Southern-Californian skate punk legends Guttermouth are heading down under once again, bringing their infamously maniacal stage antics to Australian fans one last time.
“It’ll be our last time in Australia, and it might be our last time touring in a couple of places,” admits Guttermouth’s vocalist and founding member Mark Adkins. “We’re not going to stop doing it, we’re just going to cool it for a while and try to free up some time for personal projects.”
Adkins speaks fondly of the opportunity to have the time to finish business school — something that was put on hold long ago to make room for band commitments. “Running a band is essentially a business,” he says. “People think it’s all fun and games for us, that we just jerk off and have fun all the time. And we do. But there’s also a hustle. Running this band is a full time and a half job.”
For the past 25 years, Guttermouth have been keeping the punk-rock spirit alive with their anarchic live show that has seen Adkins banned from Canada for indecent exposure, jailed for inciting a riot in California, and thrown off the Vans Warped Tour for publicly disparaging a number of other bands on the tour.
“Most people think I’m a maniac,” he laughs, “but believe it or not I’ve got my head screwed on the right way. I’m a human being, you know?”
They’ve been the energetic practical jokers of the tour circuit for most of those 25 years, but as Adkins explains, the road takes its toll on everyone eventually. “Energy isn’t an issue — I run six miles three times a week. The thing is I’ve been doing this for more than half my life, we’re basically traveling salesmen; there’s no sense of normalcy and its the little things that I miss. When you’re sleeping in a different place every night, its not normal, and it’s probably not real healthy either.”
Australian venues have seen an influx of '80s/'90s American skate punk bands lately, but few have visited our shores as often as Guttermouth over the years, and it would be safe to say these guys have benefitted from their adventures down under more than most.
“I remember on my first trip to Australia about 15 years ago I noticed all the service stations had natural gas pumps, so I did a little research and invested in natural gas. 15 years later, they’re everywhere in the United States and I’m set up for retirement.”
So what can Aussie fans expect when Guttermouth kick off their final Australian fling? “What can you expect? A live show. We still do the best live show of almost any band out there, and we’re pulling some old songs out of the hat for this one. If you’re going out, you’re going out with a bang. That’s what I plan on doing.”
Guttermouth Tour Dates
Fri Aug 09 — Fowlers (Adelaide)Sat Aug 10 — The Loft (Warrnambool)
Sun Aug 11 — Ferntree Gully Hotel
Wed Aug 14 — Brisbane Hotel (Hobart)
Thu Aug 15 — Barwon Club (Geelong)
Fri Aug 16 — Karova Lounge (Ballarat)
Sat Aug 17 — The Evelyn (Melbourne)
Sun Aug 18 — The Man (Falls Creek)
Mon Aug 19 — Swindlers (Mt Hotham)
Wed Aug 21 — The Station (Jindabyne)
Thu Aug 22 — UC Live (Canberra)
Fri Aug 23 — The Manning Bar (NSW)
Sat Aug 24 — The Beachcomber Hotel (Toukley)
Sun Aug 25 — Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle)
Wed Aug 28 — The Coffs Hotel (Coffs Harbour)
Thu Aug 29 — The Great Northern (Byron Bay)
Fri Aug 30 — The Tempo Hotel (Brisbane)
Sat Aug 31 — The Parkwood Tavern (Gold Coast)
