We were going to write our own blog about this show, but Mark Chandler (Music/gig blogger/journo for FB page 'Bands of Brisbane') had already written up his honest review of the show, in far better way than I could - so.... over to you Mark! The Sunny Coast Rude Boys and Fat Picnic at The Triffid.
Saturday 22/02/25
There’s a lot to love about the Triffid. Plenty of room, great food, big stage, wonderful lighting, excellent view of the band from everywhere, brilliant sound and the air-conditioning of an industrial meat locker. And only the one negative. Parking. Saturday night, an evening of great music and top class air conditioning on offer and it all nearly came undone by my inability to find a carpark. Last time, the tempting mirage of empty spaces across the road resulted in a $120 fine for parking in a Loading Zone, so I wasn’t falling for that again. Eventually I spotted a Nissan Micra which was quickly turtled and verily I had my carpark. Apologies to MOD-62.
A fair sized crowd were in to see the SCRBs. Not as many as the gig deserved but it was a busy night for music in Brisbane and the local restaurants were packed, so maybe others had tried and failed with the parking. There’s only so many Nissan Micras out there willing to take one for the team.
The support was Fat Picnic, who I’d never heard of. A quick Google told me they were “Brisbane’s premier high energy party band”. I thought that was Wickety Wak, but I’m very old. According to Nkechi Anele from Triple J, “They’re a little reminiscent of early Cat Empire” although I thought they were a lot reminiscent of another Brisbane band, Cheap Fakes. Either way, they were sensational. They are indeed high energy in a ska, reggae, skanking, bouncy, barefoot, fun kind of way. It’s obvious they don’t take themselves too seriously, but they clearly take their music very seriously. No playing fast, bouncy stuff just so people get too busy dancing to notice their musical shortcomings here. This band is tight. Unfortunately it was trumpet player Curtis Scibilia’s last show which is a shame because that boy has some chops on him.
I downloaded Fat Picnic’s album (Get Out Of My Fridge) from their website, only ten bucks and it’s a bop. So do yourself a favour. Better still, see them live.
I’ve seen the Sunny Coast Rude Boys many times. And I’ve photographed them many times, always from the pit. So on Saturday night I took my place, not in the pit, but up in the balcony at The Triffid.
Was that why this was the best gig I’d ever seen them play? Was it because I wasn’t looking straight up Mick Hughes’s schnoz all night? Or was it because of the additional personnel up there in the horn section. Or maybe because, for once, I wasn’t stuck in the DMZ, the Demusicalized Zone in front of the house speakers but behind the stage speakers. As fun as it is being in the Pit and so close to the action, it really sucks as far as the sound quality goes. Probably a combination of all of the above I suppose, but this was the best gig I’d ever seen the band play.
It reminded me of the early days of the Allniters when there was more musicians than stage. At times you had to look hard even to see Bigfil Barnard. Which is saying something. It looked as if band master Mick had highjacked the Runcorn State High School Marching Band and shanghaied them up on stage at The Triffid. The Music Man may have had his seventy-six trombones but Mick Hughes had at least thirty-two saxophones up there that I could count. To be fair, they were jumping around all over the place so it was a bit hard to count accurately.
At the heart of it, the SCRBs are a covers band. But they are so very much more than that. They visit all the greats, the Specials, Madness, Bad Manners, The Clash as well as Trojan Records, Orange street with ska versions of a few Aussie classics and some originals thrown in. But there’s no attempt to slavishly mimic the bands they are covering. They respect these songs but make them their own with superb musicianship, energy and an infectious sense of fun that pours from the stage and engulfs the audience in a wave of sheer delight and joy.
Mick Hughes conducts, not only this group of phenomenal musicians, but also the crowd who are safely in the palm of his hand from the moment he hits the stage to the last goodbye. There may well be better singers out there, but you’d be looking an awfully long time to find anyone who’s as good a showman as Mick Hughes. And all three, Mick, the band and especially the crowd, all look like they’re having the absolute time of their lives. Which was the only real downside to me being up in the balcony. I was well above the tsunami of fun that was washing over the crowd, so it was just me and the guy asleep on the lounge with his boots off and we could do nothing but to watch on and enjoy the spectacle. And he wasn’t even doing that! He was snoring, except for when he sat bolt upright to attention, saluted and yelled “The Government” before going back to sleep. A bit freaky but entertaining in its own way.
The band finished and the night ended with Security 818 politely moving everyone out at a good clip, they like em out quick at the Triffid, while I scurried back to my car as quickly as I could before MOD-62 got there. I did roll the Micra back onto its wheels again, and those dents, well they’ll buff right out.
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