Live Review: Propagandhi, Canine, No Doz

The supports for Propagandhi’s latest jaunt to our shores were very much an exercise in contrasts to the Canadians' technical wizardry and melodic approach to hardcore. No Doz’s brand of what can only be described as fuzzy garage-punk was direct, breathless and a hell of a lot of fun. Canine on the other hand employed a collage of sludge, frenzied riffs, noisecore and the odd divergence into instrumental noodling in a set that had some heads banging and others being scratched.

Following past triumphs, The Music’s expectations for Propagandhi were off the Richter scale. And while the band never quite reached the heights of past shows in smaller venues (due to a somewhat muddy mix that slightly sabotaged their sound) this was nonetheless a blistering set with flawless execution. We got a huge chunk of the band’s latest LP Victory Lap including the rock-o-rama of set opener Failed Imagineer, the sledgehammer riffage of Comply/Resist and the surprisingly tender and introspective Nigredo.

The ‘Todd songs' were of course well received with the pit at its most violent during Night Letters and Fuck The Border. Welcome old favourites included A Speculative Fiction, Back To The Motor League and Without Love, the latter having the entire crowd in fine voice. Those who longed for the band’s pop(ish) punk beginnings would be forgiven for feeling a little cheated with only Anti-Manifesto and Apparently I'm a "P.C. Fascist" being wheeled out. But given the band’s later years are undoubtedly their finest this was forgivable. Add in the majestic Lotus Gait and the ever-popular anthem Dear Coach's Corner and this can only be judged as a corker of a setlist – and one that represented the band’s history well. 

Propagandhi have been touring Australia since 1994 and they are yet to misfire. Where many of their contemporaries have become nostalgia acts, Propagandhi continue to be one of the most exciting and relevant voices in hardcore.