When you want to celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of Australian music's seminal albums, you should probably book a bunch of friends to come along, find a really good venue, make sure all the bands have a chance to be a part of it, and then send out the invites and hope that everyone comes along.
That's exactly how Regurgitator went about celebrating the 25th anniversary of their record 'Unit', an album that has stood the test of time and traversed generations by being ground-breaking, inspirational and as bassist Ben Ely put it later in the day, "such a weird album", all wrapped into a 13-song, 36-minute dalliance.Eatons Hill Hotel (25 March) was a perfect choice of venue to house a massive outdoor stage, along with an indoor ballroom that provided an air-conditioned relief from the heat of the day. The genius of the scheduling was that there were no overlaps, meaning every band was given full focus and their own time to shine.
Soy Division not only have a very fun band name, but were the choice to kick-ff the festivities on the indoor stage. Their music sounds like it could be taken from 1970s London and that's a compliment. A rocking start to the day.
Glitoris - image © Bec Harbour Photography
Glitoris, old friends of Regurgitator, welcomed the early fans to the outdoor stage with a frenzied and focused set leaning heavily into calls to action and calling out the bullshit policies and habits of a male-dominated society. The plethora of 'Slut Power' t-shirts on the day highlighted the positive influence this band has had and continues to.
As we grab a drink from the easy-to-access bars and some (much needed) sunscreen, we headed inside to the ballroom to catch local Brisbane indie rockers, Cheap Date, who in their short time as a band have uncovered a gem of jangly numbers that tap into '80s nostalgia mixed with modern storytelling. It was a sweet respite.
Beloved Brisbane brethren, Screamfeeder brought classic songs like 'Hi Cs' and 'Dart' to an adoring local crowd, choosing nostalgia over the ever-enduring music that the group is still creating (their eighth album, 'Five Rooms', was released last year). It's bloody great to scream "Domino!" back as a crowd though and they really tapped into the vibe of the day perfectly.
Platonic Sex may only just be starting out, but their stage presence and punk-folk tunes felt mature and well-rehearsed. The fact that a band starting out can be hand-picked to play a festival is testament they're doing all the right things – there were many people in that boardroom who discovered someone exciting to go back and follow.
Butterfingers - image © Bec Harbour Photography
The next three acts on the line-up all represented the sheer eclectic nature of the line-up and brilliant musicianship. Local legends, Butterfingers mixed up their set with some new and some old, and gave us all a chance to belt out: "F... I'm good, just ask me!" at the top of our lungs.
The Stress Of Leisure were at their quirky, brilliant best in the ballroom, sparking all variations of dance moves to their newer tracks 'Numbers Man' and 'Your Type Of Music', and back to the eponymous 'Sex Time' from their 2012 record, 'Cassowary'. Still great.
Every act seemed to fit perfectly into the flow of the day. This included the classic Australian rock of Models, making a fitting rare festival performance, before a crowd that certainly remember their music and happily belted out the lyrics on the outdoor stage, especially to their huge '80s hits 'I Hear Motion' and 'Out Of Mind Out Of Sight'.
Hearing classics 'Happy Birthday I.B.M.' and 'Pate Pedestrian' really were a treat and again, fit the vibe beautifully.
The ballroom was host to a lot of amazing punk on the day, but the highlights were to come. Firstly, Mitch, Please – a band with a few years under the belt, but really starting to hit their straps – turned us inside out.
Yes, they had soaring guitars and driving beats to make any punk-rocker proud, but when lead singer Polly Cooke lets her vocal rip, you are hooked. Flipping from sugary-sweet to death growl in the blink of a second, she's a force of nature that can't be ignored. They surely weren't and would have gained a tonne of new fans from their killer set.
Mitch, Please - image © Bec Harbour Photography
Custard are synonymous with feel-good pop rock. You can't help but smile when you hear 'Hit Song', 'Ringo' or 'Music Is Crap'. As always, Dave McCormack (or Bluey's dad to your kids) lets his charisma flow over the crowd and as day turned to night. It felt perfect to indulge in some of the sweetness of a band that attract adults and kids alike, still delivering quality new music to this day. Definitely listen to their 2020 album 'Respect All Lifeforms' if you have not already.
