Nospray: Arse + Robbie Thunder

Is there an end to this wave of frenetic Australians turning the world upside down? Let’s hope not. We also hope that you didn’t get too comfortable in our months of absence. In May you will get back to brushing up last nights bruises, because you’ve been spotted in the wild again. It’s time to get ready, time to get riled up, time to Go Hard! We got just the thing for you on May 25: Arse and Robbie Thunder. A double trouble Australian bill. ARSE ARSE is a punk band built for the times. The Sydney trio’s genre-blasting tunes nail the modern condition in a way that's universal yet undeniably Australian all at once, as evidenced on Kaputt, the band’s most unhinged offering to date. In 16 minutes of raw power, Kaputt skewers everything from climate denialism to crooked law enforcement. “Shame Bomb” channels Diesel and Dust-era Midnight Oil with a protest song about the destruction of Australia’s dead heart. Elsewhere, “Night Shift Blues” sounds as if Flipper slapped the Stooges. Then there’s the title track; equally indebted to classic ’80s hardcore and the scorching psychedelia of Tropical Fuck Storm and King Gizzard. Somehow, it all manages to sound like pure ARSE. The eccentric mash-up has put ARSE on bills with Aussie punk royalty Amyl and The Sniffers, Cosmic Psychos, Hard Ons, These New South Whales and Civic. It’s also further proof that Grupo Records, co-founded with drum/sax powerhouse Party Dozen, is one of the most exciting indie labels in Australia. ROBBIE THUNDER Ramones were once called the smartest dumb band of all time. In which case, Newcastle based power-pop heartthrob Robbie Thunder is probably the second or third smartest dumb band (or artist) of all time. Rock n roll to ruin any nice occasion.