Here’s Why Adelaide's Scumfest Is Going To Be Awesome

You just know a festival is going to be memorable if it manages to reunite not one, not two, but five bands to rock out on stage.

Scumfest did away with the mainstream route of booking bands that were still together and pieced together one hell of a reunion show.

Conation

This Newcastle punk act has endured the test of time, their pissed-off sound ringing in hardcore audiences for years. The band penned a damning response to the Howard Government's poor treatment of refugees in 2003 in the form of Troubled Waters And Fortresses, using their musical pedestal to do what punk bands do best. Their aggressive attack on the conservative border policies has wavered just as much as the Liberal party has (ie, not at all). Their in-your-face comeback is set to knock righties out of the ball park, after a ten-year hiatus has allowed them to refine their craft and get even punkier.

99 Reasons Why

Another no-bullshit punk act comes in the form of these Adelaide partiers. Forming over 20 years ago, 99 Reasons Why put out a whole bunch of catchy skanky punk tunes before shutting up shop in 2003. The band had a number of sizable achievements under their belts, including supporting the likes of Millencolin and Frenzal Rhomb, and taking their "high energy punk seasoned with a pinch of ska" around the country. In the amount of time it would've taken to spawn a teenager, the band have blown off the dust and reignited their hard n fast attitudes to reform.

Blood Sucking Freaks

Adelaide's best '90s punk rock band, these guys hit it hard from '93-'01. Self-described prison punk, the antique Adelaideans released such gems as Nose Full O' Snot and Dick Full O' Attitude. With the '90s being the heyday of Australia's various branches of punk, Blood Sucking Freaks carved themselves out a slot in legendary status while being signed to Dominator Records, a label/record store that played home to bands like Mark Of Cain and Grunter. Back with a loud, thrashy bang, it won't take long before the sweat starts dripping down your face as the city of churches welcomes back another act from the history books.

The Jerks

Not actually jerks. The northern suburbs punk kids formed in high school in 2000, a beautiful conception followed by eight years of kickaroundss and corrupting the minds of the young. The band played a bunch of gigs around Australia and essentially brought some of the highest-energy shows the people had seen in yonks. And now they're back.

Three Chain Break

These hardcore metal groovers have been igniting teenage-angst since the late '90s, bringing their uniquely noisy brand of rock to the stage alongside their fellow local heroes. Their metal-hardcore crossover is set to take over Scumfest to pay tribute to the woes of yesteryear, celebrating Adelaide punk in its finest and purest form.

You'd be absolutely off your chain not to sink several tinnies and head on down to the festival packed so full of reunions it's basically a reality TV show on a commercial station. Scumfest is set to be a corker, with the old-geezers showing anyone and everyone what it means to really be punk. It means never letting punk die.

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