First Stop: Last Resort
Adelaide’s punk scene is bringing the party to Beer & BBQ Fest this July 12 and 13. We speak with five local acts billed – including Note Vote winners Fair Call – about their punchy sounds, piercing lyrics and impressive gigs...
Words by Zara Richards
JONGO BONES AND THE BAREFOOT BANDITS
Image by Cameron Turner
The genesis of Jongo Bones and the Barefoot Bandits began where all good things get their start: the pub. Five years later, and a series of drunken conversations has turned into Adelaide’s first not-for-profit punk-rock band.
“Over time, we’ve actually become decent at playing our instruments,” says the outfit’s eponymous frontman, Jongo Bones. “Although the verdict is still out on that...”
What is not-for-profit about these punk rockers, you ask? Exactly what you think. Any profits the band make are donated to SA animal rescue charities like Furever Farm. “We never did this for any monetary gain,” says guitarist Brad Vowles. “And as corny as it sounds, performing music is not something we do for any other reason than [the fact] we love being able to share what we do with others.” However, this fuzzy ethos couldn’t be further from the blast of noise the five-piece emits. The band is rough and ready, tumbling through garage, rock and punk genres to create a spiky sound that sends crowds into a spin. Their lyrics hit like a hook to the jaw, too. Jongo Bones and the Barefoot Bandits aren’t afraid to stick a middle finger up to the capitalistic rule of ‘the machine’.
“Music became a place of catharsis for us to express our feelings around these topics,” explains Jongo. “It’s something we feel like people can identify with through lived experience or, at the very least, [we can] challenge their thoughts. We are conditioned from youth to accept things the way they are and ‘do as we’re told’. But the artists that influenced us pushed against that rhetoric and helped us form the identities evident in our music.”
At Beer & BBQ Fest, you’ll find Jongo Bones and the Barefoot Bandits in one of three places: at Mr. Charlie’s – the plant-based answer to Maccas – in support of their ‘vegan homies’; sinking South Coasts at Pirate Life’s beer booth; or cutting loose in the pit to some local bands’.
“Looch are playing on Friday night and are a top pick for us – they are such a force to watch and they write absolute bangers,” says Jongo. “LOLA is another act that will knock your socks off, if you like punk – they’re doing it like nobody else right now!”
AGAPANTHER
Image by Sam Kriesel
AGAPANTHER know how to go hard. Born at a time when a heavy punk noise ran rampant in the Adelaide scene, this alt four-piece knew they needed limitless energy and a distinct sound to cut through.
“When we started, the scene was dominated by bands like Sleep Talk, Hindsight and Ambleside,” says vocalist Kyle Kenworthy. “They brought so much raw energy to the stage, it was hard not to get up there and have a crack.”
The outfit arrived as a wall of noise with their debut double single, ‘Bug Eyes, Flying High’, in 2018. As AGAPANTHER’s primary writer, Kyle says being a self-taught guitarist who is ‘lacking in the theory department’ explains his ‘magnetic’ connection to riff-heavy sounds. “There’s a power a simple chord progression can possess when you layer the right beats, lead and vocals over it,” he explains. “I’ve always been drawn to clear, distinct riffs that make you pull that stank face and bang your head.”
By the time AGAPANTHER’s fifth single dropped in 2020, their sound had clicked into gear. ‘Hypochondriac’ has all the elements of a punk-rock hit – a grit that’s the result of hard work, cut with a shiny confidence that comes from finding your sound. The song formed part of their debut EP, Overdue, which AGAPANTHER launched at Lion Arts Factory in May 2021 to a sold-out crowd. “The crowd was awesome,” bassist Dylan Kenworthy recalls. “Moshing, singing, crowd surfing – the lot. We’re hoping the energy will be just as high at Beer & BBQ Fest.”
Right now, the band are been on the tools, tinkering with their sound. The first taste of new AGAPANTHER music in three years arrived in May with the release of tightly coiled track, ‘Spun Out’. “It’s probably my favourite lyrics I’ve written,” says Kyle. “It floats around the idea that you should drink responsibly and prioritise yourself – especially your mental health. Something I was not doing for a while there.”
Could this be a sign of more new music? “Slowly but surely,” assures Kyle. “Good things take time, right?”
“Two unreleased songs we’ve been cooking on the barbie will get played at [Beer & BBQ Fest],” adds Dylan. “They’re heavier than anything we’ve ever done before, so do some neck stretches and get ready to bang your heads!”
You’ve been warned...
Looch
Image by @reallifecharliesmith
Cut from the same cloth as pun-packed punk masters Dune Rats and genre heavyweights Violent Soho, Looch have burst through Adelaide’s scene with a loose energy and songs that should soundtrack surf movies.
“We aim for loudness. Lots of gain and lots of shouting,” says bassist Matty Ranger of the four-piece’s mosh-made music. “[We] started playing together at the end of high school. Since then, the communication skills through our instruments have developed heaps.”
A vibe that Looch are here for a good time and good time only courses their back catalogue, cutting straight to the point of what live music is all about: having fun. It’s a silly yet slick sound that’s seen them top local countdown, Sounds Sick Sickest 100, with runaway song ‘Nurse Paul’. “That’s been a crowd-pleaser ever since it came out as a single,” notes Matty.
