Bad Religion, Auckland NZ, 2019

Bad Religion
With support from Bodyjar & Frenzal Rhomb

4th December 2019
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.

Auckland punks and those of similar ilk from around the country gathered under the blessed eaves of the Powerstation last night for a triple header bill that paired together the best that Australia and America had to offer.

Originally scheduled for Eventfinda stadium there were few complaints when it was announced a short while ago that the show would now be held in a far more central and intimate venue, the only disappointment being that tickets were now strictly R18, which kyboshed the dreams of more than a few teens with their heart set on seeing their idols.

An early evening start saw those that dragged their heels miss out on the mighty Bodyjar, who despite their almost three decades in existence still play with the exuberance and tenacity of a band who just got their first big break. Opening with ‘You Say’ from 1997’s Strange Harvest, Baines and the boys turned the dial to eleven and left it there, smashing through both ‘Is it a Lie’ and ‘Remote Controller’ before gifting the audience with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘A Hazy Shade of Winter’, which was without a lie a definitive highlight of the set.

While lead vocalist Cameron Baines was in fine form it was Shane Wakker on drums that drew the room’s attention; arms flailing, sticks smashing skin and with a grin that could have rivalled the Joker’s itself in length, his enjoyment was positively palpable, ‘Fairytales’ from their last album Role Model released back in 2013 only driving him harder. Sadly, as opening act, Bodyjar’s set was a short one consisting of only nine tracks, but each were nuggets of pure Aussie gold; ‘Lights Out’ and ‘One in a Million’ bringing their sweet set to a close.

A definite shift in atmosphere occurred as Frenzal Rhomb took the stage, the Aussie band with little regard for the more serious side of life, beginning their set by wandering about the stage having a yarn with themselves and the crowd, before launching straight into fan favourite ‘Bird Attack’ which saw the mosh pit begin to flex its combined muscle as bodies smashed against bodies for the duration of the fast paced, just under ninety second song; ‘Mummy Doesn’t know you’re a Nazi’ continuing in the vein of short and sharp.

Despite a number of line-up changes over the years, the familiar faces and backbone of Frenzal Rhomb remain, lead vocalist Jason ‘Jay’ Whalley now sporting a rather disconcerting but punk as fuck singular large dreadlock, his long, lean frame encased in black still cutting a formidable figure on stage, even when bent in half as he howled into the mic. Behind him Gordan ‘Gordy’ Forman held down kit duties while to his right, Lindsay ‘The Doctor’ McDougall – the music encyclopedia of the band whose knowledge according to Jay stopped at the letter ‘B’ – on lead guitar was busy channelling Angus Young in the shorts department while keeping safety a priority with his custom Frenzal Rhomb Hi-Viz vest.

Half the enjoyment of a Frenzal Rhomb show is the camaraderie and incessant banter between the members, especially that of Jay and the good doctor, who at any opportunity would find ways to slot in snippets of other famous songs. Playing to the hearts of his kiwi fans McDougall slipped in such classics as ‘I Got You’ from Split Enz – a little ‘I See Red’ finding it’s way into ‘You are not my Friend’ towards the end of the set – and ‘Slice of Heaven’ from Dave Dobbyn; Jay tongue in cheek chastising him for patronising the audience. Requests were even taken, one fan having his wish for Billy Joel granted with a short version of ‘You May Be Right’.

There were plenty of their own tracks to keep the crowd churning as well, their seventeen strong set list seeing everything from ‘5000 Cigarettes’ from Smoko at the Pet Food Factory and ‘I’m Shelving Stacks (As I’m Stacking Shelves)’ – a little ditty about shoving ecstasy up your bumhole to cope with the monotony of working at Coles supermarket – to slower jam ‘I Miss my Lung’ cavort across the stage; their set culminating in one last glorious mosh pit as they smashed out ‘Never Had so much Fun’ and ‘Punch in the Face’ to finish.

