The Chats
12th February 2019
Whammy Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review & Photography by Sarah Kidd.
They’re the little Aussie three piece – Queenslanders to be precise – who two years ago released a video about the humble tea break. Fast forward to 2018 and they were touring the UK and selling out every venue they stepped into, their tales of pub grub while lamenting over bus money spent, endearingly honest in both sentiment and delivery. Yes, The Chats, in all their beer drinking and mullet sporting glory had finally arrived on New Zealand soil last night for the first of eight shows, Whammy heaving under the weight of numerous bodies, the gig sold out weeks ago.
Shaun’s B’day like to party, and even better they like to party with you; the Auckland three piece positively fizzing to hold the auspicious position of opening for their Australian counterparts. And it’s contagious, Shaun’s B’day are a band that not only look but sound like they are having so much fun on stage that there is an overwhelming desire to be a part of it too.
Led by the charismatic – and soon to be married – Jake Love on vocals and bass, Shaun’s B’day waste no time as they toss out tracks with bass laden swagger such as ‘Blue Pickup Truck’ and discuss how mistreated the Teletubbies friend Noo Noo the vacuum cleaner truly was in the tongue in cheek ‘The Injustice of Noo Noo’. Cassey Locke holds down drums while Shaun Dedekind wields his guitar, his shirt the only competition the gat has for who can be loudest; the combined and continuous smiles of all three at times communicating a band biography of its own.
Forty-five second punk rock tracks intermingle with stories of a guy having a party all his own thanks to a few illicit substances; a cover of Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ tearing across the stage before Love drops a kiwi themed rap on the crowd that many may remember from the old school McDonalds Kiwiburger ad campaigns. Extending the party invitation, a surrogate fourth member in the form of Jake Nuualitia from the Deadbeat Boys joins the band onstage for their final track ‘Helicopter Pilot’, Love by this point shirtless and precariously balanced on a stool. Sometimes the support act compliments the main act so well that it makes your toes tingle…Shaun’s B’day were unquestionably leg quivering.
Changeover was swift, more bodies pressed into the room and against each other; eager fans chanting The Chats song lines like a call to arms. As lead vocalist Eamon Sandwith strapped on his bass, and took a swig of his beer, his mullet temporarily lengthened as his head tipped back; ‘Dave Dobbyn’s ‘Slice of Heaven’ playing across the speakers in no doubt a nod to their Kiwi counterparts who by this time were already leaning out over the front of the stage awaiting the ruckus to begin.
Soon enough their wish was granted, The Chats dropping ‘How Many do You Do’ straight from the sky upon their heads, their infectious form of shed rock – a term they invented themselves – jumping into the front row and electrifying the mosh pit. ‘Pub Feed’, ‘Bus Money’, parents who steal your ciggies and don’t give them back as told through the track ‘Mum Stole My Darts’ only pushed the crowd harder, pushed it so hard that even Sandwith paused between tracks to ask everyone to take a “big step back”. The crowd complied but it wasn’t long til once again they had built in size like a small tidal wave threatening to spill forth, the fast-paced punk rock sonics of The Chats infecting them all and driving them forward.
There is no denying that Sandwith is the ringleader, between ferocious facials and frenetic vocals he is the catalyst of the tornado before him; to his side Josh Price on guitar, who periodically chimes in on vocals keeps his instrument slung low, often turning to look back at Matthew Boggis on drums who despite the intensity of the music, has the look of calmness of that of an old school jazz drummer. These three catholic school boys who one day decided to form a band while in music class have come a long way; their army of fans growing ever larger every month. While ‘Smoko’ has an undeniable humour to it, this is not a band to be written off as a mere gimmick. Their music is relatable, it’s catchy without tumbling into cliché and musically it’s solid; their live performance tight yet still managing to retain that raw and edgy feel to it. It’s a recipe that many strive for but for most will never rise.
Throwing in a track that Sandwith and Boggis tease as an exclusive new and never heard before single that they wrote themselves, the crowd became one singular voice as they bellowed the lyrics to the Kiss 1975 classic ‘I Wanna Rock N Roll All Night’ like a grizzly woken from it’s slumber; the song a rather apt choice for a crowd that wanted to live it’s title right there and then. By the time the infamous ‘Smoko’ rolled around Sandwith was shirtless and so were half of the audience, The Chats one song encore of ‘Better Than You’ bringing with it a reluctant end to the festivities.
No matter what happens from here, The Chats are a name now stamped into the bedrock of Australia’s sonic influencers. Do not miss them.
Were you there at Whammy Bar for this Australian shed rock extravaganza? Or have you seen The Chats perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- How Many Do You Do
- Pub Feed
- Bus Money
- Rosie Palmer
- Mum Stole My Darts
- The Clap
- 4573
- Do What I Want
- I’m The Best Person In The World
- Identity Theft
- I Wanna Rock N Roll All Night [KISS cover]
- Smoko
- Temperature
- Better Than You [encore]
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