Studio and blew the audience away. Tonight they were edgier, vocalist Bede Taylor stalking the audience with a glint in his eye. As the set progressed, songs like ‘Johnny Johnny’ and new track ‘Shake the Breaker’ with its rock n roll undertones raised the heat and Taylor soon had his shirt off. Brendan Mooney (from David Vanian & The Phantom Chords) with his impressive moustache, let loose on lead guitar matching Taylor in raw energy. Highlight of the night was the track ‘Needles’ Taylor singing it with such passion that you could feel their points dragging along your own skin. As our MC for the night pointed out – Leatherhead were tighter than a tight thing.
But now it was the turn of the boys from West Auckland. Scum Beat is here to show everyone how it’s done. The crowd eager to see the band in action push in close to the stage; you can feel the tension in the air as we wait for them to unleash almighty hell upon us. Metal fans in the audience will recognise a familiar face on lead guitar tonight, that of Daryl Tapsell (aka Dero) of Malevolence. Bevan Wheeler with his Mohawk and that manic look in his eye steps up to the microphone and kicks it off. Personal favourite ‘Angry’ has the crowd singing along to the chorus, the band feeding off them as they begin to get crazy in the front row. ‘Never enough Money’ tells a tale that we all know so well. A couple of over exuberant patrons drop a full beer can while moshing in the front row; it hits the ground and goes off like a grenade, spinning in circles and spraying all of us in its path with its contents. It seems a fitting end.
A very short but sweet set by A Band with No Name, fronted by Andrew Boak was a nice little gap filler before we headed into the feature acts of the night.
The X-Features were formed in 2012 for a punk reunion gig and are made up of a collection of members from the Features and Terrorways. There may only be three of them but they can still make one heck of a racket. Jed Town on lead guitar and vocals moves around a couple of different microphones in his camo gears while Chris Orange is the keeper of the bass. Tracks such as ‘Party’ and ‘I’ve Had Enough’ are obvious crowd favourites as is a slightly newer working of ‘Stage’. Upon finishing there is a short DJ break while the next act gets their gear organised. Dulcet tones of Ska music permeating throughout the venue.
All the way from Sydney Australia, Rust is the perfect combination of street rock n roll and Oi Punk. The boys have just played Wellington and Hamilton and are finishing off their NZ mini tour with Auckland tonight. The crowd are ready and waiting for Gary Campbell and the boys and they do not disappoint. If you have never seen Rust live then you are missing out on an explosive act. ‘Ex Girlfriends’ starts us off with a hiss and a roar – Campbell the ultimate front man. Dressed in denim he leans out over the audience, holding the microphone in a death grip. The band themselves are tight and move about the stage, easily owning the space within which they occupy. The band is a five time veteran of The Rebellion Festival but are just as at home playing in a dive bar round the corner. They fuse together elements of acts such as Rose Tattoo and Motorhead with a bit of The 4 Skins for good measure.
‘Blood Knuckle Blues’ tells the story of a good night out that ends in the cells, while ‘Boots and Buckles’ has one of the catchiest choruses of any punk song around [“Boots, Buckles, Motorhead – Punk Rock, Skinhead”]. Campbell pauses to say how grateful they are to once again be playing The King’s Arms a venue that they are very fond of and sorry to see close down. A sentiment echoed by many tonight as The Kings Arms has always been home for the majority of punk gigs both local and international. Finishing with a fiery version of ‘Chaos’ the boys from Aus bid us goodnight – the cheering from the crowd letting them know just how much they were appreciated.
The night was nearly drawing to a close (although the crowd were reminded that a DJ after party in the front bar would be going for a couple of hours following the conclusion of the bands) but not without one more act to take it all home.
The Bank Robbers are a collection of members of some of the bands we have seen tonight along with a few friends in the audience who are more than happy to come up and join the crew. Andrew Boak once again fronts and he takes us through a collection of well-known crowd favourites, while directing musical chairs with the bass guitar and drums. Songs like ‘I am a Rabbit’ by Proud Scum is an early hit and even an amp malfunction couldn’t dampen their version of ‘Sonic Reducer’ by Dead Boys. Guest singer Lise Wesseling tears it apart with her version of ‘Cherry Bomb’ by The Runaways (brings back memories of seeing Cherie Currie on the exact same stage only a year ago) and by the time we reach the end of the Bank Robbers set there is at least half a dozen musicians on stage. A dedication to Ray Columbus with ‘She’s a Mod’ and they end with ‘Borstal Breakout’ by Sham 69 – Andrew telling us that it was the traditional encore song of The Terrorways, which is fitting when the amazing Dean Martelli is standing before us playing guitar.
It may be the last big punk gig The Kings Arms will ever see – but one thing’s for sure it’s not the last one Auckland will. Punk for life.
Were you there at the Kings Arms Tavern for this night of punk revelry? Or have you seen one of the bands on the lineup somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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