Words – @ladylane____
Photos – @benshootspeople
I have been to many punk shows in my life, but I feel that there is an exclusive club. I feel like I am knocking on the doors, but it seems like no one is home. The memos have sent, but they must have landed in my spam folder because I was one of the very few people at the CROXTON not wearing a hat. I don’t own many hats, but nothing screams PUNK ROCK more than an acid-washed Rugrats cap – am I right? I’ll shut up now.
Thirty years ago, skate-punk godfathers LAGWAGON dropped ‘HOSS’ on the world. Hard to believe it’s been that long, but the album remains as powerful and timeless as ever. Now, they’re marking the milestone in the best possible way by celebrating with us, lovely Melbourne folk.
Joining LAGWAGON in Melbourne for their ‘HOSS 30-year celebration is Ballarat skate-punk trio THE SHORTS, a band whose live shows make them a perfect fit for the bill. Drawing on the fast, melodic skate-punk lineage that LAGWAGON helped define, The Shorts deliver punchy, hook-driven songs backed by a chaotic, no-frills stage presence that thrives on momentum and crowd connection.
Whether it’s shouted choruses or the kind of raw energy that turns a room into a sweatbox within minutes, The Shorts play like a band with nothing to lose and everything to prove. Their releases- including ‘Chickenshit’, ‘Bunker Monkey, and the Tango EP translate seamlessly to the stage, where speed, attitude, and pure fun take over. It’s a fitting pairing: punk veterans celebrating a landmark album, supported by a regional Aussie band carrying the skate-punk torch forward with volume, velocity, and zero pretence.
Three decades on, LAGWAGON showed they’re still running hot. Celebrating the anniversary of ‘HOSS’ the band steered well clear of nostalgia-for-nostalgia’s-sake, instead charging headfirst through their set with the speed, accuracy, and bite that first put them on the map in the mid-’90s.
Launching straight into the familiar surge of ‘Violins” and pushing through to the mass sing-along of “Know It All,” the night played out as a blueprint for melodic punk at its best – lean, fast, and unforgiving. Drawing from a finely tuned touring set that featured staples like “May 13” – they just don’t give up.
LAGWAGON walked the line between deep cuts and crowd favourites, maintaining a relentless pace from start to finish.
What elevated the show beyond a simple anniversary run-through was the delivery. Joey Cape held the room effortlessly, driving the ‘HOSS’ material home as each chorus and serrated riff pulled the crowd closer, turning The CROXTON’s tight floor into a heaving wall of voices, sweat, and flying fists. The band’s chemistry was undeniable, sliding seamlessly between driving mid-tempo sections and sudden accelerations that sparked pits and crowd-surfing chaos.
Thank you to THE SHORTS, the CROXTON, LAGWAGON and MARIC MEDIA.
