Sydney punk-rock veterans Bunt have a proud reputation for putting on wild and unruly live shows that have resulted in them getting banned from more than a few venues.
So there is plenty for punters (bunters?) to look forward to when Bunt make their return to Wollongong for a show at Dicey Riley's with Fingermae and Plasmon Resonance Band.
For bassist Chuckles, it will be his first time playing there after the band had to cancel last year's show. “We were meant to play Wollongong last year but one of us got sick and we had to pull out at the last minute,” Chuckles says, “I've never actually played Wollongong before.
“I think the other guys did before I joined, because I'm bass player number three. But this is going to be a real treat for me and quite a few of my friends from the glory days of Sydney have actually moved there, so I'm looking forward to catching up with a few, old buddies as well.”
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Bunt describe their live show as 'the closest you'll get to seeing The Stooges in the 21st century', a big call they back with rampaging performances that are an assault on the eyes and ears. “We’ve had trouble with people, such is life,” he says.
“It’s usually more over-embellished egos than anything else and we've toned down a lot but in the heyday we were definitely on The Stooges side of out there.”
Chuckles says it is the dynamic he shares with lead vocalist Jon Ruttan that makes for such volatile onstage shenanigans, which apart from getting them banned from venues have also left Jon bleeding on several occasions. “Usually because of me,” Chuckles laughs.
“One day his hand got slashed open on the strings of my bass and another time I head-butted him once onstage… we have a love-hate relationship, Johnny and I.”
While Bunt has been going since 1996, Chuckles is their 'newest' member having joined in 2008 after the departure of Michael Fearnley who replaced original bassist Tom Evangelidis in 1999.
A Sydney local, Chuckles came to play in the band after years of admiring their onstage ferocity. “Before I joined the band I was watching them play at a hotel here in Sydney and I just thought to myself ‘I want to be a part of this band’, because they’re always exciting live and it's been a pleasure spending the last ten years with them,” he says.
“I used to go see them all the time. Lyndon [Reed, drummer] and I go way back, long before the band so I used to go see them quite a bit and it was always a blast whenever they played live and it’s great to be part of it. I really enjoy the atmosphere of playing the gigs, it’s always good fun.”
If you miss out on seeing Bunt in Wollongong, Chuckles says the band have tentative plans for Melbourne and Brisbane shows next year as well as Japan where they've made significant in-roads into the country's bustling punk, heavy-rock market. “Our guitarist [Ryuichiro Seita] is Japanese and we just decided to go over there,” Chuckles says.
“Because it’s no different to us going to Melbourne or Brisbane or anywhere, it’s just playing some shows in a different area. We’ve got lots of friends over there and we always reciprocate; they take care of us there and we take care of them here.”
