When I was a teenager and getting into the the music of the Descendants they were in their second reformation and gaining chart success with Everything Sux. Back then my teenage brain considered them old but their music cool, so with that in mind i knew tonight there was no way i was going to be the oldest guy in the room (like i have been at a few recent gigs). The reason i write this is because tonight this ageing punk rocker truly saw what it means for a band to influence so many generations of music lover’s. There were young twenties somethings, folks mid thirties and much older dads who bought with them their kids, who you could see weren’t there cause dad said the music was cool ,they truly enjoyed the music and new the new stuff better then me.
Opening things up tonight were this band from the 90’s called Nursery Crimes, they haven’t been around much in a while but a Descendants tour of Australia got them reunited and opening up shows for them too which lead singer Phil said ‘is a real fucking honor’ . For a band that never really were big thing in the Aus music scene they sure can pull a crowd as the numbers on the floor continue to grow. Musically i say the band have lost none of their early sound it is still frantic crunching guitar riffs mixed with rapid fire vocals i truly wish more bands had this sound in them still today.
Gordy Forman from Frenzal Rhomb was on the drums tonight making the bands sound seem even more 90’s reminiscent to me. At times Phil had trouble reading the setlist he claims due poor old eyes i think it might be more beer goggles none of this stopped them from delivering a ripper of a set that included first single All Torn Up and their killer punk rendition of the Beetles classic Eleanor Rigby.
I fill myself up on beer and then refill myself up some more, it seems the right thing to do after all, but enough is enough time to head right down the front and be up close with the speakers and get ready for tonights action.
When the band walk out Milo asks us ‘Whats Up Sydney ?’ we cheer so loud he goes on to explain how Sydney is the last leg of the tour and how much Everything Sux !! and bam just like that we are into it and from then on it is simply relentless as the band would play a song stop inhale some oxygen intake some fluid (Milo actually had a camel back on) and the bang GO! next song.
The band ripped through what was i think a 40 song strong setlist a bulk of which came from the latest album Hypercaffium Spazzinate with such as Victim Of Me Full Circle and Shameless Hero all sounding right at home amongst the old school much loved tracks like Pervet, Silly Girl, Clean Sheets, Coolidge Coffee Mug,We When I Get Old, My Dad Sux, Get The Time The list goes on you really just had to be there and that is just me citing tracks from the main setlist that ended with Descendents.
Of course the band do an encore, ain’t nobody in this crowd ready to go home yet so the band come out thrill us with even more Descendants goodness with one new track Feel this and the anthem I’m The One finishing off things with Smile. Ordinarily this is where a show in Sydney ends but not tonight tonight something truly phenomenal happened as Sydney siders stamped their feet wolf whistled and yelled for more the band obliged i just witnessed history this time they thank us so much and cite it is only the third time they have been to our shore they second encore kicks off with Catalina followed by two new ones Fat Burger and Spineless and Scarlet Red.
The Descendants signature sound bounced of the walls of The Enmore tonight just fine with hard driving bass lines and sick ass guitar riffs. Whilst the band is regarded as old skool but there was nothing old about them tonight as they delivered a truly fantastic performance which prompted stage diving and circle pits. In my heart i know there are some bands i feel so privileged to see and review and The Descendents are one such band, what a fucking great show everyone involved should give themselves a massive pat on the back for being part of one the greatest nights of punk rock ever.
Review – Chad
Photo Gallery – Christian Ross