Pix and review by Ali Williams
HALF BAKED gave the full send when arrived at Burleigh Town Hotel on Friday, August 14. The first stop of a three-night run that would continue through Mansfield and Kings Beach, with Dune Rats, Cosmic Psychos, Teenage Joans and the eventually revealed secret addition of Ruby Fields giving the Gold Coast a particularly solid reason to abandon all other plans and come watch these Aussie weapons send it collectively.
There are plenty of Australian line-ups assembled around a shared genre. This wasn’t one of them, and thank the music gods for that. HALF BAKED put four acts together with completely different identities and trusted the audience to cope with the concept. Nobody needed to match. Nobody needed to soften anything. They simply had to be good. And that they absolutely were.
Teenage Joans have spent the past few years proving that youth is no barrier to knowing exactly who you are, and their set on Friday carried that confidence without becoming self-conscious about it. Cahli Blakers and Tahlia Borg are funny, sharp and ridiculously capable musicians, with enough character between them to ensure the music never disappears behind the performance.
There is plenty happening on stage when these girls grace it. Their songs can be playful without becoming disposable and heavy without losing the hooks, while the pair themselves have developed into performers who understand how to command attention without begging for it. There is an ease between them that cannot be manufactured, and watching two mates clearly delighted with the life they have built together remains one of the most enjoyable parts of seeing this band live.
Teenage Joans were a solid good choice for HALF BAKED. They didn’t need to imitate the older bands on the bill to justify being there, nor did they arrive carrying the tedious responsibility of representing “the next generation”. They came as Teenage Joans, did the job properly and left their own mark on the night. These two will remain one of my favourite acts not just because they are insanely talented and genuine sweethearts, but they were also my very first podcast interview here at HEAVY and no one ever forgets where it all started and who was there for it. (Insert finger hearts here)
Ruby Fields had originally occupied the mysterious “secret act” position on the bill before organisers finally revealed her appearance ahead of the shows. It was a worthy secret to have kept.
Where do you start with reasons for loving Ruby Fields, there are so many. This little pocket rocket of pure talent hit the ground running when she blew the crowd away at a Laneway festival back in 2019. I can distinctly recall that breath of fresh air inhaled, holding it and rejoicing at the fact Aus alt music had finally given us something we’d all been missing. Solid, unapologetic, raw tunes, ones we now all know and love. Ruby’s never required much decoration around her music. Her writing is direct, personal and often very funny because she has a talent for saying things plainly that most people would need several uncomfortable conversations with a therapist to be able to admit.
That type of honesty is respected, and live, that honesty becomes even more apparent. Among a bill containing some fairly committed practitioners of loud Australian rock, Ruby Fields did not need to compete for volume or attitude. She brought something entirely different and held her place comfortably and with the beauty and grace that is simply Ruby. There is strength in a performer who knows when a song already contains everything required and resists the urge to interfere with it.
It also gave HALF BAKED some welcome breadth. Ruby Fields can make a room laugh, listen and become unexpectedly invested without changing personality to achieve any of it. That sincerity has followed her throughout her career and remains intact, which is no small achievement in an industry forever encouraging artists to become easier to package. Kudos you gorgeous thing.
Cosmic Psychos require considerably less analysis.
Ross Knight and company have been serving Australian punk with admirable dedication for decades, and the fundamental premise remains intact: write the song, play the bastard and do not unnecessarily complicate proceedings. There is tremendous affection for Cosmic Psychos because none of it has ever felt calculated. Their international influence is well documented, their place in Australian punk is secure and yet they continue to carry themselves with the attitude of blokes who would rather get on with playing than hear anybody give a speech about their importance.
HALF BAKED was exactly the right environment for them. Cosmic Psychos belong in rooms where the audience can get close, the volume has consequences and nobody is standing around pretending to be above enjoying themselves. Their songs survive because they were built on personality rather than fashion, and that personality remains unmistakable.
There is also humour in Cosmic Psychos without a comedy routine, aggression without posturing and decades of experience without any expectation that the audience should admire them simply for still playing. Aussie pub rock, beer and Cosmic Psychos is a formula you don’t fuck with, in fact it’s one that ought to be heritage listed when and if these guys ever hang up their Bundstones and Chesty Bonds.
Then there were Dune Rats, the beloved misfits of Australian punk. Originally from Queensland, the trio Danny Beus, Brett Jansch and Michael Marks have built their career around huge choruses, punk energy and an enduring commitment to having a good time while encouraging everyone to join in.
Friday night was another reminder of why the relationship between Dune Rats and audiences has lasted so well. There is no distance between the band and the crowd and very little interest in creating any. Dune Rats have spent years becoming exceptionally good at the exact thing they appear to be casually doing. That distinction is important.
The relaxed personalities, jokes and general disregard for unnecessary seriousness can obscure just how accomplished this band has become onstage. Dune Rats understand pacing, audience participation and the considerable value of a chorus that several hundred people are prepared to yell without encouragement. None of that happens by accident.
Friday night the humour remained where it belongs: inside the character of the band rather than sitting on top of the music demanding applause. Dune Rats are entertaining because they actually seem entertained themselves. They clearly enjoy playing their own songs, they’re engaged with the people standing in front of them and still visibly grateful that an idea involving three mates making loud music somehow became a career.
Australian audiences have also developed a genuine relationship with this band. There is affection there, not merely familiarity, and Dune Rats have earned it through years of touring every available corner of the country and never treating regional or suburban shows as lesser appointments. It is with full hearts and glasses that we wish these guys all the very best as they get ready to invade Canada in September for their tour. Congratulations you cheeky fuckers, we know they’ll love you as much as we do.
HALF BAKED’s format was straightforward: one stage, a strong Australian bill and three venues across three consecutive nights, beginning at Burleigh before heading to Mansfield Tavern and Kings Beach Tavern. There was no attempt to inflate the idea into something more impressive than it needed to be.
Teenage Joans, Ruby Fields, Cosmic Psychos and Dune Rats in one room could never fail, and it didn’t. Teenage Joans brought their own confidence and character. Ruby Fields brought songs capable of holding attention without forcing it. Cosmic Psychos reminded everyone that longevity is considerably more impressive when you still deserve the gig. Dune Rats closed the night having once again demonstrated why Australian crowds continue turning up for them and why they will continue to for many years to come.
HALF BAKED gave Burleigh four very different versions of Australian music in one night and trusted every band to stand on its own merits. They did. And did it exceptionally well. HALF BAKED left the venue fully cooked and the crowd in a riff coma after a 4 course feast of music served up in schooners and the likes.
A solid 5 out of 5 mic drops from us.