Bad Manners at The Triffid.

My wonderful, sweet amazing husband bought me a ticket to see Bad Manners at The Triffid.

Bad Manners are one of my all time FAVOURITE bands but more importantly they are one of my all time favourite bands to see LIVE.

Visualise about 300 skin heads, rude boys and girls,  punks and average punters all bouncing up and down, arms around each other's shoulders, laughing & singing along to "My Girl Lollipop".

I mean some of these blokes look bloody hard core. 

The fun atmosphere at a ska gig just cannot be beat.

I took along my faux son Tom who was super excited to go as well.

The Triffid is just such a freaking great venue and I was really really happy when I read they would be playing there. The last time I saw BM it was at The Step Inn which was TINY and not much chop.

One thing that I LOVE about going to see old school ska bands like BM is just how friendly the people are that go.  Tom & I grabbed a bite to eat before the show & the table full of rudies next to us just struck up a conversation and soon we were all talking music & shows. 

(turns out they had flown down from Darwin to see the show).  

The first band was the Sunny Coast Rude Boys. HOLY SHIT. They were just incredible. So tight and they played heaps of "ska greatest hits" from Madness & The Specials etc. I would have been happy to watch just them all night. I cannot wait to go and see one of their shows up the Sunshine Coast one day.  The crowd LOVED them & it was obvious they were having a great time themselves.

Sunny Coast Rude Boys

Next up were The Funaddicts, a Brissy ska band that has been around forever. 

The crowd was starting to move closer to the stage now 

(not me, I was up the front right from the get go).  

Again, a great fun band. I must admit, the lead singer reminded me of my Dad 

(this is not a bad thing).  My calf muscles were already starting to burn from skanking. 

The Funaddicts

Then, it was time for the (not so) big man himself.  Now normally at a Bad Manners gig the crowd will start chanting "You Fat Bastard You Fat Bastard!!!" before the band comes out - but Buster (the lead singer) has now lost about 100 kg and he isn't really fat anymore so when some people tried to start the chant the crowd just wasn't into it.  

It was strange because normally that is like a part of the show. But nup.

Then out he came. The mega tongued slimmed down bastard himself and the crowd LOST ITS SHIT.  I was literally front row centre and when the inevitable surge forward came I was braced and ready.  As always they didn't disappoint. Buster's mic kept dropping out which was a piss off but he kept going.  I felt that his voice wasn't so good but no matter, as the crowd did a lot of the singing for him.  I was all smiles and singing at the top of my lungs and trying to bop around as much as I could in the 5cm of space I had.

BUSTER

Then the crowd of young-uns behind us started to get a little bit too 'enthusiastic'. 

There were two 20 something skinhead lads who decided that EVERYBODY should be in a mosh pit instead of skanking and having a good time. It very quickly escalated into a stack of very agro shoving and jumping on to unsuspecting punters (like me). 

Now, I except a bit of push & shove at these gigs but this group weren't interested in the band AT ALL. They just wanted argy bargy. I had to laugh at 3 guys who looked like the Bondi Hipsters chanting "skin head skin head skin head" in their buttoned up chambray shirts, full heads of hair and sockless kmart kung-fu shoes.

I started getting really shitty because dammit I was TRYING to dance & watch the band and this one "skinhead" who had watched Romper Stomper too many times kept smashing into me and at one stage clashed his head into mine and I saw stars.

Well, the angry Mz Vicki came out and so did my pointy elbows and my VERY un-ladylike language.

The other more "mature" ladies next to me did the same and in slightly more direct terms told these blokes to "please calm down & stop pushing us". (we actually screamed "FUCK OFF AND STOP PUSHING US YOU HIPSTER FUCKHEADS). Of course, they looked at us like we were idiot pensioners and continued their assault. My poor ribs were crushed into the stage.  

I kept motioning to the band to try & get security in there but alas.

NOTE - MOSH PIT WANKER BEHIND US

The final straw was when a young weedy looking skinhead who was covered in tattoos of guns (so tough * face palm* geez) tried to do an AFL mark up the lady next to me & my backs to get onto stage. Even though he was slippery like an eel with sweat we grabbed him & hauled him back & told him to "please go away and stop being silly". 

(We actually screamed in his face to FUCK OFF YOU DICKHEAD).

He grinned and ran around the side of the stage & walked onto stage anyway.

I have NO IDEA where security was during this gig but it was pretty shit.  One young gal behind me fell to the ground and the young skins nearly stomped her.

Enough was enough and I was OUTTA THERE so I quickly elbowed my way through the crowd to the cool space up the back to finish the show.

The other thing  I was really excited about was, that this time Bad Manners had merchandise!! 

For some reason in previous shows they haven't had any.  

I couldn't decide which T-shirt to buy so gosh darn it I had to buy both!!!

Even though there were a couple of wankers it still didn't spoil the night for me.  It is impossible NOT to have a good time at a ska gig and I got to meet a heap of really great friendly people.

Sure, I might have to duck into Terry White to get some osteo-panadol and some Deep heat because my hips & calves aren't what they used to be but it was so worth it.

BRILLIANT