Ronnie Simmon and the Redback Spiders, Punish, Avalanche at the Duke, Sydney. 11 May 2024
Another Saturday night, and we’re once again at the Duke. This time it’s for the very special occasion as the debut gig for current Rose Tattoo guitarist Ronnie Simmons’ new band.
First up tonight are hard boogie exponents Avalanche who hit the stage with such youthful and wide-eyed exuberance it’s easy to overlook how close to AC/DC so many of their riffs are. They’re also thunderously loud and immensely fun, drummer Ryan Roma doing plenty of the shout-outs and bad jokes tonight as frontman Steve Campbell appears to be struggling a bit – he later admits to be under the weather – and they tear through an energetic set of old school hard rock with their usual flair, Veronica Campbell ripping out the solos in the midst of the crowd. Their Angels cover was a bit under done but the rest of the set went off.
Just before Punish could hit the stage, a rainburst hit and the entirety of Enmore Road was blacked out, leaving the Duke in an eerie gloom of candles and emergency lighting that deepened the character of the place but meant there was no service and the night might be over as it was just beginning.
Fortunately things got rectified after only half an hour and Punish were able to unleash their three-piece pure punk assault. As could be expected for a band named Punish, these lads are all about hard-hitting political hardcore. Sharp and tight, they lean into it with a scathing ferocity and rip through a powerful set. Tome Fowler’s strong, clear voice carries their message across the blazing attack that stirs a mosh right through to the Misfits cover that winds it up. There’s an album from these lads on the way that is sure to be pretty amazing.
After a quick change over necessitated by the earlier black out, Ronnie Simmons and the Redback Spiders hit the stage for their debut performance. The tall, lean, Joey Ramonesque figure of Simmons, guitar-less in the role of specialist vocalist, was more surprising than having Eminem’s “Without Me” introduce them. That initial shock quickly diminished. Tight, explosive and well-rehearsed, Ronnie and the Spiders rocked the Duke with a set of catchy rock and roll. Part punk, part classic pub rock, this band’s songs are instantly infectious, causing the whole room to move like they’re hearing familiar favourites instead of new tunes for the first time. Simmons is completely at ease in his unfamiliar role. His singing voice isn’t great but this is a punk band so that doesn’t really matter. His charisma and natural presence make up for it and the band is on fire, the lead player Hayden McGoogan steps forward to pepper the crowd as they surge into a swirling pit that grows as the show goes on.
“I was going to go on a big rant about tall-poppy syndrome about now,” Simmons says about halfway through, “but we got four noise complaints during sound check, so this one goes out to them instead!” and considering how they are – all the bands were really loud tonight – it’s hardly surprising, although a little worrying from the venue’s point of view. Still, even a power outage couldn’t stop the Red Back Spiders tonight, from brash Sniffers-like punk to Angels-flavoured New Wavish boogie to a hint of ska, they put on a stunning first-time performance in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
