A special request from the Dead Of Winter festival organisers will see classic Brisbane metal band Pangaea reform in their original three-piece line-up for the Brisbane event.
A powerhouse of the Brisbane rock scene at its nascent in the late '80s and early '90s, Pangaea were comprised of bassist Ben Ely (Regurgitator), drummer Dave Atkins (ex-Wolfmother, Resin Dogs) and guitarist Jimi Sinclair.Now living on the Sunshine Coast, Jimi says the reformation of Pangaea to play Dead Of Winter is an exciting prospect and will be the first time the band has played together in over five years. “We haven't really done anything since 2011,” Jimi says.
“We got together for a show at The Zoo and a tour with Helmet back in 2011 and since then we've all been busy with our own lives. I can only speak for myself, but I'm very excited. We've been asked to get back together for this Dead Of Winter festival and I'm sure the two other lads are as well.”
This year, Dead Of Winter expands to two venues, offering a double-whammy of what has become a premier line-up of local, national and international artists from the genres of punk, rock and metal.
The 2018 event will be headlined by lovable larrikins Frenzal Rhomb, along with Polaris, Ocean Grove, Clowns and of course, Pangaea. “I think its going to be fantastic,” Jimi says of the festival.
“I've had a look at the line-up for Dead Of Winter and it's just awesome; I'll be there as a fan myself, it's going to be great. I'd love to see Frenzal [Rhomb] again, I believe Blowhard might be playing [they are].
“I'm also really looking forward to checking out this new all-girl punk band from Byron Bay called Dicklord, I'm really keen. I've seen some film clips and I'm really keen to check out their live act.”
The return of Pangaea should stir up lively memories for their long-time fans who would remember the brute force of the band's performances.
For Jimi, he himself has fond memories of a golden-era for Brisbane music. “Definitely playing at the Livid Festival a couple of times, that was great, and opening the main stage for Big Day Out still sticks in my memory,” he says.
“Also the early gigs; the very first gig we did was opening for The Dreamkillers on New Year's Eve at I think it might have been The Funk Yard, and those old venues like The Funk Yard, Metropolis, The Arena – they're some great memories.”
Jimi says Pangaea's performance at Dead Of Winter will be a treat for older fans as they will focus on playing mainly from their early catalogue of songs. “We haven't really set anything in stone yet but I've had a chat with Ben and he's keen to focus on the older material from the first two EPs, and the first thing we released was a cassette, so we're going to do some tracks off that.
“I'm thinking by the looks of it we're going to focus on the old-school material, and I've gotten some feedback from fans that they're really keen to hear the old stuff. Hopefully we'll get to do one or two new tunes and just some improvisation too because that's a big part of who we are, just jamming. So there will be a few surprises for sure.”
