Live Review: The Bennies, Off With Their Heads, Hightime, Ebolagoldfish

Already the venue was heaving as Ebolagoldfish played their set. The McDougall-twin frontmen created a symmetrical aura on the stage as they smashed out each song, finishing with All Messed Up.

Radelaideans Hightime had the crowd impressed from the start, beginning with a track from their latest album Mother Crab. They fuse punk and Aussie hip hop with an undercurrent of reggae, yet it surprisingly works. A considerable portion of the crowd were singing along, showing that these guys have an interstate following.

All the way from the US of A, Off With Their Heads warned the crowd that their music was “pure concentrated depression” before kicking off, their sound a salute to late '90s punk. During track Drive, The Bennies frontman Anty Horgan jumped on stage to chime in with the chorus.

The crowd chanted before The Bennies took to the stage; we were ready for the long-awaited headlining act. Horgan told the crowd what they were here for — to party. They kicked off with Party Smashers, which begins with a reggae synthy vibe then develops into a paradoxical punk song. They followed up with their new one Detroit Rock Ciggies, geeing everyone up. Horgan’s long locks turned from flouncy to drowned rat with sweat by the end of the set, indicating just how much energy they throw into their performance. 

Legalise took on a roots feel as the heavy stench of weed filled the venue. Party Machine was the crowd favourite as everyone well and truly lost their shit. The Bennies' set was all about getting as fucked up as possible while still being respectful of others and having a good time. They performed an encore inviting their support acts to the stage for the final song, Hold On, concluding one of the most energetic and fun sets we’ve seen in a long time.