Reviewed: The Buzzcocks @ The Forum

Fox Studios' Forum was packed for a Friday night full of pop-punk – not the modern Paramore/'we're not emo I swear' stuff but the original, uncut Buzzcocks buzz, the guys who first married punk's urgency to the romantic frustration inherent in pop music.

It's a pretty universal music and while the crowd had its share of old punks reliving their youth there were people young enough to have first heard 'Ever Fallen In Love' on the Shrek soundtrack.

There's no greater proof that the kids are alright then supports Royal Headache. The intense energy that’s won them fans all over Sydney was in evidence, with the lead singer strutting and prancing around the stage like he owned it. The mostly-empty Forum felt too large for the band but every song sounded like an anthem in the making and the blend of soul and punk was exciting and young. I'd tell you to keep your eyes on Royal Headache but its impossible to keep your eyes off them – and I suspect they're only going to get bet better and better.

If I'm wrong then hopefully they'll at least end up like The Spazzys – a persistent support act that seems happy with the 'all-female Ramones' label and enough of a fanbase to draw a big crowd for their set. Unfortunately the vocals were mixed so low that the already repetitive songs blended together into a mass of count ins, drums, and 3 minute Hey Ho Let's Gos. The energy was good, though, and the Spazzys came out of the set with their reputation mostly intact.

The Buzzcocks are known for their perfect singles, so their decision to play their debut album 'Another Music In A Different Kitchen' straight through was a strange one. The band was in top flight, though the instrumentals overwhelmed their ancient voices. It was a heavy set for the pop-punk pioneers, at times sounding like a low-rent The Who that never left the garage – complete with windmilling. There was an angry, rough mood in the mosh pit that belied the Buzzcocks fun-loving image, though the edge was a nice contrast to their tepid Metro show a few years back.

The baffling decision to play 'Ever Fallen In Love (With Some You Shouldn'tve)' in the middle of their set killed some of its energy – the song's so perfect that its almost impossible to follow it, and the rest of their set suffered in comparison. An encore picked up the pace with 'Orgasm Addict', 'What Do I Get' and a few other classics but for most of the gig the Buzzcocks took the 'pop' out of 'pop punk'.

As a punk gig, the Buzzcocks show was great – it was confrontational, it was angry, and it confounded the expectations of people who just wanted to see some of the best singles ever released performed live. Any band that can still piss people off 50 decades into their career must be doing something right. And I still got to hear 'Harmony In My Head'.

by Christian Brimo

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