Live Review: Millencolin @ 170 Russell

Opening the night, Something Something Explosion are a Melbourne three-piece punk act who are well known around the local scene, it was great to see them get a shot on a bigger stage, and they made the most of the opportunity banging out a rapid-fire set full of bangers. Fronted by the enthusiastic and charming Grace Drummond, her stage presence is a bolt of energy and a fierce performer, making you feel like you are part of the gang. Her performance always brings a smile to my face. Closing the set with Burn it Down and Afterglow, I heard an audience member mutter, ‘I’d hate to have to follow them’, and I tend to agree. 

The Melbourne-based three-piece Drastic Park are closer to the sound of a band like Blink 182 or an early to mid-2000s warped tour act. They have an extremely polished sound and a killer stage presence. The band opened with Meltdown while the two frontmen, John and Chris, really worked to engage the growing crowd as they warmed up for Millencolin, bouncing around the stage with reckless abandon and injecting plenty of effortless banter. The band already have an album, an EP and a slew of singles under their belt; it’s clear they have been working hard on honing their craft both live and in the studio. 

Millencolin are no strangers to Australian audiences, the Swedish rockers have been a permanent fixture in Oz for many years, having massive chart success with the breakthrough album Pennybridge Pioneers. Opening with the foot-stomping rocker Kemp, the crowd had swelled to near sold-out capacity, and it was clear we were in for one hell of a show.

Bassist and vocalist Nikola Šarčević is such an unassuming frontman and bassist that when you hear the absolutely stunning voice he possesses, it absolutely floors you. Guitarists Mathias Färm and Erik Ohlsson flanked him, throwing themselves in the faces of the crowd and bouncing around, bringing an effortlessly cool and absolutely crushing performance typical of the seasoned rockers they are. Nikola’s vocals were on point as the band rolled through skate punk classics such as Bullion and Fox along with newer but equally as impressive cuts such as SOS and Nothing from their most recent album. I don’t think Millencolin have put out a bad album in their 30-year history, and they clearly didn’t intend to let up on the Melbourne crowd, the band was totally in the moment and in their element.

Šarčević took centre stage for The Ballad from Pennybridge Pioneers, playing it solo and letting the crowd take the reigns and sing every word back to him in a display of absolute vocal mastery before amping it up again with crowd favourites such as Pepper and Penguins and Polarbears. A quick joke about the World Cup and mention of the Socceroos may have fallen on deaf ears, but they still had the crowd in the palm of their hands.

After a quick break, the band returned and ripped through Pepper, Mr Clean and True Brew with its call to arms of “I just want to live for something true, I don't care if it's good enough for you, I just wanna create something true”, a testament to what the band is all about, positivity, moving forward in the face of adversity and living life on your own terms. Ending with Duckpond (one of my all-time favourite Millencolin songs) and No Cigar the band left everything on the stage and proved why they are as relevant as ever 30 years into their impressive career.