To the self-proclaimed "antiestablishment" rebel contingent whose minds jump straight to Green Day or Avril Lavigne when I say Punk; instead of berating you I'm going to suggest you watch the Decline of Western Civilization III. Like Hamilton's Battlecat, the film captures the 90's resurgence of the 70's punk aesthetic.

This punk is a lot different from the media sanctioned version of rebellion we saw in the early 00's. Gritty. Hard. Not so much about talent or timing or being the master of your instrument, as it is about the feelings of being thrashed around in a sea of noise. Catharsis through self-destruction.

And being live the Bullshit Live EP is exactly that; gritty, hard, rough. It's not prettied up because there's no one to impress here. What you hear is what you got on the night it was played. A bunch of bogans just trying to make enough for some piss.

But there is more to punk than seeing how hard you can thrash your instrument. Not being at the show, I have time and clarity of mind to focus on more on the little details you miss when head-banging, or being decimated in the mosh pit, like the words.

I found a lot of the lyrics relatable. I can't do a lot of the shit in Anfem either, but don't care and there's a trend towards skinny jeans in my chosen sub-genre. Being a male of the previous generation, I don't have the figure to pull them off either, like in the song Unpunk.

Maybe that's the point. Times are changing, have changed, and will change. Those that don't change are left behind in the 90's, in the 80's, in the days of punk.

Sure, punk is dead they say, but its spirit lives on through Bogan rock like the Bullshit Live EP and the denim clad adherents you see all over Wellington. Those stuck in their idea of the good old days. People like me, hanging on to ideas of what punk should be, and to me, that is Battlecat.

The stand out track for me was Tech No, the chorus of which reminds me of this song by Sailboats Are White, which I stumbled upon in an ad for this underground film the Doll Underground, (which turned out to be alt.porn in the end... I came for the music and left a chunk of my dignity behind).

If you like punk, listen to this. It's not shit. If you like Avril Lavigne, maybe stick to country music.

You can find the Bullshit Live EP on the Battlecat Soundcloud Page.

• 1
  Head Like A Hole
• 2
  Horror Story
• 3
  Fraser Ross
• 4
  Fur Patrol
• 5
  Michelle Rounds
• 6
  L.A.B.
• 7
  The Boondocks
• 8
  Late to Chelsea
• 9
  Springloader
• 10
  Baconfoot

• 
  Nadia Reid @ Loons, Lyttelton - 16/11/2024
• 
  Pull Down The Sun @ Franks Bar, Whanganui - 15/11/2024
• 
  Elidi @ Franks Bar, Whanganui - 15/11/2024
• 
  Infinity Ritual @ Franks Bar, Whanganui - 15/11/2024

• 1
  APT.
  ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
• 2
  DIE WITH A SMILE
  Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
• 3
  BIRDS OF A FEATHER
  Billie Eilish
• 4
  TASTE
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 5
  I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
  Gracie Abrams
• 6
  ESPRESSO
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 7
  SAILOR SONG
  Gigi Perez
• 8
  LOSE CONTROL
  Teddy Swims
• 9
  A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
  Shaboozey
• 10
  GOOD LUCK, BABE!
  Chappell Roan

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