San Francisco, CA – 03 Jun 2025
Post-punk Aussie’s light up the weeknight with the help of some California Friends
t was a breezy Tuesday evening when I made my way up into San Francisco to see Australia’s CIVIC at Bottom of the Hill. The band is touring in support of their just-released Chrome Dipped, which sees them traveling across the USA. including a stop up in Toronto, before crossing the pond for the EU/UK leg. In total over two months of touring. (Tour poster at the bottom.)
But of course no show should just be the headliners, so first up are San Francisco’s very own Buzzed Lightbeer
This trio plays an extremely rock-oriented version of garage punk. Lively on stage, both guitarist and bassist share vocal duties. Despite being in the Bay Area for over two years now, I had never heard of Buzzed Lightbeer before, which just goes to show how easy it is to miss a nugget of gold. They’re definitely a kick live, and were the jolt of energy that got this engine going.
Of special note, I also ran into photographer Tim Joaquim, who gladly provided some Buzzed Lightbeer photos for this gallery. We hope to bring him back for more show photos in the future!
Next up were LA’s The Mainliners, who came up to SF to start a three-day run with CIVIC back down California with stops in their hometown, and in San Diego.
I had heard The Mainliners before, so I knew what to expect from the auditory experience. Their image exudes a bit of the 50s greaser vibe of Social Distortion, but don’t let that fool you. They’re punk as fuck. Lead vocalist, whose name I caught, but can’t recall, is 100% invested in the experience, animated and so very angry.
The Mainliners were a blast to experience live, and we even had a bit of a circle pit going, which is always fun (I didn’t participate because of my camera gear, an already busted and immobilized thumb, and the fact that I’m just old and fragile).
The Mainliners are on the up and up, and will be touring in support of Bad Religion and Dropkick Murphys this summer, and then GBH this autumn. I highly recommend you go see them. Info and tickets here.
Mentioned at the top, CIVIC is touring in support of their new LP Chrome Dipped, which released at the end of last month, 30 May 2025, via ATO Records. At the time of this review, which is over a week late (sorry!), CIVIC is about halfway through the North American leg of that tour.
Like every Australian band I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, they’re all just a really nice group of people. On stage, they’re a machine. Vocalist Jim McCullough can barely remain still. Even the intimate footprint of the Bottom of the Hill’s stage seemed vast and he roamed and stomped about.
Bassist Roland Halva had the unenviable stage left position right under that damn red light. So hard for me to photograph, but he didn’t miss a beat. His calm outward appearance in the photos do no justice to how great his performance is (and sounds).
Across the stage Lewis Hodgson is electrified as well. Both Roland and Lewis know to keep a wide space between for Jim to fill.
Anchoring the rhythm section, Eli Sthapit is a force to be reckoned with. Throughout their hour-long set, featuring tracks from the recent album as well as older fan favorites, none seemed to tire, and Kim continuously cued the crowd to motion, expressing his desire to never see the checked floor.
As with all bands on the bill, CIVIC is a show I strongly recommend you go see. They’re on a long tour, away from home for months. So be sure to show up and give them your support. More info and tickets here.
