Sunday 22nd of November 2009
The Hi-Fi, Brisbane
“It’s been a pretty f**king cool fifteen years.” With those words, Bodyjar frontman Cam Baines registers his entry for the ‘Understatement of the Year’ awards.
There is no denying the contribution that Bodyjar has made to the Australian punk scene: eight albums, three EPs, four compilations and countless shows have racked them up legions of fans at home and abroad. It was with some sadness then, that in September they announced that following one more national tour, The ‘Jar were calling it a day.
“The End Is Now Tour” sees the legendary punk outfit going out with the kind of bang that takes a decade and a half of touring to perfect. Support acts Behind Crimson Eyes and 28 Days seemed like odd choices to accompany the more melodic headline act and, despite energetic performances ultimately failed to impress.
The heat inside Brisbane’s Hi-Fi Bar, and delays caused by gremlins in the venue’s power system also did little to calm a rowdy and impatient audience. However, when the curtains parted and Bodyjar opened their set, the place was transformed. You could have killed off the air-con and released a swarm of bees without anyone complaining – let alone moving anywhere but closer to the stage.
For those who think of punk music as being haphazard and uncontrolled, Bodyjar remain a perfect counter-argument. Of course there are sudden changes of tempo and time signature, and their guitars wail, the bass rumbles and the drum kit bursts with sound – but these explosions are not some black-powder-and-noise IED knocked together in a dilapidated garage, this is a laser-guided smart-bomb of high-yield punk rock. It is precise, powerful and brings the house down.
Sampling their entire back catalogue, from 1995’s ‘Do Not Do’ to 2005’s ‘Lights Out’, Bodyjar made sure that the set included something for every fan – the standouts being the big singles such as ‘Not the Same’ and ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’. Not because these songs were performed any better than the rest, but simply because they unified the entire venue to the point that the band on stage could have stopped singing and let the crowd take over vocals.
The night closed, appropriately, with 2002 hit ‘One in a Million’, as the crowd sang, clapped and cheered until well after the band said their thank-yous and walked offstage in Brisbane for the final time.
Pretty f**king cool? You got that right.
by Nils Hay
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