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Jello Biaffra & The Guantanamo School Of Medicine Live @ The Corner Hotel, Melbourne, Australia

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Arriving in time to see the chaotic noise-mongers known as Useless Children, it didn’t take long before your ear drums were rendered useless as they pummelled through their brand of sludge punk powered by anarchic time signatures.

The trio were on fire and totally brought their A game but when you’re supporting one of punk rock’s most infamous legends, you wouldn’t bring anything less. This was easily the best show I have seen them play to date and they left the crowd with a lasting impression of awesomeness.

By the time Jello and his cohorts took to the stage, the Corner Hotel was packed solid. The crowd was hot and ready to let loose to the music of one of punk’s heroes. Wasting no time in getting things underway, Biafra, who was decked out in a lab coat covered in blood and his signature rubber gloves, showed no signs of aging and whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

Stagediving, crowd surfing, moshing – the crazed punters were doing it all. This was the first time Biafra and a full band had toured Australia since fronting the Dead Kennedys here in 1983. For someone in his 50s, Biafra hasn’t slowed down one iota, even stage diving and crowd surfing himself on more than one occasion.

Amidst his Guantanamo School of Medicine originals, he pulled out the Dead Kennedy classics people wanted to hear. Police Truck, California Uber Alles, Holiday In Cambodia, and the classic Kill The Poor (to which he dedicated to Tony Abbott and Gina Rinehart), were all included and delivered with power and emotion.

Jello Biafra doesn’t have to learn about Australian politics but the fact he makes the effort is commendable. Speaking in-between songs about current world politics and the problems happening right here on our own turf, Biafra held your attention and spoke with an impressive and informative well balanced thought out reasoning. It was a lesson in politics that left me wondering just why this man, an ex-political candidate who ran for the mayor of San Francisco, has not yet been elected president.

This show was 100% pure punk rock fury and there was not a single member of the audience who wouldn’t have enjoyed it. I think it’s safe to say that you can chalk this one up to one of 2013s top five shows of the year.

Photos By Damo Musclecar

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