Live Review: Millencolin, Grenadiers, Postscript

Postscript open with a hardcore drum beat. It's not long before the rest of the band joins in and the crowd is hit in the face with the Melbourne band's '90s-skate-punk sound. Singer Jess Cuman gets some snark from the crowd when asking who saw last night's show. "Who goes out on a Monday?" a faceless mosher yells. Cuman just laughs before agreeing, "Yeah, we all listen to Millencolin. We're all old as fuck!"

Adelaide natives Grenadiers take the stage next and do not care that it's a weekday. "Come closer!" vocalist Jesse Coulter shouts, "I know it's a Tuesday night but it doesn't mean you can act all weird." The crowd shuffles forward as the three-piece launches into Summer. The trio's musicianship is incredible and their sound tight. Grenadiers move through rhythm changes with ease. Self-described as "soil rock", their sound is a melting pot of the very best that rock and punk has to offer — hardcore growled vocals, punk pace and rhythm/garage-rock guitar tone and blues guitar licks. The band finish their set with latest single Live Fast, Diabetes.  

This is the final show of Swedish legends Millencolin's Australian tour. The venue is packed, bodies shove and all vie to get those coveted barrier spots. The house lights drop and the audience erupts in cheers. This is it. A police siren sounds over the speakers followed by a drawn-out guitar riff. Once onstage, the four-piece launch into Egocentric Man, which bleeds into the next track Penguins & Polarbears.

Vocalist and bassist, Nikola Sarcevic, walks around the stage making sure to engage with the audience before vocal duties call him back to the mic stand. Fellow guitarists, Mathias Farm and Erik Ohlsson, bounce around so that you will see them no matter where you stand. Millencolin's high energy in infectious and the audience is more than happy to jump and sing along. The crowd-surfing starts early and doesn't let up for the whole set. At one stage the crowd plays keep away with security and a crowd surfer.

The band keep the crowd entertained with their banter. Before a new track, Farm says, "Let's see if Melbourne is compatible with circle pits [pause]. Oh, you might call it a ring dance here." Sarcevic laughs and adds, "The Ikea ring dance."

Millencolin might have broken the record for number of songs played in an hour — 16 plus a six-song encore. What a Tuesday night this was!