Support slots are a funny thing. Within the space of two months, I saw Jay-Z and Fucked Up perform as guests for U2 and The Bronx respectively. Both sets were incredible in their respective sense. But the label of support comes loaded with an impedance of context, one which wouldn’t materialise in the festival setting, for instance. Lucky for us, Fucked Up have graced us with their presence twice in 2011 – weirdly enough, playing alongside their stint as Foo Fighters support. And even luckier, we finally received confirmation of a long-rumoured Fucked Up headline show.
Before touching down in Australia, Fucked Up had performed a number of shows in which their standout release of 2011, David Comes To Life, was recreated in full. The opening two tracks of tonight’s performance mimicked that of the LP’s tracklisting, and if the whole record received a playthrough, heck, I wouldn’t have complained. But three tracks in and the crowd were treated to Chemistry Of Common Life cut Black Albino Bones, and I probably wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
David highlight The Other Shoe began while Damian was located at the back of the venue – a lap of honour which saw the man dousing himself with a bottle of water while atop the bandroom bar.
The timing of the recent rerelease of 2008 B-side I Hate Summer makes more sense when played this time of year in this hemisphere, with the track being dedicated to those who share a similar physique to that of the band’s frontman.
For the encore, the band burned through the stadium-sized grandeur of Running On Nothing – an emphatic way to end a near-faultless display of triumphant punk rock.
LOVED: Getting to witness one of the true greats of modern rock twice in a year.
HATED: Having the mood of the night soured by one plucky cunt felt it was necessary to cop a feel of bassist Sandy Miranda while stage invading. Kudos to the band for handling the situation well. To the culprit: please, go fuck yourself off a cliff.
DRANK: A beer.
