Retro punk rock posse Velociraptor are as Brisbane as a CitiCat ride to a Broncos game and a pint at the Caxton Hotel immediately after. As a patriotic Brisbane-ite, they are without doubt my favourite local act to catch, both live and on record.
If you’ve not acquainted yourself with their blissfully unbridled brand of rock and roll that swigs heavily from a bottle of pop hooks and loud guitars, all gleefully led by the ringmaster who flies the flag sky high for traditional frontmen, Jeremy Neale, then you’ve done a simply godawful job at living thus far. In fact, BCF may accuse you of not living at all (Barry).
Nonetheless, it isn’t too late to hop on the old fashioned fun time bandwagon despite your previous residency underneath a rock, Velociraptor having dropped a brand new single just last night on Triple J’s Good Nights:
Remember opening a Dollarmite account when you were 6? Velociraptor remembers. This is a nifty little tune they’ve put out, their first new material since the release of their self-titled debut LP last year and, where that album was a refined body of laser-sharp punk and roll, Dollarmite harkens back to the untamed and raucous days of their first 7″. No coincidence then that Dollarmite also sees them reuniting with producer Cameron Smith, who they worked with on the aforementioned 7″ as well as their World Warriors mini-LP.
Over a positively Violent Soho-esque guitar riff, Neale croons about the highest highs and lowest lows of existence in the 90s. Delights such as water fights, Sega Megadrives and yes, having $40 saved up in your Commonwealth Dollarmite account. All building to a cacophony of guitars and rock and roll piano to see the track out.
It’s high-energy and catchier than the clap, the two things you can expect from absolutely everything this talented special ops team ever release. You can catch it all on their Australian tour, kicking off this Friday with the none-more-Brisbane ‘Wayne Bennett Appreciation Night’ at The Brightside.
Tour Dates:
Fri Jul 3: The Brightside, Brisbane (supported by The Belligerents)
Wed Jul 22: Mojos, Fremantle (supported by Doctopus and Silver Hills)
Thu Jul 23: Ed Castle, Adelaide (supported by Sincerely, Grizzly and It’s A Hoax)
Sun Jul 26: Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (supported by Gengahr)
Mon Jul 27: Newtown Social Club, Sydney (supported by Gengahr)