I finally got to see Newcastle trash punkers I Hate People, it was also the first live music show I’ve seen in about two years. Here’s how it went …
My gig buddie and I arrived at the venue a little before 8:30pm, we grabbed a drink at the bar and made our way out back to the beer garden before sitting at a table and playing spot the band people while we got the camera ready. We start to hear sound check and decide to venture back inside, by the time we find a table near the front of the stage we look up to see Aluminum Monster, the 4 piece band don’t have a lot of room on stage. Laura (the singer) introduces the band and soon I’m hearing some familiar tunes from their live album.
We have seen Aluminum Monster live once before, back in 2018, and they had a different bass player back then but Simon really fits in well and displays good chemistry with the other band members on stage. People might know Simon from another band called I Have A Goat, a Melbourne based bogan punk band that Simon played guitar and sang in for the last couple of years. Between songs the band, mainly Laura and Simon were constantly interacting and engaging with the crowd. At one point someone mentioned a song title “Wolf Collar” which felt like mistake that quickly turned in to a joke/laugh. The band has great stage presence and were working the crowd, Laura had everyone clapping to a beat during their set. The highlight for me was when they played “The Ballad Of Mathew Mara”
The change over between bands felt a little long but it was probably just because I was so excited for the next band, I had even decided to wear one of their band shirts to the show. I haven’t seen Harold Holt Search Party live yet but this 4 piece local band had released their debut recording Footy which I’d been listening to leading up to the show.
The singer Dave had positioned himself in front of the stage with microphone in hand before even introducing the band. I was really getting into it when they played Heroin and No, No, No but when they played Footy and I was looking up on stage at the bass player Fuzz, singing backup vocals in a footy shirt, that was probably the highlight of their set. Dave had even managed to keep the Wolf Collar Joke going.
After the set we got to chat with Simon and Andy from Aluminum Monster and I scored a band shirt, next we chatted with Craig from I Hate People and my gig buddie got an I Hate People jacket/hoodie thing. After getting another drink and sneaking out to the beer garden for a smoke, we return to find Melbourne based 3 piece punk rock band Forklift Assassins taking the stage. I notice they look more free to move around as they start playing and venture into the crowd with the camera in hand.
I was lost in the moment when they played Scotty From Marketing from their second EP Members of a Doomsday Cult which came out last year. A few in the crowd burst out laughing when Michael, the drummer/main vocalist mentioned Wolf Collar, keeping the running joke of the night going. As main vocals duty switches to the guitarist for a song, I notice a drop in volume and feel like the vocals are lost in the mix. The bands energy is still great and they finish strong
The last band of the night were Newcastle hardcore thrash punkers, I Hate People. It was their first time in Bendigo but they’ve been to Victoria twice before and both times I missed them. I was so excited to see this band live and they didn’t disappoint. Craig, the drummer introduced the band and soon I was listening to a bunch of familiar tunes like You’re A Fucking Shitcunt and Neck Yourself from the 2020 album Bukkake Scene Slather, as well as stuff from the New World Order EP like Gay Bar. The highlight of the set for me was when Simon joined them on stage for a not to shabby AC/DC cover.
*all band photos taken by Michael & Selyna Wilson
The Venue
The Golden Vine Hotel in Bendigo is a great little pub with friendly community vibes and the kind of atmosphere that I vibe with, I’m especially fond of the mint growing in the beer garden.
