Ska-punk is alive, kicking and causing absolute mayhem at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre tonight. Less Than Jake have brought their Circus Down Under to town, with The Suicide Machines and The Aquabats! in tow, and subtlety is nowhere on the agenda.

Detroit’s The Suicide Machines are first into the ring, delivering a blistering collision of hardcore punk and ska. Formed in 1991, the band have never been interested in playing nice, and their combination of breakneck rhythms, abrasive guitars and political bite makes for a ferocious opening. There’s nothing polished or polite about their approach. The Suicide Machines hit hard and fast, bringing a welcome dose of Detroit grit to proceedings.

Then The Aquabats! arrive, and all hell breaks loose. Inflatable pizza slices, giant balls and sharks are flying across the Enmore as the Californian superhero punks unleash their own peculiar brand of organised insanity. A fan named Shay is even summoned onstage to launch herself down a giant inflatable pizza slice. Yes, really. It’s completely ridiculous, wildly entertaining and exactly what The Aquabats! have been doing for decades. Beneath the costumes and cartoon antics, there’s a tight ska-punk band that knows how to get an audience moving.

But tonight belongs to Less Than Jake.

The Florida veterans hit the stage with more than three decades of ska-punk history behind them and absolutely no intention of slowing down. Formed in Gainesville in 1992, Less Than Jake helped define the 1990s ska-punk explosion, combining infectious brass hooks, breakneck punk rhythms and choruses built for mass participation. While plenty of their contemporaries have come and gone, Less Than Jake remain a formidable live proposition.

And tonight, they’re firing on all cylinders. The horns punch through the guitars, the rhythm section drives everything forward and the Enmore responds with full-throated singalongs. It’s fast, loud and gloriously unpretentious.

There’s an effortless chemistry between the band and their audience. Less Than Jake know exactly how to work a room, and Sydney is giving everything back. The crowd barely stops moving, with every burst of brass and every massive chorus pushing the energy another notch higher.

After the hardcore assault of The Suicide Machines and the inflatable insanity of The Aquabats!, Less Than Jake bring the evening home with sheer musical firepower.

Thirty-four years into their career, the band are still tight, still irreverent and still capable of turning a packed theatre into one enormous ska-punk party.

The Circus Down Under lives up to its name, but there’s no question who’s running the show.

The tour moves to Brisbane and Auckland next, tickets HERE.

Images Deb Pelser

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