Viagra Boys have built a reputation as one of the most ferociously entertaining live acts to emerge from the European post-punk resurgence, and their recent Melbourne appearance at Festival Hall demonstrated exactly why they've graduated from underground cult favourites to arena-filling behemoths.
The Stockholm six-piece arrived in Australia as part of their Infinite Anxiety tour supporting fourth album Viagr Aboys, and frontman Sebastian Murphy delivered exactly what devotees have come to expect: adidas tracksuit pants, shirtless, tattooed belly on full display as he prowled the stage with the unhinged energy that’s become his signature.
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During Sports, the band’s absurdist anthem mocking gym culture, Murphy dropped to the floor for a set of push-ups mid-song before wrapping the encore with the tender Worms, a track that showcases the group’s oft-overlooked capacity for genuine emotional weight.
What separated this performance from their previous Forum outing was a vastly upgraded lighting rig that elevated the visual spectacle to match the sonic chaos unfolding onstage. These production improvements reflect a band whose trajectory has taken them from sweaty Stockholm basement shows to Coachella main stages and Glastonbury billing.
The extended instrumental jam that closed the main set proved what longtime followers already know: Viagra Boys are proper musicians hiding behind the provocateur image. Saxophonist Oskar Carls, who cut his teeth with Polish post-punk outfit Kurws before joining in 2017, delivered piercing, abrasive solos throughout the evening.
The remaining members emerged from respected Stockholm outfits including Les Big Byrd, Pig Eyes and Nitad before converging in 2015, after discovering Murphy belting Mariah Carey at karaoke.
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