To anyone who thought the Canberra punk scene was dead and gone, Super Best Friends have shown that they are proud to be representing our underground grunge culture in their own special way. They brought a collection of varied heavy bands to Transit Bar to help them launch their debut album Status Updates.

Release the Hounds introduced themselves as being from a small town just outside of Canberra called Brisbane. Their instruments were loud and their front man shouted over the top of the driving backing of drums, bass and guitar. Their on-stage banter was surprisingly enjoyable.

FOAM had travelled East-side from hometown Perth to join the tour. They all had lusciously long hair, and their Nirvana influences were unmistakeable. Their Garage Rock music had some interesting features as they shifted between heavy songs and more melodic ballads, all the while harnessing the spirit of grunge.

Pat Chow also joined the bill from Perth, and from the emergence of the front man’s surf-green coloured Fender guitar, the scene was set for a slightly different vibe as Heavy Rock music met surfer to create something which might be referred to as ‘Garage Surf Rock’. They still featured heavy guitars and shouting, as was the theme of the evening, and their final song It Won’t Go fostered an unexpected feeling of reminiscing and happy hopelessness amidst the rather depressing lyrics.

Transit Bar had been looking fairly empty all night with people deep in conversation lining the walls of the venue, and the pool tables getting attention. However as soon as Super Best Friends took to the stage, the room filled up, and from the very first chord people were voraciously nodding heads and pumping fists in appreciation.

All My Friends are Leaving Town was instantly recognisable and the enthusiastic audience sang along. This song seemed somewhat poignant after the general move of many Canberra musicians to Melbourne in the last couple of years.

Super Best Friends’ songs are simple yet effective. They tend to be guitar-bass-riff driven, and feature some effective guitar solos and use of vocal reverb at opportune moments. They also have some interesting musical nuances which may not necessarily be a feature of their music, but do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. They broach a variety of subject areas in their songs from commenting on political issues to discussing the problem of the gentrification of local pubs in Melbourne.

They delivered song after song of solid rock music, with their breakthrough hit Round and Round being a huge crowd pleaser.

No one was surprised by their choice of final song, their new single Dog Whistling. They made specific mention to the video clip created by Canberra local, Emma Fish. This was the song in which the crowd showed that they remembered what Punk/Rock/Grunge music is all about, and the dance floor transformed into a mass of thrashing, pushing, moshing bodies, with the song lending itself to the release of pent up audience energy and a good sing/shout-along.

While Super Best Friends joked about this hometown show being the ‘shittest show of the tour’, no one seemed to agree as everyone filtered out with satisfied smiles on their faces.

Images by Dave McCarthy