Live Review: Pissed Jeans, BB & The Blips, LA Suffocated

After the unfortunate drop out of the original support acts, relative unknowns LA Suffocated and BB & The Blips stepped in to warm the crowd and set the scene for Pissed Jeans' first show on Australian soil.

LA Suffocated only played a handful of songs, with a low-key vibe from behind their table of electronic devices. The duo displayed a nice blend of modern rhythmic drive and nostalgia '80s synth sounds, brushed with a rough-edged and slightly industrial atmosphere. Vocals appeared on a couple of songs and showed potential to drag their instrumentals into fully fledged songs.

BB & The Blips took us into prime punk territory with a full band and one gear — fifth. The guitars were thin and nervy sounding around their drummer who was the binding glue for the band. Frontperson BB was a dynamic and commanding presence, prowling, bouncing and shimmying front of stage. Her vocals provided the colour and spirit to the songs - all yelps, screams and exuberant sweet/sour melodies. Fun punk rock with a conscience.

The enigma that is Pissed Jeans - are they serious or taking the piss, are they post-punk/metal/sludge rock? - sauntered on stage and kicked off an hour of wholly entertaining, brutal and hip-swinging heavy music. The answer to the aforementioned question is obviously 'all of the above'. From their name to their lyrics and stage performance, they both honour and deconstruct the myth and cliches of rock and hardcore music. As the band laid down malevolent riffs and tumbling, mangled and constantly shapeshifting rhythms, frontperson Matt Korvette played the role of the rock star and anti-rock star, both posturing and showing disdain for convention. He tore T-shirts, humped mic stands, used the stage curtain as a towel and feigned tears as they staggered and vicariously stumbled through their back catalogue, with a particular focus on their recent album Why Love Now. Moshing ensued, a stage invader ate concrete as he launched himself back into the parting audience and the band laid waste to a cover of Guns N' Roses​ It's So Easy that was more reverential than one might expect. That's the glorious dichotomy of Pissed Jeans.