Following the first cab off the rank in Pappy, Crop Top livened up the room with their loose blend of pop melodies and punk sentimentality. Running through all four songs from their debut demo tape, Top Tape, as well as a few others, the standout was clearly set closer in Baby Boy, the revenge song that could probably be applied to most men between the ages of 16 and 35.
Suss Cunts were up next, and not the guitarist and lead singer’s fatigue from flying in from Sydney nor a broken guitar string could halt this runaway train, as they took it up another level and smashed angry punk through the bandroom. Suss Cunts are damn good at laughing at themselves and just generally have a lot of fun onstage, and they proved that right throughout their set. Crowd favourite I Can’t Believe I Fucked An Anti-Vaxxer typified this attitude. They entertainingly ran through songs including Anaemic Boyfriend and their namesake Suss Cunts, interspersed with moments of insight and wit like “Sometimes in life there’s just not enough guitar,” and “We’re gonna play another song, they’re all short ones, it’s punk.”
The life and personality that was evident in the support bands’ sets could largely be attributed to the loose sound that they achieved, and by comparison The Coathangers sounded like a well-oiled machine. With the tightness expected of a band in the middle of a seven-date Australia and New Zealand tour, The Coathangers blew the other bands out of the water in terms of professionalism and playing. While they were super tight, they didn’t quite interact with the crowd in the same way Suss Cunts and Crop Top did, and the energy felt quite one-way at times.
That’s not to say they didn’t play an enjoyable set though, with the two songs from the 7” they were selling at the merch desk, Perfume and Watch Your Back, the clear highlights.
BY ELIJAH HAWKINS
Loved: The local supports.
Hated: Not knowing much of The Coathangers’ back catalogue.
Drank: Water.
