Propagandhi
10th May 2019
Galatos, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
It was sold-out Galatos that greeted politipunks Propagandhi last night, a fitting welcome for the Manitoba Canadian four piece who last visited New Zealand shores over a decade ago.
Following a blistering set at Meow bar in Wellington on the Thursday night, Propagandhi were primed and ready to tear up the stage for their Auckland fans with a set that would showcase many of the tracks from their last released album, 2017’s Victory Lap.
But first a little local flavour in the form of the ‘wine-punk’ duo Tooms consisting of Dorian Noval on drums and Nich Cunningham on bass, both of whom shared vocal duties. Familiar faces on the resident circuit with acts such as Axes to Grind and Rope respectively, the duo laid down a set that was draped in heavy bass driven grooves. Tracks such as ‘The One Called Duke’ about Phil Collins and ‘Types of Dicks’ featuring on their self-titled EP released in August last year, one that is well worth adding to the music collection.
Impressively Dorian Noval hadn’t quite finished with the audience just yet, a quick change over seeing her once again appear on stage however this time as the lead vocalist for the ‘sonic terrorist’ trio of Exit Fear who most recently appeared at Whammy Bar supporting American hardcore band Cult Leader. The three-piece consisting of Brogan May (Shitripper) on drums, Aidan McDonald (School of Meat) on bass and the aforementioned Noval on vocals performed a brutal set that chewed up those in attendance and spat them out on the other side. Songs from their recently released EP 1 such as ‘Classic Libra’ smashing teeth and taking names, Noval at one point flippantly apologising for being “so annoying”. Anyone who is a fan of acts such as Master Blaster or PCP Eagles and likes their hardcore punk with bite need to catch these guys live as soon as they can.
A slightly lengthy wait gave the audience a chance to jostle for position, the steel barrier running across the front of the venue providing a perfect anchoring point for those who wanted to get up close and personal with the soon to appear Canadian legends; Propagandhi taking up their positions as the crowd roared their approval.
Formed in 1986 Propagandhi have undeniable history, their over three-decade career ensuring that the room was teeming with a veritable mix of ages, stories of when fans first discovered them shared over a beer before the show. Charging straight into ‘Failed Imagineer’ from their 2017 album Victory Lap – one whose work would feature heavily throughout the night – it was immediately evident that their fans were here for the new just as much as they were for the old, front row sing-alongs abounding.
Lead vocalist and founding member Chris Hannah (along with drummer Jord Samolesky) was the anchor to the show, holding down centre stage his vocals and occasional brief intermittent banter were calm and thoughtful compared to the exuberant energy of bassist Todd Kowalski who gave it his all and then some throughout the set, often bouncing off the foldbacks.
Delving back into the early 00’s, Propagandhi churned out some early fan favourites, ‘Fuck the Border’ seemingly more appropriate in 2019 than ever; Sulynn Hago the most recent addition to the group impressively strutting her stuff across the strings to the right of Hannah. First emerging on the scene as more of an affiliate of skater punk, Propagandhi’s later sound is far more heavy, a decidedly metal influence infiltrating their music; Victory Lap an illustration of this, proving that some bands do indeed continue to grow throughout their career.
But that doesn’t mean that old material is neglected either, scattered throughout the set many of the tracks were injected with renewed vigour; the band wanting to ensure that what was laid down before their fans last night was worthy of their loyalty. Mosh pits and crowd surfers rallied throughout the evening, Kowalski seemingly impressed with the crowd’s frenetic behaviour; feeding off it, it only pushed him further to give more of himself with every track.
A run of five songs in a row off of Victory Lap saw both the popular ‘Cop just out of Frame’ and ‘When All your Fears Collide’ make their live debut in Auckland, Hannah unequivocally proving that he still has one of the greatest punk voices around, the lyrics of the songs often complex and thought provoking, the band’s ideals on politics, animal rights and veganism made clear. Finishing on ‘Anti-Manifesto’ from their 1993 debut How To Clean Everything, Hannah and co profusely thanked the audience, calls for more already echoing around the venue. How could Propagandhi say no?
Returning moments later they delivered the title track from Victory Lap – an impressive eight tracks in total featuring during their set – before ‘Night Letters’ appropriately brought the show to a close; both Hannah and Kowalski lingering behind to chat with fans, hand out set lists and oblige in a requested selfie or two.
Hannah may have stated earlier to the crowd that he had no idea when they would be back, but it couldn’t be too soon for the hundreds of satisfied fans who poured out into the night air.
Were you there at Galatos for this rambunctious punk rock gig? Or have you seen Propagandhi perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Failed Imagineer
- A Speculative Fiction
- Dear Coach’s Corner
- Fuck The Border
- Lotus Gait
- Devil’s Creek
- Lower Order (A Good Laugh)
- Apparently, I’m A P.C. Fascist (Because I Care About Both Human And Non-Human
- Animals)
- Note To Self
- Failed States
- Letters To A Young Anus
- Comply/Resist
- Cop Just Out Of Frame
- When All Your Fears Collide
- Nigredo
- Duplicate Keys Icaro (An Interim Report)
- Back To The Motor League
- Anti-Manifesto
- Victory Lap [encore]
- Night Letters [encore]
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