The band re-issued the tight track as part of their debut EP PASS THE LOOCH– a project, the four-piece say, that was on the top of their to-do list ‘forever’. Released on April 20, it’s a record that oozes raw yet refined talent. Stand-out songs include weed-soaked single ‘PACK A BOWL’, ‘The Old You’ and ‘Yoga Mat’.
“I’m really in love with ‘Yoga Mat’,” says Matty. “When Coby showed us the demo, it was so clear it belonged on our setlist. It’s slower, more relaxed and drenched in reverb. It makes us inspired to do more songs like that.”
The boys took to UniBar the month after to launch the eight tracks. “That’s the loosest gig we’ve played,” Matty recalls. “Looking back, it feels like a dream, really. It kind of felt like a happily-ever-after ending to making our EP, with a turnout we were absolutely over the moon with.”
As for Beer & BBQ Fest? Matty says you’ll find Looch front and centre for DIY punk outfit LOLA. “Their live sets are explosive and devoid of filler,” he says. “That, and it’ll be awesome to see Pity Lips perform again. They’re masters of their tone and crowd control.”
Pity Lips
Image by Jamie Al Kayyali
A ‘disorganised DIY band’ is how punk outfit Pity Lips label themselves. And despite their slightly self-deprecating choice of words, this punchy four-piece have gained ground in Adelaide’s live scene at remarkable pace.
“We formed in 2021 in our shed with a neighbour cursing at us from over the back fence,” says vocalist Steph Andrasic. “Since then, we’ve taken to local stages and really focused on developing our presence.”
Thought-provoking lyrics, noisy riffs and a gritty sound that’s made for gigs are how Pity Lips built a name for themselves. They’ve got the same fiery rawness that made Sonic Youth’s sound and social commentary addictive. “I think [our sound] comes from the stage of life I’m in,” reflects Steph. “When I wrote most of the songs in our sets, I had lots of moving energy and clanking thoughts about the world. It was hard not to write fast, fiery songs.”
Take their debut single, ‘Cellular’, for example: “How do you see / With all the pandemonium created from your screen? / Now can you see? / We’re just a sick sick sick sick sick society,” levels Steph on the fast, four-minute track.
“The song came about after I deleted social media.” She explains “I was feeling a lot of distaste for modern technology and how absorbing it is. The first half of the song is an individualistic judgement on this issue... [but] in the second verse, I started to ask whether it was the individual’s fault or corporations.”
Punk is the perfect vehicle for Pity Lips to communicate their point of view. “It’s naturally gritty, loud and harsh. I think that can be the perfect conductor for those thoughts because it’s not easy to hear that the world is fucked,” Steph says. “I love songs that are uncomfortable, almost torturous to hear, because life feels like that sometimes. All you can do is move through it.”
As for the sound that Adelaide emits? “I think there’s a lot of noisy punk popping up,” the vocalist says. “Adelaide does monumental punk moments quite well – stuff that makes you feel part of something. Its influences come from far and wide, but it becomes intimate and tight-knit when trickling out of Adelaide venues.”
Fair Call
“It’s our first ever festival, so it’s a big milestone for us,” says Josh Ormsby, vocalist of Fair Call over the phone.
It’s minutes before the band are due to take the stage for a headline gig at LowLife Bar and hours after they learnt they took out the title of Note Vote winner and clinched the final spot on the Last Resort stage for Beer & BBQ Fest. The four-piece – comprising guitarist Curtis Narayanan, drummer James ‘Jimmy’ Cowen and bassist Patrick ‘Pykie’ Pycroft – are in good spirits.
“There’ll be a lot of adrenaline [at Beer & BBQ Fest],” continues Josh. “[It’ll be] completely unhinged. I want to scare the audience!”
“I’ll be wherever there is beer and or barbeque,” laughs Curtis.
“I did see there was a Bed Bod contest, too. I’m going to get around that I reckon,” adds Pykie.
It’s been six months since Fair Call released their debut single ‘Skinned Knees’ a tight, skate punk track that fringes on garage. Since then, the quartet have released two tracks and an EP in quick succession and gained fans at the same rapid rate thanks to their sound that Pykie says is ‘like a pro skater game’.
“The lyrics have a deeper meaning behind them, but they sound like something you’d find on a PlayStation 2 game,” he explains. “People get nostalgic when listening to our music.”
Fair Call’s noise translates directly to the loose energy of their gigs – a vibe you’d have found in the mosh at Big Day Out in 1997 when The Offspring headlined. The four-piece describe their shows as ‘wild and chaotic’, teaming with energy. “That and our bassist is doing a shoey on stage,” Josh laughs.
Our ears prick at the mention of on-stage shoeys. Is there a chance we might get to see one at the Last Resort stage on Friday night of the festival? “We’re all going to do one,” declares Pykie, as groans and giggles break out from the rest of his bandmates.
Curtis takes a beat to collect himself before sharing his thoughts on the four of them slurping liquid from their shoes: “We’ll see.”
Catch these bands and more across two days of the Last Resort stage at Beer & BBQ Fest this July 12 and 13. Tickets on sale now via beerbbqfest.com.au.
