LIVE REVIEW: REGURGITATOR With Special Guests Displeasure and Party Dozen

Displeasure are a kiwi angry anarchist punk trio from New Zealand and the first support of the night. They are also known as the ‘digital subsidiary’ of band Unsanitary Napkin, in a remixed format. This politically outraged band is perhaps called Displeasure because they are outraged at all the displeasing things happening in the world at the moment. They started the night off with fast paced screaming vocals from their very unassuming front-woman, carried by supersonic and angry fuzzy guitar riffs and drum licks to back it up. The drummer had a hybrid set up with a half-kit and a drum machine to add in bass notes in the absence of a bass player.

Even though they were all screaming vocals, Displeasure’s tracks were boppy and catchy, containing strong political elements and feminist undertones. Special mentions in the tracks include one called Bottom Feeder, which the singer said is about New Zealand’s prime minister who referred to people living in poverty as bottom feeders. Other song mentions included a song about a man who thinks someone is going to wipe his own a**hole, which the singer described as a ‘rare phenomenon’.

All of Displeasure’s tracks carried a similar drum beat and style so that the songs merged seamlessly into each other. Their set included covers of their other bands, Unsanitary Napkin’s songs. All in all, this is a wicked angry punk band who are well worth checking out.

If you like Queens of the Stone Age or The Smashing Pumpkins, or The Descendants, you will enjoy Displeasure.

Follow Displeasure: @unsanitarynapkinpunx | Bandcamp

Displeasure Gallery

Party Dozen are a supersonic alternative noise duo from Sydney, comprising of members Jonathan Boulet on drums and percussion and Kirsty Tickle on saxophone and vocals that are both run through an array of effects pedals. Boulet utilises a sampler to add multidimensionality and extra elements to their songs. Tickle sometimes sings aggressively directly into her saxophone, sometimes sings into the microphone, but either way these two make for an electrifying and almost cinematic performance. Trying to pinpoint Party Dozen into one genre is near on impossible, as there was a bit of jazzy vibes mixed with some new-wave industrial, mixed with some psychedelic and punk aspects, their music slaps, and you just can’t look away from. Its not hard to see how this due have toured all over the world multiple times with their eclectic sound that just ‘works’.

Party Dozen’s tracks are mainly instrumental, with some very slow, groovy, almost funky psychedelic vibes, then loud raging vocals hit right in the interlude when you least expect it. This is paired with some super fast paced drums, Boulet’s hands were moving so fast they were almost a blur. Their tracks edged at times into sludgy sleaze rock, almost sexual, through the blast of Tickle’s saxophone and Boulet’s drum fills. Special mention tracks include Fruits of Labor, which sounds very sludgy and heavy, and almost like you would expect to hear in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when the bad guys appear.

The sax and drums were complimented perfectly with Boulet’s sampler pumping out bass lines, guitars and even some organ and synthy keys at times. It all came together like a heavenly slap in the face, that woke you up. It is easy to see how Nick Cave has given a hand to feature on their track Macca The Mutt. For a duo, they sure know how to pump out a sound enough that you would think there were 12 people on stage, living up to their name Party Dozen.

If you like Tool, Mogwai or The Jezabels, or even just merging them all together all at once like an eclectic mish mash of awesome sounds, then you will dig the vibe of Party Dozen.

Party Dozen Gallery

Finally after being warmed up nicely, it was time for the main event, Regurgitator, hitting The Rechabite as part of their ‘It’s So Invasive…’ tour. The members of Regurgitator, Quan Yeomans on vocals and guitar, Ben Ely on vocals, guitar and bass, and Peter Kostic on drums, are also joined by incredibly talented musician Sarah Lim on keytar, guitar and backing vocals. Lim made a perfect addition to the band.

The Australian alternative rock band came out hard, though they are another genre-bending group that could easily fit into electronic, psychedelic, hard core, hip hop or indie synth pop. They blend and fuse genres with their musical abilities so easily, that to define Regurgitator really depends on what song you listen to. The beautiful historic venue of The Rechabite was a perfect location for this set, with its high architectural early 1900’s ceilings lending a wonderous landscape for the lightshow to accompany Regurgitator’s set.

The crowd of 300-ish were squashed into the band room and they were as you would expect an audience who grew up listening to this band in the late 90s and early 2000’s to be, ranging from mid thirties through to fifties in age. Yeomans was spitting lyrics faster than fire as they launched into the set, wearing black matching outfits including parachute pants (so very 90s!) and heavy eye liner, welcoming the crowd like they were old friends.

There were big heavy bass drops and keytar solos, crazy fast drum fills and insane guitar riffs to lift the lid off the historic venue. Yeomans was a hit with stepping down onto the photographers step, singing with the crowd, to get them really revved up. There were villain-esque riffs that would make Metallica cry and heavy flowing rhythms that bounced around the venue from the rafters all the way down to the mosh at the front of the stage.

The band were loving it and so were the crowd! There were singalongs, clapalongs and waves from the crowd as they moved like seaweed on an ocean bed caught in the tide of Regurgitator’s incredible melodies and electric pulses. Everyone was reliving their 1990’s fantasy. Special mentions of tracks are when Yeomans dedicated Dirty Old Man to Gina Rineheart, as the popular painting of her was in the news at the time.

Polyester Girl was a massive crowd favourite and you could feel the beat pulsating through your entire body as the whole crowd sang along at the top of their voices. The drum fills were in fine form landing with guitar solos riding over the top to raucous cheers and applause. Regurgitator are another band who knew how to craft their set list so tracks transitioned nicely and seamlessly into one another.

There was a short costume change as the band came back onstage in custom matching black and white tracksuits and continued to play, with the over driven guitars fuelled by 90s love and rage of rebelling back against the norm (or what was the norm back then). The hip hop and punk tracks continued and Regurgitator did not lose energy once the entire set. They gave it their all and the crowd gave it their all right back. Their shredding riffs and dynamic drums, bouncing deep bass lines and hard-core vocals will live forever in my memory bank. If you get the chance, check out Regurgitator live, you will not regret it. You can catch Regurgitator on the rest of their It’s So Invasive… tour around Australia, for tour dates click here.

If you like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jebediah, Spiderbait or Machine Gun Fellatio, you will enjoy Regurgitator.

Setlist: Track 1, I Will Lick Your Arsehole, Bongzilla, Invader, I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff, Wrong People, Pest, The World Of Sleaze, Content, Fat Cop, Dirty Old Men, Pee Pee Man, Polyester Girl, Tsunami, Kong Foo Sing, The Bastard Poem No One Wanted, I Sucked A Lot Of Cock To Get Where I Am, Blood and Spunk, Australiyeah, Cocaine Runaway, Black Bugs, Mountains, Epic, Bong In My Eye, This Is Not A Pop Song, I Wanna Be A Nudist, ! (The Song Formerly Known As), Don’t You Forget About Me (Simple Minds cover)

Regurgitator Gallery