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Millencolin + The Hot Lies, Save & Exit Thebarton Theatre, Tues 20 Sept  I’ve
always believed the sign of a good punk rock show is an injury, so
when I departed the Thebarton Theatre nursing a badly sprained wrist
from a crowd surfing incident I knew I’d been to a damn fine concert.
It’s been way too long since Millencolin hit our shores - nearly three
years, and that’s after seeing them come three times in two years
- and their return was nothing short of impressive. Locals Save & Exit opened the night, and the room was already beginning to fill up. The band looked pretty assured on a stage bigger than any they’d played before and by the end of the set they’d settled into proceedings well. Their emo-tinged brand of rock was received well by a large crowd, but some bland melodies (not helped by the poor acoustics in the Thebby - something must be done!) stopped them from knocking everyone’s socks off. Socks must have been flying during The Hot Lies, though. Despite the fact this was the third time I’d seen them in two weeks, I was still blown away: even over that short period they seem to have gotten even better. The mosh was well under way by the time they were half way through opener Breakaway from their brand-spanking-new EP ‘Heart Attacks & Callous Acts,’ and vocalist Peter Wood was clearly loving every minute of it. He owned the stage, launching himself into the crowd and swinging his mic around as well as any of his American counterparts. It feels weird calling them locals now - The Hot Lies are well on their way to national domination. The big stage and light show suited them so well, and it seemed doubtful that Millencolin could top it. But then they did. The Swedes burst onto the stage and straight into Kemp and the packed house erupted. It was clear that punk was what the audience wanted - all this emo stuff just wasn’t quite enough for the punters tonight. The band seemed tighter then the last time they graced us with their presence and were totally in their element. Now, they aren’t that mind-blowing a band live - they pretty much play their songs as they sound on the record - but a Millencolin show is always a helluva lot of fun, and this was no exception. Tracks from their latest ‘Kingwood’ formed a significant portion of the set, but it was the extensive back catalogue that hit home hardest - Penguins & Polarbears was a favourite, as was nostalgic classic Mr Clean. While the choice of Mooseman’s Jukebox as the final song of the encore seemed strange, it was preceded by the brilliant punk rock force of No Cigar. Millencolin reaffirmed themselves as one of my favourites - and I’ve got the wrist to prove it.  |
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