You don't have to be a true punk rock fan to know the band Frenzal Rhomb.
Without throwing the lads' ages in their faces, they've been around. It's no secret their longevity, bound by solid friendships and genuine love of songwriting, has been a musical marriage.
Decades of melodic union is returning to Sutherland Shire on July 28, with Miranda Hotel rocking it out for the band's latest album launch tour appearance.
With past hits like Never Had So Much Fun and Punch in the Face, you are guaranteed to have a pretty good time seeing these guys live on stage.
Their 10th album, The Cup of Pestilence, presented by Double J, will bring fresh material combined with a nostalgic yearning that fans - 67,000 followers on Facebook alone, scream for.
Frenzal will head south with Melbourne band The Meanies, and expect to see flashes of those 1992 early formation tunes rise up.
Three of the band's albums have entered the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart: A Man's Not a Camel (1999), Hi-Vis High Tea (2017 and ninth in the charts) and Smoko at the Pet Food Factory (2011).
They have supported The Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX, and Blink-182, and have toured the US, UK, Canada, Japan, South Africa, Israel and Taiwan.
Frenzal has undergone several line-up changes, with lead vocalist Jason Whalley serving as the band's sole constant member. Alongside him, Lindsay McDougall (guitar), Tom Crease (bass) and Gordy Foreman (drums).
"We've done lots of shows in the Shire, we used to play an all ages show at Sutherland Entertainment Centre and we have played at the old Carmens Miranda a few times - a classic spot. We always have a great time," Jay said.
"The tour has been going great. The Meanies are probably my favourite band of all time. They are a big inspiration to us when we first started - they're a bit older than us."
From big kids to a more mature mix yet still that wallet-chain attire, audiences may have aged with them, but their memories of everlasting teenage dream is a fountain of youth.
"We always get to see a lot of old faces. Our style of music is very fun to play - high energy, fast and furious but with big singalong choruses," Jay said.
"It's a very fun thing to do with your life. That's probably what's kept us going. There are always big singalongs in the shows. People have different eras of the band that is nostalgic for them. There are those who only listen to most recent three records, and then those who say their favourite record is from 2001. We tend to play a lot of songs from all the eras. We always make sure we play the hits. It's good positive energy in the audience."
The album features songs including I Think My Neighbour Is Trying To Kill Me, Thought It Was Yoga But It Was Ketamine, and the first single Where Drug Dealers Take Their Kids.
They've also honed their songwriting to keep lyrics pretty lean. Starting big and editing down was the craft in focus.
"All our new songs are so short so even if you don't like them they're over pretty quickly," Jay said. "We stopped writing third verses in about 2006. I figured if you can't say everything in the first two verses then something is going wrong.
"We tend to write way more songs than we need for a record. This album we wrote 60 songs, then had elaborate spreadsheet where everyone gets to vote for their favourite songs. That becomes the record. Any theme that goes through is sort of accidental."
By mistake or not, the running theme centres around locality and community, which to the guys is spread out so there's a diverse eclectic combination. From Melbourne, Wollongong and Newcastle, they are from all over, and Lindsay is a former Engadine boy.
"Strangely a lot of the songs are written by people who live in our neighbourhood, "Jay, who hails from Sydney's inner west, said. "There are a lot of characters. If you stick around long enough everyone gets a song."
Being so dispersed, makes for a harmonious reunion. "Because we don't live in the same area when do play it's a real party, it's a catch up," Jay said.
The album title itself makes reference to an old story in the band's history books. "Around New Year's Eve 2000, our manager was in a hotel room, found an ornate goblet and filled it with all the booze he could find," Jay said. "He started offering it around to the guests at the party. Gordy (drummer) said what about that cup?"
But don't be fooled. Although those early crazy band party days are slightly dusted over, there's still a whole lot of raging passion in the performance. Nowadays, they're chuffed to still be doing what they love. "The audience is the main reason that we keep on doing it," Jay said.
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