As was the theme of the day, Flangipanis delivered a visceral, combustible set of punk music that didn't hold back and again demonstrated the bristling punk scene that is continuing to power on in Brisbane. Live shows don't get much more frenetic than when lead singer Jodie, delivering c-bombs at a regular rate, whipped the packed crowd into a frenzy. Also, another bloody great band name.
DZ Deathrays would be excused for being a bit tired having played at Ability Fest earlier in the day in Melbourne, but they hit the main stage after dark to deliver a pumping set as only they can.
The trio of Parsons, Ridley and Ewbank were joined by Violent Soho's bassist Luke Henery to become a formidable foursome and pumped through songs old and new. New track 'King B' is as pumping a DZ song as you'll hear and it fit in perfectly with classics, 'Like People' and 'Gina Works At Hearts'. They will be heading around the country with Regurgitator for their national Unit tour.
DZ Deathrays - image © Bec Harbour Photography
Then it was time for the hosts and birthday boys themselves to appear. In what would be his first appearance with the band in 22 years, Shane Rudken, bouncy keytar protagonist from the original Unit tour, reunited with Regurgitator in a delightful surprise for their upcoming tour.
Donned in silver body suits (not hiding much!), the band dove straight into the celebrated album and gave a memorable performance of every track, highlighting how much the album has the ability to take us back to a time and place.
The great thing about playing an album in full is not only do you know what's coming, you know how it's going to flow and you know how you feel when you listen to it.
The first five songs from the records are so strong and provide a sensory overload that was accentuated by a stunning video accompaniment from Ken Weston, taking snippets of video clips and other mind-bending ocular invasions. It was impressive.
Regurgitator - image © Bec Harbour Photography
Then you have the quirky segues like 'Unit', '1234' and 'Mr T' interspersing classics like the always hyped 'I Will Like Your Arsehole' and the adored 'Polyester Girl'. 'Just Another Beautiful Story' has to be one of the most underrated closing tracks on any album ever.
Of course, the album retelling was never going to be the full story and they returned for selection of career highlights including 'Bong In My Eye', 'Blubber Boy' and 'Fat Cop'. 'I Wanna Be Nudist' had us hoping that an anniversary tour of third album, '…Art', might be on the cards one day.
Despite a couple of sound issues and a broken string cutting the set short (always a sign of going off!), the show was a prime display of Regurgitator giving what they always do on stage, a passionate and energetically fun show with cheeky banter, rock poses and bouncing. . . lots of bouncing!
The day was not over yet and indeed some of the best was still to come despite a small run on the exists after the headliners.
Melbourne punk rockers Cable Ties released their second album in 2020, 'Far Enough', that was meant to catapult them around the world before being cruelly stymied by the pandemic.
Cable Ties - image © Bec Harbour Photography
What can never be stymied is their live show. The sheer raw energy that is projected by lead singer Jenny McKechnie can't be described in words. You simply have to see their live show to experience just how much passion is put into the delivery of each and every note and word.
Their performance of 'Sandcastles' had to be one of the highlights of the day, even if our feet and old backs were hurting. Their music is a journey that you are pulled along with from the first beat. Making more noise as a three piece than you'd expect, there's really little no reason not to be lost in the trip that you are taken on. A simply outstanding set.
And so we finished with Resin Dogs. An act that take influences from hip hop, reggae, funk, rock, pop and everything in between. This was a show of celebration, friendship and collaboration as they pulled out all the stops and delivered a stage show for the ages.
Wailing horns, Dave Atkins pounding on the drums (with cymbals flying) and DJ Katch delivering beats like no other – it was hard to know where to look, so we just danced, moved and used every last ounce of energy we had.
The day was a roaring success. The work done (especially by the 'Mayor of Brisbane' and Regurgitator manager, Paul Curtis) to bring such a dizzying array of talent from not just down the road, but around the country, to one place and for it all to go off with very few hitches is no mean feat.
With the combined efforts of many, it was done and done very well. Comparisons to the golden ages of Livid were bandied around, such was the feel-good energy of the day.
This event proved that a mish-mash of styles, bands, ages, genders and interests can intersect to create a magnificent menagerie of independent music and thinking that celebrates the very humanity we are all here to enjoy.
With any luck, it will become a staple in the musical calendar and 'Unit' will really become 'Units'. Just be sure to write a letter to your mayor.
