In what can only be described as the ultimate wet dream for crusty punks, the Manning Bar at Sydney University will play host to two of the most influential and celebrated old-school acts in the history of the movement in early December.
Over two consecutive nights the venue will be transformed to a sweaty den of mohawks and stomping boots, first as British legends The Exploited unleash their brand of furious thrashing punk, and then, for the mighty American horror punk founding fathers, Misfits.
The Exploited, appearing on Friday, December 11, arrived on the scene at a time when the first wave of British punk was all but dead.
As they point out on their publicity material, Sid was dead and the Pistols had signed Ronnie Biggs as their new singer, The Clash were adopting rock star poses, the Damned wanted to be goths and the Buzzcock’s Pete Shelley bought himself a synthesizer!
In Edinburgh, Wattie Buchan and his mates were not impressed. Angry and disenfranchised by what they saw happening around them — a country in disarray with greedy politicians treating the masses with contempt, Johnny Rotten’s prediction of ‘‘no future’’ seemed truer by the day.
There was only one way forward — embrace the music that had always offered so much and give it something back ... your entire life.
The Exploited’s debut, Punks Not Dead, was released in 1981. It spawned a new breed of politically outspoken anarcho-punk bands and became the number one independent album of the year, selling 150,000 copies and reaching 20 in the national charts.
A year later the band released Troops of Tomorrow. It is now recognised as one of the classic punk albums of all time.
The band’s influence has openly been expounded by fellow punk acts like Discharge, Agnostic Front and Anti-Flag as well as speed metal icons Anthrax and Slayer.
Anyone unsure of what The Exploited stand for need only look to a trio of album titles: Death Before Dishonour, Beat The Bastards and F*** The System. Over the decades they have remained true to their roots, never selling out and never bowing down.
The band is just as relevant today as it was when it started — a fact well-known by its global fans, The Barmy Army, many of whom will no doubt be at Manning Bar.
The Misfits will take to the stage on Saturday, December 12.
In what will be an extremely rare event, band leader Jerry Only will lead his brothers through complete renditions of classic albums Static Age and Earth AD.
Misfits arrived on an unsuspecting and totally unprepared scene in 1977 and went on to create a musical legacy that has not only withstood the test of time, but had an effect on the sound of so many acts to follow its hard to keep an accurate count.
Bands across the ages have paid tribute to the Misfits, including Guns ’n’ Roses, My Chemical Romance, Prong, NOFX, Cradle of Filth, Sick of It All and Metallica, who have covered three of the band’s songs on their famed Garage Day Revisited releases.
The band’s iconic ‘Fiend Skull’ logo, which was once crudely painted on their equipment, leather jackets and everything they could get their hands on, has since become a staple in pop culture, and an instantly recognisable symbol worldwide.
Static Age (like The Exploited's Troops Of Tomorrow) is among the greatest punk albums of all time and features the band in its primal, raw and evil best.
Included on the album were classic tracks like We Are 138, Attitude, Last Caress, Hybrid Moments and She.
‘‘When fans come to a Misfits show, they get a band who gets up there and gives them all they’ve got,’’ said Misfits leader Jerry Only.
‘‘We give them the real thing — that’s how we’ve always done it. At a show everyone’s just part of the band. There’s no them and us — we’re all us.’’
As well as playing both albums in their entirety, Misfits will run through a set of fan favourites including Astro Zombies, Skulls, Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight and Die, Die My Darling.
Tickets for both shows are available now from The Manning Bar’s website, manningbar.com. Special meet and greet packs are available as well as general admission tickets.
Gazette editor Matt Lawrence is one old punk looking forward to December.
A passionate music fan for as long as he can remember, he wears his greatest loves on his sleeves ... literally.
Alongside skin tributes to Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, Frank Zappa, Manowar and Danzig is the Misfits fiend.
‘‘I remember grabbing a copy of Earth AD when I was in high school and being blown away,’’ Matt said. ‘‘It was like a soundtrack to a classic horror flick. Sold from the get-go.’’
