Viagra Boys Turn Fortitude Music Hall Into a Sweatbox of Punk Chaos
- Malcolm Cooper
- Jan 19
- 4 min read
Viagra Boys turn Fortitude Music Hall into a heaving mess of milk jokes, mosh pits and muscle-memory punk, tearing through new material and fan favourites with reckless confidence.
LIVE REVIEW: VIAGRA BOYS + PRIVATE FUNCTION + MINI SKIRT
Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane | Saturday, 17th January 2025
✍🏻 Malcolm Cooper (@criminalrecordstudios)
📸 Alec Smart (@alecsmart_photos)
Viagra Boys: “What’s he doing with my teeth? Is he taking them to Australia?”
Swedish rockers Viagra Boys play to a packed house at Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, delivering a blistering set that showcases their growing reputation as one of the best live acts in modern punk. The show forms part of the tour in support of their fifth studio album, the 2025 release viagr aboys.
The night kicks off with Aussie punk rockers Mini Skirt from Byron Bay. Their music is straight up and in your face, engaging the slowly building audience and setting the tone for what’s to come.
While stage antics and crowd interaction are minimal, the songs speak for themselves. A fan starts crowd surfing during their set, a sure sign that those in the mosh pit are already well on board.
Next up are Private Function, who crank the intensity and mayhem up several notches, keeping the roadies busy as they scurry around picking up mic stands and untangling leads. Frontman Chris Penney storms the stage barefoot, wearing boardshorts, a sleeveless shirt, beer in hand, and dances around like Peter Garrett in overdrive. Their set veers from punk into near-metal, face-melting territory, including 'Ready To Be Rich', complete with “oi, oi, oi” chants reminiscent of AC/DC’s 'TNT'.
The crowd loves it. There’s more crowd surfing, including Penney himself, and even a circle mosh, albeit a small one given the limited floor space. A “community service” song about Dial Before You Dig adds to the chaos. Penney and bassist Milla Holand swap duties for a couple of songs, with Holand taking lead vocals and literally throwing her bass to Penney, who only just manages to catch it. Penney proves himself an absolute Aussie larrikin who knows exactly how to work a crowd, and by the time the band finish their set, the fans are well and truly primed for the main act.
After a tremendous lead-up from the support acts, it’s time for the band everyone is itching to see: Viagra Boys. The stage is set with minimalist lighting, which feels fitting because punk isn’t about flashy production. In fact, even more subdued lighting would almost suit them better. American-born singer Sebastian Murphy strides out shirtless, beer gut almost completely covered in tattoos, dressed in track pants and a green felt gnome hat that mimics the image on the cover of their latest album.
They launch straight into 'Man Made of Meat', a standout from the new album, complete with its 'Song 2'-style drum intro. It’s clearly a crowd favourite, with fans chanting “ok” and “alright” in unison. From there, it’s back to their debut 'Street Worms' with 'Slow Learner', before moving into 'Waterboy', another track from the new album.
Murphy takes a moment to dedicate the show to a fan who had tickets but sadly passed away before the concert. He’s also drinking milk, explaining that he’s lactose intolerant and is testing how his body handles A2 milk, prompting chants of “shit yourself” from the crowd. The band then tear into 'Punk Rock Loser', 'Uno II', 'Therapy II' and 'You N33d Me', a song practically built for crowd participation, which the audience enthusiastically delivers.
Viagra Boys are at their best when they’re tearing through songs, sustaining and amplifying the already feverish energy in the room. When they drift into their more experimental side, things slow slightly. A five-minute scratchy guitar and saxophone solo feels a little long but gives everyone a chance to catch their breath before being thrown back into the chaos.
The band remain relentless, bass and drums pounding behind every track as they charge through 'Ain’t No Thief' with its Tom Morello-style guitar work, 'Pyramids of Health' (an almost country-tinged cut from the new album), 'Troglodyte', 'Dirty Boyz' and 'Medicine For Horses'. The latter stands out in particular, sounding like it could sit comfortably on a Cigarettes After Sex album while still working as a melancholy anthem.
A brief detour sees the band perform an impromptu milk-themed song. Murphy asks the band for “milk-style riffs” and makes up lyrics on the spot, joking that he’s got another six or seven milk songs ready to go. The main set wraps up with 'Sports' and 'Research Chemicals'. Nine songs from the new album make the setlist, all of them crowd-pleasers, and it’s clear the audience has fully embraced the new material, singing along to old and new tracks alike.
Viagra Boys close the night with a two-song encore of 'The Bog Body' and 'Worms', a pair that fit neatly together lyrically. As a final flourish, the band step to the front of the stage and take a bow to 'Up Where We Belong'. It’s a fantastic night of punk rock, and it’s hard to imagine anyone leaving disappointed, except perhaps anyone who accidentally turned up expecting the Vengaboys — though even they might have been impressed.
Comments