Funeral Party Live at The Metro Theatre

As the week drew to a close, I was interested to see how Californian rockers Funeral Party would sound live, and looked forward to ending the working week with a gig, relaxing up back.

Beginning with a late start, I arrived at 8.30, waiting for Melbourne-based supports Boy In A Box to begin their set. Opening with “I’m Alive” and shortly launching into the hit “Glitter, Gold, Ruin”, they stayed true to their “SUPERHAPPYPOWERPUNK” genre for sure.

Disappointingly, there were only a few stragglers who wondered in early to watch them- though that didn’t deter them from going all out. Being in the pit the entire set shooting, hearing a personal favourite “Warriors” certainly topped off the performance.

Anticipating headliners Funeral Party, describe as “dance punk”, The Metro Theatre played a mix of classics, including Pink Floyd’s “Money” and The Clash, before dimming the lights for a night of punk rock.

As I made my way up the front to begin shooting, the crowd had dramatically increased, filling most empty space, though not to a ridiculous amount. Being on a high after hearing The Clash during the interval, I was instantly sucked into Funeral Party’s performance, as their entered with “Golden Age”. It was like being transported back to the late 70s of predominant punk rock, but with a slightly more modern twist.

In all honesty, the rest of the night was a slight blur to me- but then again, doesn’t that constitute as a great punk show? I would have loved to stay until the end, though leaving after the fans rocked out to “Finale” seemed most approriate to end my night out.

By Gwendolyn Lee