Turning Manila down under with Aussie punk bands I Have a Goat & Stoned to Death

Turning Manila down under with Aussie punk bands I Have a Goat & Stoned to Death

by rick olivares

A pair of Australian punk bands caused a stir in the metro over the past week for their gigs that were not only frenzied, but perhaps more… revealing.

When two-piece band, I Have A Goat, took the stage for the Finite Fam production at Tomato Kick Quezon City last Wednesday, October 17, one wondered if people turned up because they wanted to see if lead singer and guitarist Simon Exley would perform au naturel (he did). What people didn’t expect was the main act, Exley’s compatriots from Down Under, hardcore act Stoned to Death would follow as well. Well, at least lead singer Jake Seymour shed all his clothing with one guest vocalist from a Filipino band.

Needless to say, the pictures were infamously shared on every social media network as soon as the vocalists decided to pull an Iggy Pop and Flea act.

Iggy Pop is known as “the Godfather of Punk” and was infamous for his nudist and sexual antics on stage while Flea during the heyday of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, would either perform in his underwear or with his bass guitar covering his private parts.

There was nothing of that sort but good old punk madness with a touch of flair. That is if you listened to the songs.

“I don’t know,” was all Exley could say with eyebrows raised when asked why he does so.

While the home crowds are amused, the Aussies… are moved.

“What happened was I Have A Goat contacted us,” explained Seymour of how the tour of the Philippines got put together. “We don’t have a drummer. Everything is booked, want to go and help us? And we lost our minds. We had no idea how amazing it would be when we got here. Our only concern is we’re called, ‘Stoned to Death’ and what the government is like.”

“We are going to be writing a bunch of songs about this experience,” shared Seymour some three hours before Stoned to Death’s version of the Terminator 2 theme opened their 30-minute set of mayhem and flesh. “Our guitarist, Daniel Bresich came up with a song title for one and it’s going to be titled, ‘Two Red Horses.’ Yes, after your beer.”

The nine shows in 12 days (from Las Piñas to Bulacan to several nights in Manila to Cagayan De Oro to Davao and lastly, General Santos City) the two bands are playing Philippines is already an eye opener. “These are our first ever shows outside our native Australia,” admitted Seymour. “And this is an experience that will never forget.”

The gig preceding the Tomato Kick show was in the words of Seymour, “the band’s best ever show.”

Guitarist Daniel Bresich confirmed, “Dude, that was what – over 200 people moshing to our music! They were slamming and body surfing non-stop that it was crazy. They were spray-painting our shirts. Many didn’t know the music; some did. Everyone was having a great time! We saw the great sense of community.”

It got so intense that Seymour broke his toe while drummer, Loy hurt his ankle. But Stoned to Death never allowed that to affect their performances.

“A lot of people keep saying us, ‘thank you for coming here,’ said Seymour. “I think it is us who should say, ‘thank you.’”

Aside from the music and the connection with the local music fans, Seymour admitted that the “Food Not Bombs” concept of the Bulacan show really hit all of them. “Flying into this country, we knew about the political situation and what’s going on here. We feel for the people and it is something that has us thinking so you can be sure this will find its way into our future songs.”

While the gig at Tomato Kick was a smaller and more sedate crowd (“Wednesday evening in the metropolis,” reasoned Finite Fam founder Karen Gonzales, “But the show must go on because of our love for underground and indie music.”), the Aussies never let up on the energy one iota.

Exley was amazed when the fans at the QC gig spot all joined in for “Collingwood Punx” off their album, Have A Go Ya Mug, that was released in March of 2018. “Nothing like a sing-song to work up the crowd,” observed the jolly and red haired singer.

“Whether you have 200 or 20 it doesn’t matter,” added Bresich. “Performing live is something we look forward to. You cannot change your attitude. Everyone has rainy days where things don’t go right or something like that, but you go ahead and push through. You slog through.”

The Tomato Kick show was just as intense. Stoned to Death’s bassist, Michael Sneddon, and drummer Roberts, laid down that pulsating rhythm while Bresich did heavy riffing. As for Seymour, he brought the house down with manic fury.

“I love the underground scene here,” said Seymour said earlier. “It’s tough but you see bands making it work. Back in Australia, we are lucky that the government has a program called, ‘AMRAP,’ where all musicians regardless whether you play metal, punk, rap, or pop a dollar or two for every song you write and every show you play at the end of the year. It is a great situation because it allows you to be an artist and perfect your craft. You still have to work for it, but it’s great. And when we return, we want to be able to build on what we’ve experienced here.”

“The most we ever played back home was two shows in a row,” threw in Bresich. “This is the biggest one we’ve done – nine shows in 14 days. We have to pick up the energy level even with the lack of sleep and rest. We’ll sleep when we return home.”

“Food not Bombs and makes us feel lucky to live in Australia,” summed up Seymour after the Tomato Kick show. “The Tomato Kick show is a more personal and intimate show and we’re here sitting with the fans, chilling, talking, and having beers with them. It’s great.”

“We look forward to finishing the tour and when we get back, we’re going to write about this and hopefully, do a cover song of a Filipino punk band. That is would be an amazing end to this experience where we literally got turned Down Under.”

A pair of Australian punk bands that hit the country in the past two weeks caused a stir for their intense, rowdy, and revealing shows. But they came away, stirred and shaken.

What comes next will be surely be worth following.