Pics by David Harris
Despite playing to a reduced crowd due to COVID restrictions, Cosmic Psychos were more energetic than ever.
After more than a year, Melbourne punk troubadours Cosmic Psychos seized the stage once again, in recognition of their new fiery single ‘Mountain of Piss’.
The excitement was brimming as Aussie blues outfit Thee Cha Cha Chas emerged first – the two musicians Lluis Fuzzhound and Kylie Kooks igniting the stage with a host of tracks in the tight space of 30 minutes. Their combined passionate vocals and driven riffs spun a captivating set as their musical chemistry enticed their audience. They also managed to throw some good-natured banter in between tracks, showing everybody just how much they love to entertain as well as play music.
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Ute Root then took over. The band’s three members Boots, Kate and Matty shared the vocals and unapologetically projected their loud, obnoxious sound onto the audience. Big tracks included ‘Freedom’, ‘Ketamine Queen’ and ‘Hey Miho’, with Boots and Matty fuelling the frenzy with their aggressively-husky vocals, head banging and moving around the stage. Then there was Kate, who absolutely kicked ass behind the kit with her fast-paced drumming. It was a frenzied set, and one that got everybody into gear for the final treat of the night.
Once Cosmic Psychos emerged, chaos ensued as they took a leaf from their 2011 album Glorius Barsteds, launching into their first track for the night, ‘Pub’. The distorted guitar fuzz and marching drums immediately had people head banging, dancing and singing along to the lyrics. Lead vocalist and bass guitarist Ross Knight then belted out the lyrics to ‘Nice Day To Go To The Pub’, a well-known Aussie gem, while drummer Dean Muller kicked into gear and echoed Knight with his backing vocals.
The band played firecrackers such ‘Lead Me Astray’, ‘Dead In A Ditch’ and ‘Quarter To Three’, although it was their performance of ‘Fuckwit City’ that really stood out – Knight’s barking vocals repeatedly drilling the chorus “Fuckwit City is the place where you belong” into the crowd, who were chanting just as loudly, and the frenetic guitar riffs and drumming kindling the mayhem that engulfed the venue.
Ten minutes before the end of the set, the band decided to cheekily walk off the stage without warning, pretending that their set was finished. The lights dimmed, but nobody was fooled – they knew that their beloved punk misfits were going to come back and cause more of a mess. One of Thee Cha Cha Chas came on the stage to tease the audience, along with Boots from Ute Root, and then (of course) Cosmic Psychos, who returned wearing hilarious green beer outfits.
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They proceeded to play dirty punk ballads such as ‘Elle’, while John McKeering decided to take his top off and roll his belly to entertain the crowd. It was an absolute killer of a night, the infectious enthusiasm and devil-may-care attitude of the band effectively rolling through the audience. Cosmic Psychos remind people how to have fun and not give a shit. And they do it admirably.
Highlight: ‘Nice Day To Go To The Pub’ – truly a true blue Aussie track!
Lowlight: COVID meant there weren’t enough people at the venue.
Crowd favourite: ‘Fuckwit City’
