Lagwagon took to The Triffid's stage in Brisbane on a Thursday night with all the energy and enthusiasm '90s skate-punk is known for.
They enthralled fans new to the scene, and revived the spark in those of us a little longer in the tooth who've been hanging on every word since their first album release back in 1992.
The night (5 February) opened with Sunshine Coast locals Deadheat, a bouncy, fun-loving four-piece punk band formed in 2012. They performed with charisma and presence, showing that the full-nonsense, high-energy spirit of '90s skate punk is alive and well within the new generation.
The openers laid into the crowd with a collection of their recent releases including '3 Out Of 4' and my personal favourite, 'Kitchen Hand Job'.
With a hardcore vocal styling delivered by Ricardo, the drummer, for the latter track, the funny, upbeat song had the crowd laughing and bopping along before the band rightly chased Ricardo back behind his kit to close out with '3 Out Of 4', their 2025 single that had us all chanting "Hey! Hey! Hey!"
Deadheat - image © Kelly Warren
Lagwagon then claimed the spotlight, employing their classic, no-frills approach to their live shows. The 30th anniversary of 'Hoss', their 1995 album, was brought to life all over again with the same high intensity, fast-paced, captivating performance they've been bringing fans for decades.
They did not disappoint. Fans were packed to the rafters vying for a place to watch the band rock out onstage, the venue full to the brim with the kind-of-drunk, slightly-sweaty, over-40s crowd who've loved punk all this time.
The crowd had sacrificed sleep on a work-night to watch their faves deliver a nostalgic rendition of their third album, originally released 1995 by Fat Wreck Chords, and reissued in 2011.
A celebration of the album, Lagwagon enthralled Queenslanders with every track, played every riff, and sang every line of every song on the album that fans have adored for the past 30 years, and the crowd were just a thrilled in 2026 as they were the first time they heard it.
Lagwagon - image © Kelly Warren
In their classic way, Lagwagon kicked off with 'Kids Don't Like To Share', the first song from the album, with the intention to follow the album track list pretty closely when they flowed into fan-favourite 'Violins' right after.
One of their most well-known songs, 'Violins' is a fantastic blend of melancholy lyrics and upbeat melody, with lyrics like ''Cause you put me out, the butt of your sick joke, into this ashtray life as you come and go' hit hard no matter the decade you hear them sung.
The gig was clearly a mass employment opportunity for the babysitters of Brisbane as the pit overflowed with a crowd of 40-somethings electrified with the energy of a reclaimed youth while drowning in nostalgia.
'Hoss' landed Lagwagon in the punk-rock hall of fame when it was released, and whether the crowd was new to the genre, or a punk-rocker since the sub-genre kicked off way back in the mid-1970s, you could feel we were in the presence of genre legends.
Lagwagon - image © Kelly Warren
The show had everything punk was always supposed to have, and it was a thrill to note how so many of the more-recent punk songs from decades after Lagwagon's debut all still echo some of the sounds, vibes and high-energy riffs Lagwagon are known for, and a real pleasure see where it all started, live and in the flesh.
First blood was spilled in the pit to the sound of "bombs await you, bombs away, let them all fall down" as the old favourite 'Bombs Away' rang out.
It was quickly followed by concern from the band as they did their due diligence to check on fan safety with some spicy commentary lamenting the injection of testosterone into mosh pitting and how it never used to be like that.
A fitting observation on the back of a song that features lyrics like 'you've got a thing about being lame' and 'you want that world that they took away'.
Lagwagon - image © Kelly Warren
If anyone can convince the over 40s to risk their replacement knees (or lure them into realising they just might need one) and coax them into a good mosh session, it's Lagwagon.
By the time tracks 'Sleep' and 'Sick' were done and dusted, even lead singer Joey Cape was lamenting the ravages of time and how he "used to be able to stay up all night, get drunk, do drugs, and play good music," but they were feeling a little sick and wouldn't mind some more sleep.
However, like proper punk rockers, our crew of heroes leaned into the second half of the set including fan favourites 'Razor Burn', 'E Dagger' and 'Falling Apart', and rallied through the rest of the set list, delivering a nostalgic gig celebrating 30 years of 'Hoss', revisiting all the old friends the album offers.
- written by Ellie Duck
