Live Review: PUP, Bugs

Maybe it's just the rampant negativity throughout their entire catalogue, especially on their recent second effort The Dream Is Over, but Canadian punk rock quartet PUP seem like perennial underdogs. Which is why the sold out sign on the Brightside's door seems so unexpected.

The ticket sale situation means even before Bugs have hit a single note, The Brightside is a sweat lodge. As everyone in jeans laments their choices and drinks beers already warm by the time they're placed on the bar, the local duo play a slew of covers designed to get everyone in the room excited about what's to come next.

When PUP walk out on stage and barrel into If This Tour Doesn't Kill You, I Will and immediately follow it up with DVP, that's all they need to do - everyone in the room is hooked on every word coming out of Stefan Babcock's mouth. As Babcock delves into the incredibly catchy personal hell that makes up the lyrical content of The Dream Is Over, The Brightside heaves with this perversely celebratory energy - when the crowd surfers launch themselves on top of the pit you can see the huge shit-eating grins plastered across their faces.

Somehow the misery of these numbers transforms into gleeful abandon and the crowd can't get enough. It's been a long time since Brisbane audiences have experienced a sweaty punk rock club show where they can still sing along to every word, but that's exactly what PUP delivers. As they crash through cuts like Guilt Trip and The Coast and guitar fuzz surges over the rhythm section, the audience stays on top of Babcock's lyrics like they're in some kind of high stakes karaoke tournament. When the diminutive frontman thrusts his microphone stand over the crowd to handle the backing vocals during Sleep In The Heat they're hitting every note. Even when the show gets loose to the point of dangerous - between songs the dudes have to tell everyone to look out for each other and not jump off the upper level's railings - the crowd maintains their commitment to singing along. It's an amazing feeling to be a part of, and it's something Brisbane probably hasn't seen since Violent Soho were playing clubs. And the feeling continues when PUP close out the main part of their set with Familiar Patterns and Reservoir. Even when they walk back on stage to do an encore rendition of Weezer's El Scorcho, the crowd is still trying to sing every word along with them. Though they've been treated to their fair share of covers thanks to Bugs, nothing can diminish this audience's enthusiasm to sing their voices hoarse alongside PUP. How cool is that?