C.O.F.F.I.N., Dick Move, & Bloodbags – Whammy Bar: February 4, 2025
It’s Tuesday, Ratu, a rare early week show, an anathema for many working stiffs, but the allure of something new, fresh meat for the grinder drew Simon Coffey, 13th Floor Reviewer from suburbia, to experience Aussie Punk and Rock(ers) C.O.F.F.I.N. aka Children of Finland Fighting in Norway.
C.O.F.F.I.N. formed in 2005 by North Sydney schoolmates, since then they’ve release five albums, shared the stage with luminaries the likes of Celibate Rifles, Dead Kennedys, Cosmic Psychos, Parkway Drive, Misfits, and the Hard Ons (the first time when singer/drummer Ben Portnoy and bandmates were only 12 years old) and come to Aotearoa on the back of recent Australian and European tours.
With an Australian top 50 album, Australia Stops, which also went top 30 in the UK, C.O.F.F.I.N. are on a tiki-tour of Aotearoa in advance of their opening slots for fellow(R)Ockers Amyl and The Sniffers soon.
But first two from three…
Blood Bags once again brought the noise, energy, and raw spirit of punk rock! They’re a high-octane force, blending their gritty, unrefined sound with swing and groove that keeps folk moving. A personal favorite!
Click on any image to view Blood Bags photos:
Dick Move reimaged the room into a whare buzzing with sweat, adrenaline, and their unique punk magic. They delivered unfiltered energy and sheer unrelenting force unforgivingly. Dick Move don’t just play punk—they live it, their 110% commitment is what separates the great from the good.
Click on any image to view Dick Move photos:
C.O.F.F.I.N.
I get sent band bios all the time. I rarely korero them. I watch youtube clips. I notice fuck all. So I have a ‘WTF’ moment when I realise, C.O.F.F.I.N. have no traditional front-person. What they do have is drummer and lead vocalist Ben Portnoy who turns out to have more personality, presence and peroration than many other conventional figureheads.
C.O.F.F.I.N. are careering between the classic Australian punk of Radio Birdman and Celebite Rifles, bordering on early AC/DC, fringe-benefiting from Cosmic Psychos, all in a neoteric pastiche delivery of metal, hardcore, and rock. Whilst Ben Portnoy dominates the korero, he is ably supported by rua of the other band’s members, thus Portnoy is freed in moments to exude passion on the drums, and outstandingly whip the crowd up, on a ratu night gig.
As C.O.F.F.I.N. effortlessly bulldoze through elements of classic blues rock, tear the head pub rock, and then swing around into Radio Birdman-esque riffs, they casually toss in fragments of hardcore energy, creating a ridiculously rock n roll sound that captures the audience. In particular, bare-chested youth are enamoured up front, and were Whammy a little fuller tonight, I’m sure crowd-surfing would’ve reared its head.
While C.O.F.F.I.N.s music is brash, interweaved, anarchic in fact, there are serious messages in many songs. Like recent visitors, IDLES, C.O.F.F.I.N. have that punk rock ethic about them, alongside their own Aussie Battler values (think Midnight Oil) C.O.F.F.I.N. are vocal about issues around environmental destruction (“Don’t fuck it up”) on Dead Lands and the treatment of indigenous peoples on both sides of the pond, as Portnoy references the current ATLAS attack on Te Tiriti as he leads into White Dog.
Seeing C.O.F.F.I.N. for the first time, I’m seriously, seriously impressed by how they connect with the audience, and deliver a bang-on set, which included a cover of AC/DCs classic cut Riff Raff (a 1978 Bon Scott classic) 20 years in existence and two top shelf albums on, Australia have produced another cultural taonga.
Simon Coffey
Click on any image to view C.O.F.F.I.N. photos:
