Bench Press at The Old Bar
21 March 2025 in Melbourne, supported by Ferla, Hearts and Rockets and No Hoper.
Sniff! The excellent Bench Press are ending. This was the first of their two farewell shows at The Old Bar. We were sad to miss out on tickets to the final-final show but this night's lineup was more than consolation.
Our friend Maeve put us onto Bench Press after she first saw them supporting These New South Whales. My first Bench Press show was in the back room at The Reverence (more sniff!).
It was so memorable with lead vocalist Jack's compulsive pacing and their general raw energy, and I've seen them several times over their nine years. They started off a really great punk band and only got better.
This penultimate show was my favourite of all. Bench Press absolutely ruled and it emphasised how many great songs they have. Their track Respite (which they ended the show with) from Not The Past, Can't Be The Future is a good place to start.
And they had a whole lot of merch to flog so we picked up all three of their LPs for $60. Considering a single record these days usually costs $45 or more, that, my friends, is a bargain. I know we would've regretted it if we didn't grab them all.
The three support acts were also excellent. Ferla is made up of very accomplished musicians, ever so slightly cheesy, great songs and just great to watch. Hearts and Rockets I always love to see and listen to their TV is Boring EP quite a lot too. They're super fun. No Hoper are one of those bands that make us ask why all punk doesn't have a saxophone. Seriously, people, get on it.
In sum, a lineup like this makes me very happy to share a city with this music scene! You could see something amazing every day of the week.
And yes, finally I am going to see local bands again. I have seen and enjoyed a lot of touring acts lately, but dollar for dollar the local scene is so much better. This show was $12!?
