Melbourne punk legends The Meanies are back in action this March, bringing their frenetic live energy to venues in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Woy Woy and Aireys Inlet. The March run includes appearances at regional festivals Lawncore and the Aireys Music Festival, marking the band’s first shows since the release of their new single, “Shutdown,” last October.
The NSW shows were organised in partnership with Lawncore, the all-ages Punk, Metal and Rock ‘n’ Roll festival held in Newcastle’s inner suburb of Wickham. Wally Meanie explained the timing, “The Lawncore folk asked us to play and we said yes cos it not only sounded like a fun thing to do but also it meant I could go to the SCG on the Thursday and see Curnow versus Carlton. It was also a good time of year to do a Sydney show and we’d been meaning to do a Link & Pin show for a while, so it all made sense. Especially cos it fell right in the middle of two festivals in Victoria that wanted us.”
Link Meanie is already halfway through writing the band’s next album, while a double album of long-lost recordings is also in the pipeline. The “Shutdown” single offers the first glimpse of this material. Originally recorded 25 years ago by Shane O’Mara at Yikesville Studios, the track was intended for an album that never saw the light of day.
The single’s B-side features Frenzal Rhomb and Leeches! covering Meanies songs, a nod to the band’s enduring influence on Australian punk. Remaining copies are available through Cheersquad Records & Tapes. Fans attending the shows can also pick up a new t-shirt featuring artwork by Ben Brown, inspired by the band’s latest poster.
The Meanies’ March dates are:
Sun March 1 Brunswick Ballroom, Vic
Fri March 6 Botany View Hotel, Newtown, NSW
Sat March 7 Lawncore, Newcastle, NSW
Sun March 8 Link & Pin, Woy Woy, NSW
Fri March 13 Aireys Music Festival, Aireys Inlet, Vic
Formed in Melbourne in 1988, The Meanies emerged from the late ’80s GOD/Bored scene, establishing themselves as one of the city’s most dynamic underground bands. Their early power-pop-meets-hardcore sound arrived in parallel with grunge and prefigured the output of US labels like Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords. Across the early ’90s, The Meanies built a reputation as all-ages favourites, performing multiple Big Day Out festivals between 1992 and 1999, and touring with international acts including Nirvana, The Lemonheads, Redd Kross, Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam and Bad Brains. Their international touring extended to Europe, the US and Japan, securing them a dedicated following beyond Australian shores.
The original lineup featured D.D. Meanie (Dennis DePianto) on lead guitar, Link Meanie (Lindsay McLennan) on vocals and guitar, Ringo Meanie (Mark Hobbs) on drums, and VB Meanie (Dave Christopher) on bass and vocals. By 1989, Wally Meanie (Roderick Kempton) replaced Christopher on bass. Over the years, The Meanies have weathered personal losses, including the deaths of D.D. Meanie in 2008 and Tasman “Tas” Blizzard later that year, yet the band has persisted, adding Jaws Meanie (Jordan Stanley) on guitar and continuing as a four-piece.
The band’s discography spans four studio albums: Come ‘n’ See (1992), 10% Weird (1994), It’s Not Me It’s You (2015) and Desperate Measures (2020). Their 2015 comeback album, released 21 years after their previous full-length, marked a late-career revival alongside a resurgence of interest in Australian punk icons such as The Cosmic Psychos. Their live shows remain a core attraction, with Link Meanie often performing despite injuries sustained on stage.
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