Venue heaving, classic tracks of a bygone era entertained the crowd as they waited for the main act of the evening, ‘Anarchy in the UK’ from the mighty Sex Pistols and ‘New Rose’ from The Damned’s 1977 album Damned Damned Damned encouraging a few singalongs. The lights dropped and an almighty roar rose from the bowels of the pit as Bad Religion took the stage.

Formed in 1980, Bad Religion have always had a significant and revered place in punk; their ability to write songs that voice their unapologetic opinions on everything from politics to religion respected to the present day.

Much like the acts before them, there have been line-up changes along the way, however, lead vocalist Greg Graffin has always been a staple, the PhD wielding, animated singer the anchor that brings the band together. Joining him on stage and drawing many an eye, was Brian Baker and his Les Paul. Not only an indomitable guitarist but a former member of Minor Threat, it was a thrill for many in the room to once again see him play on New Zealand soil; Mike Dimkich and the indefatigable Jay Bentley completing the wall of guitar noise that continually stirred the every growing circle pits in the middle of the room.

Kicking it off with ‘21st Century Digital Boy’, Bad Religion kept the banter to a minimum, Graffin instead preferring to inject short sentences that would neatly segue into a song title, his ploy exciting the fans as it would give them a few seconds heads up as to what was coming next. ‘Fuck You’ was an early crowd favourite, a sea of middle fingers kissing the air, those watching from the safety of the balcony – or what Graffin would later affectionately refer to as “the cheap seats” – grinning as the watched the melee below them, the evening bringing with it a steady stream of crowd surfers, stage divers and rib-crushing pits.

The twenty-seven strong set list meant that few would be left disappointed; tracks from their latest album Age of Unreason released earlier this year fitting in perfectly with their more esteemed classics. If anything, it proved that Bad Religion are just as relevant now as they ever were, even if they did negate to play ‘The Kids are Alt-Right’, a damning statement on a disturbing movement throughout the US; Baker – as recently discussed in an interview with Ambient Light – wishing that they were only lucky enough to be graced with politicians of the calibre of our own Prime Minister Ardern.

Sticking to the tried and true formula when it comes to their tracks, there was a slight lull towards the centre of the set as those not quite die-hard fans momentarily stepped back, Graffin and crew soon rectifying that with songs such as ‘Generator’ and ‘Sorrow’ which saw hundreds of voices raise the roof in unison, an encore which included ‘Infected’ and of course ‘American Jesus’ to bring the night to an end the absolute icing on the cake.

Is punk still alive? Do you really even have to ask?

Were you there at the Powerstation for this high energy punk rock show? Or have you seen Bad Religion live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Bad Religion Setlist:

1. Digital Boy
2. Fuck You
3. Anasthesia
4. Chaos From Within
5. Stranger Than Fiction
6. The Dichotomy
7. Recipe For Hate
8. My Sanity
9. Them & Us
10. Conquer The World
11. End Of History
12. Handshake
13. New Dark Ages
14. Lose Your Head
15. Modern Man
16. Sinister Rouge
17. Only Gonna Die
18. Skyscraper
19. Do What You Want
20. LA Is Burning
21. You
22. Paranormal Style
23. Generator
24. Sorrow
25. Infected [encore]
26. Fuck Armageddon… This Is Hell [encore]
27. American Jesus [encore]

Frenzal Rhomb Setlist:

1. Bird Attack
2. Cunt Act
3. Mummy Doesn’t Know You’re A Nazi
4. Russel Crowe’s Band
5. I Went Out With A Hippy And Now I Love Everyone But Her
6. Hate
7. Mr Charisma
8. 5000 Cigarettes
9. Shelving Stacks
10. School Reunion
11. White World
12. When My baby Smiles At Me I Go To Rehab
13. I Miss My Lung
14. You Are Not My Friend
15. Bucket Bong
16. Never Had So Much Fun
17. Punch In The Face

Bodyjar Setlist:

1. You Say
2. Is It A Lie
3. Remote Controller
4. Hazy Shade Of Winter
5. Fairytales
6. Not The Same
7. Vessel
8. Lights Out
9. One In A Million

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