Live review: The Chats and more live at Elevation at the Intersection

Grand Rapids, MI – 13 Oct 2023

For one night only, Grand Rapids, Michigan becomes the Land Down Under.

I guess it should come as no surprise that a former British penal colony would produce some great punk bands. From ‘77 originals like The Saints and Radio Birdman to second wavers Hard-Ons to ‘90s skaters Frenzal Rhomb to modern favorites like Amyl and the Sniffers, Australia has contributed plenty to the punk lexicon. For this tour, two of Australia’s finest joined forces with two American upstarts for a stacked bill. The Chats, Cosmic Psychos, Schizophonics, and Gymshorts at Elevation in downtown Grand Rapids on Friday the 13th of October had a little something for everyone. 

We caught about half of Gymshorts’ 30 minute opening set. The Rhode Island quartet is fronted by quirky singer/guitarist Sarah Greenwell. Musically, I’d put them somewhere between pop punk and indie rock. Some of the songs were kind of goofy like “I’m the Jeff Gordon of My Generation”. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t Gymshorts’ target audience, but overall they were fun. 

Speaking of the audience, it was definitely not typical for the type of shows I usually go to. I did run into quite a few older punk friends, but we were in the minority. The sold out show drew a lot of 20 and 30 somethings and hipster types. There were also a lot more women than most old school punk shows. 

I’d been hearing good things about Schizophonics, and they did not disappoint. Guitarist/vocalist Pat Beers is like a Tasmanian Devil on stage. He moves around like he’s on roller skates while squeezing out fuzzed up riffs, often using only his fretting hand. Or he grabs his mic stand and heads right down into the crowd. MC5 would probably be the best musical reference point, as there is a ton of R&B and soul in their high octane rock and Roll. The San Diego trio also have the rare female drummer pounding out their suggestive rhythms. You should check out the Schizophonics if you get the chance. 

The biggest draw of the night for me was undoubtedly Cosmic Psychos. The Melbourne trio’s roots go all the way back to 1982. Spring Plains changed their name to Cosmic Psychos in 1984, and they are still going strong. (They had already been around for 13 years by the time I first heard them on 1995’s Self Totalled.) They’re led by founding bassist/vocalist Ross Knight, who was joined by drummer Dean Muller in 2005 and guitarist John McKeering in 2006. Luckily, the “new” guys are as old and crusty as Knight. 

The Psychos play stripped down punk rock for the working stiff. There are plenty of songs about drinking and sex, and a generous dose of yobbo (loudmouthed Aussie male) humor. Highlights of their 45 minute set included classics like “Good Day to Go to the Pub”, “Dead in a Ditch”, “Fuckwit City” and “David Lee Roth”. I don’t know that I’ll ever get another chance to see Cosmic Psychos, so I savored every minute of it. 

Earlier, Schizophonics frontman Pat Beers said “Cosmic Psychos gave birth to The Chats through their urethras”. Age-wise, the math works. The Queensland trio is just now starting to reach their mid 20s. The “blokes you can trust” in the Psychos are probably older than The Chats’ parents. It’s strange to think that they’re opening for a band that leapt to fame from a viral video, but having bands that span generations was one of the things that made this tour so cool.

With Get Fucked, the title of their new album as their backdrop, Vocalist/bassist Eamon Sandwith and company sped through 50 plus minutes of Australia-centric punk and roll. That’s the problem. They play too fast! The Chats blast through their set at a speed metal pace. Most of the swagger and attitude is lost in a barrage of rapid-fire drums and guitar. The humor is still there, but if you blink you’ll miss it. That’s not to say that they were bad, because they weren’t. They might just be the rare band that’s better in the studio. Still, The crowd ate it up, especially “Smoko“, the song that started it all. There was no encore, and we left with closer “Pub Feed” still ringing in our ears. 

Confessions of a merch whore: I was almost tempted to buy a T-shirt. They had the good old fashioned tour shirts with all the bands and dates. I settled for a Chats patch that appeared to be Sandwith puking. There was a fair amount of vinyl, but I’ve got some other shows coming up and I’m saving my dough.