Violent Femmes Perform First Two Albums and a Tribute to Spencer P. Jones

Milwaukee, USA may have given birth to Violent Femmes but Australia adopted them. That self-titled Violent Femmes debut album is a double platinum seller in Australia. The second album ‘Hallowed Ground’ had its biggest success in Australia and New Zealand.

This week in Melbourne, Australia we heard those first two album in their entirety and there was also a tribute to Spencer P. Jones in the encore.

Spencer’s ‘Run With It’ was a track from his first solo album in 1984. Spencer passed away in 2018 but what a legacy he left us with bands like The Johnny’s, Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, Beasts of Bourbon and a whole lot more. Spencer P. Jones and Violent Femmes friendship went back to their first tour in 1984 and continued until his passing. The Spencer tribute went down well for Melbourne VF fans.

Australia gravitated to Violent Femmes from the first album. Commercial FM had only been introduced to the country three years earlier and EONFM Melbourne and Triple M Sydney’s point of difference from the pop orientated AM playlists was to play alternative rock. Violent Femmes ‘Blister In The Sun’ was a perfect song for FM at the time to differentiate from AM.

It was obvious watching the audience that these people owned these albums for possibly 40 years and they knew the words to every song. A decade later when the compilation ‘Add It Up (1981-1993)’ came Violent Femmes had become legends in our own lunchtime. How big were they in Australia then? They headlined the first Big Day Out and Nirvana were billed under them.

The second album ‘Hollowed Ground’ was featured in the first set. The first album ‘Violent Femmes’ was performed in the second set. ‘Dance Motherfucker Dance’ was the 1993 song from ‘Add It Up 1981-1993’ and ‘American Music’ was from 1991’s ‘Why Do Birds Sing?’

Violent Femmes is the perfection of simplicity. This was a very up, very energetic and a very fun show.

This was the only Australian Violent Femmes headline show. Violent Femmes will also perform at the Good Times music festival in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane this today, Saturday and Sunday (December 6, 7 and 8).

: Violent Femmes photo by Winston Robinson

Violent Femmes setlist 5 December 2024 Melbourne

Hallowed Ground 1984

Country Death Song
I Hear the Rain
Never Tell
Jesus Walking on the Water
I Know It’s True but I’m Sorry to Say
Hallowed Ground
Sweet Misery Blues
Black Girls
It’s Gonna Rain

Violent Femmes 1983

Blister in the Sun
Kiss Off
Please Do Not Go
Add It Up
Confessions
Prove My Love
Promise
To the Kill
Gone Daddy Gone
Good Feeling

Encore:
Run With It (Spencer P. Jones cover)
Dance Motherfucker Dance (from Add It Up 1981-1993, 1993)
American Music (from ‘Why Do Birds Sing?, 1991)

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