Gig

Dropkick Murphys & Alkaline Trio – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 17th November @ Forum, Melb VIC

/10

Nov 20, 2024

7 min read

Dropkick Murphys and Alkaline Trio
Forum, Melbourne VIC
November 17, 2024

A balmy Melbourne weekend uncustomary to mid-November ended on a dizzying high as the anthemically glum Alkaline Trio and trad punk veterans Dropkick Murphys returned to Naarm for the first time in umpteen years. The irrepressibly, emotionally boisterous pair of bands made a 40-ish Sunday work night feel just like a 19-ish barely-employed Thursday Warped Tour sideshow, and Australia’s finely-aged south east punks and emo kids were all the merrier for it.

The first of two sold out nights at Melbs’ fancy AF Forum theatre – the second of which unexpectedly high ticket sales conjured – was an earnest welcome home for two bands that have remained beloved to our town and country, despite the lengthy break between global tours reaching way down south. However, writing this review as an Antiskeptic fan as far back as their gig on the back of a truck at the 2003 Warped Tour is not without a maudlin tinge to the entire evening. Initially booked as the openers for every date of the national tour, The Skeppers were forced to bow out last-minute due to a serious mental health issue within the band. Their new album Instincts – their first in over a decade – absolutely slaps. It’s a deep shame that the fellas couldn’t give it the exposure it deserves on this lofty and largely sold out bill. Give it a listen and help out an underrated local outfit that’s been DIY for over twenty years and more than deserves our support. Feel better, old friends.

On a positive, the unoccupied opening spot gave both co-headliners the chance to play longer sets. For two bands that haven’t graced our shores for far, far too long, this was obviously welcomed by the heaving and full up Forum. Alkaline Trio hammered out a cavalcade of largely older back catalogue picks in a tight and high-energy set; one which frontman Matt Skiba personally told us at WoS last week was partly to make up for an acutely hungover situation that transpired at Soundwave a decade ago after he’d partied excessively with GWAR the night previous. The man and his band mates more than amply delivered the goods this go around. An attending friend with no knowledge of The Trio was shocked to hear they’d been around for the better part of three decades due to how youthful and spry they looked and sounded the entire gig. Replete in matching black suits all sharp and classy, it was an added joy to see beloved punk journeyman Atom Willard placed front and centre on stage between Matt and bassist/ co-vocalist Dan Andriano for his debut Melbourne show as A3’s new full-time drummer. Derek Grant left lofty, tricky, idiosyncratic shoes to fill after 22 years at the helm, but Atom has – very unsurprisingly – made them his own without ever treading on or disrespecting the core energy Derek’s drums always brought to Alk’s entirely unique punk/pop/goth/whatever sound. What a wizard.

For a band popular enough to successfully release every one of their albums in live form at one point a few years back, hardcore fans are always going to bay in vain for whichever few of their personal favourites didn’t make the hour-long set, but this punter was absolutely sated by a more classic selection of songs. Highlights included ‘Crimson’ opener and fan-favourite ‘Time To Waste‘, and anti-commercial radio anthem ‘We’ve Had Enough‘ as the first two off the set list. Fat Wreck Chords Rock Against Bush Volume 1 compilation standout ‘Warbrain’ has almost always made the bill, despite being a B-Side tucked away on a CD made to get the youth voting against another asshole American president five whole presidents ago. Nothing much has changed in that department – something for which Dropkick Murphys would apologise for mid-set later on – but the song is still an absolute blast.

New bangers ‘Bad Time‘ and ‘Blood, Sweat, and Eyeballs‘ were eagerly gobbled up by the throng, but never as much as lasting hits like ‘Mercy Me’, ‘Armageddon’, and heart-rending singalong closer ‘Radio’ always will be. However long it may be before Alkaline Trio return, it will be too long to wait for their dedicated Australian fan base. The tour had to squeeze in new dates here and there for a reason, and an entirely full venue wailing “I wish you would take your radio to bathe with you, plugged in and ready to fallllll!” was more than testament to that. Luckily, night two is happening as this review is being written.

The Murphys promptly followed with 90 minutes of consistently raucous Bostonian punk that largely acknowledges both their strong Irish heritage and – like all good punk rawk – the oppression of the working class. Their jaunty, belting hybrid of punk and trad is untouchable live. An hour and a half absolutely flew by, and no expense was spared on instrument freight and/ or hire costs seeing as bagpipes, an accordion, a keyboard, a banjo, several whistles and flutes, the drums, and a shitload of guitars all saw ample use across the ripsnorter of a show. The Murphs epitomise the seamless blend of d-beat punk tempos and fast-paced, evocative traditional Celtic folk music. Both genres are born from repression and the endless ethical questioning of ruling classes, leaders, governments, oppressors, and all of those who stand in the way of universal egalitarianism and social acceptance. It’s no surprise they blend together faultlessly.

Sham 69’s stomping punk anthem ‘If The Kids Are United‘ and The Fureys whimsical and heartful instrumental ‘The Lonesome Boatman‘ beckoned the 7-ish piece on stage; a juxtaposed pairing that weirdly fit perfectly next to each other imminently before a Murphy’s gig. Punk about sticking together and trad that would be best heard gazing over The Cliffs of Moher? That’d be these guys! 25 uproarious and engrossing songs followed with zero sense of ego or self-gratification from these world-class entertainers. Singer Ken Casey spoke briefly and lovingly about their fans, our country, and making sure everyone had a safe and fun time in the finely-aged mosh pit. The irony of a band who writes songs about, covers songs of, and shares blood with a country of people that were unable to build monuments to their heroes and leaders for 800 years under British oppression and violence playing in a room drenched prettily in mock ups of Roman Gods, kings, and rulers was not lost on this reviewer. Ancient nepotistic dead people looking down upon a band poetically telling people like them to fuck off through time made the whole thing a little more triumphant, but probably I was just a little toasty and overstimulated. The Irish had their songs, the ruling class built their statues. I know which every punk in the world would choose to keep around. Fuck the government!

Hits like ‘The Warrior’s Code’, ‘Flannigan’s Ball’, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, ‘The Irish Rover’, ‘Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced’, and two-pronged encore ‘I’m Shipping Up To Boston‘, and the fucking brilliant classic ‘Worker’s Song‘ rounded out night one of two where these veteran kings of genre-defying and defining trad punk were openly going to play 45 songs over the two nights to make sure returning Naarm punters got two different shows before all was said and done. Take it from a twenty-year cover band drummer; that’s a lot of practise and hard work to get right, and then do right on the other side of the world for a dozen whirlwind shows. Sure, we pay our money to get inside, but these guys aren’t Taylor Swift. That’s effort and time added personally by a group of people who care deeply and earnestly desire their fans to get every cent worth.

We certainly did at The Forum, two fantastic nights in a row. Stay punk, kids.

Review and Gallery by Todd Gingell @gingerly_done
Please Credit Wall Of Sound and Todd Gingell if you repost photos.