The Meanies
Rating: MA 15+
Director: Rachael Hough
Running Time: 55 mins
Distributor: Madman


On a miserable rainy night in Winter 2003, I was one of about 50 people huddled together in a corner of Fowler's Live watching The Meanies race through a set of their two-minute garage punk anthems, but though I'd been waiting years for the chance to see them, the experience left me largely unfulfilled.

The Meanies were legends of Melbourne's all-ages scene in the early- to mid-'90s and anything less than a packed house of out of control fans desperately trying to outdo each other (and lead singer Link) can't do justice to what is far and away the most fun band Australia has ever produced.

The live gig included on this DVD is more akin to The Meanies' spirit, Link prowling across the stage and roaring into the mic with the ferocious four-piece (second guitarist Tas was on hiatus) keeping up with the blistering pace that he set, but the patchy sound really diminishes its impact. Thankfully, there's plenty of live footage of the mayhem they brought to remember that era by and this documentary gathers recordings of a bunch of shows as it follows the band's trajectory from inception to local legends, sees them become a five-piece and eventually disintegrate and later reform. Through these clips, interspersed with interviews from group members and other music industry types, the story is told quite well, though it does tend to have quite a narrow focus and a little more material on the musical climate from which they emerged wouldn't have gone astray.

There aren't too many surprises in the selection of contemporaries like Spiderbait members and acts bearing The Meanies' influence including, most obviously, Frenzal Rhomb, but the insights into the writing and recording process (and stories behind songs like Steve Sex God) will be appreciated by fans.

Meanwhile, the addition of eleven videos that you won't find anywhere else are one of the DVD's biggest selling points. Thrashing out songs that bear the indelible influence of The Ramones, The Meanies generally hit a lot harder (Link's a huge fan of The Bad Brains, who they toured with) and are often imbued with far more musical sophistication than you'd expect from a 'fun band'.

This is an excellent introduction to an influential and talented group that's never been given the national attention or acclaim they deserve.

Alexis Buxton-Collins