Rhysics @ The Croxton
On a Saturday night, March 18th, a little punk rock outfit called Rhysics prepared for a midnight gig at The Croxton in Thornbury, in the heart of Melbourne’s North. Rhysics’ set was following a stacked lineup of beloved, Australian bands led by Dune Rats, who were performing for their national tour with Australian legends Skeggs and Gooch Palms in tow. Rhysics’ late night, bookend show proved a perfect, pleasant send off for a night full of debaucherous, and free-spirited fun.
Rhysics are a band whose style is self described as “children's music for adults”. With that playful description in mind, Rhysics seem a perfect band to perform as an epilogue to a Dune Rats led lineup of bands who have built a following based around their feel good energy, cool, skater, stoner mystique and commitment to having a good time. They are, in effect, bands composed of adult sized children, which is no knock on their musical ability or quality. It's part of their appeal, it's what makes their music, and the positive vibes it represents so enjoyable, to so many. Bands like these allow us to live vicariously, for a moment, in a different state of mind. One where we are more relaxed, more fun, and face fewer serious, real life challenges, basically, one where we can be big kids and just chill out, bro.
Rhysics’ music exists within the same sort of musical and cultural sphere as just described, though with less of the postured bravado, and Aussie-bro culture traps which many bands of the genre sometimes fall into. Rhysics, led by the eponymous, and hugely likeable frontman Rhys Renwick, exude an atmosphere somehow both cool and relaxed, despite the propulsive, galvanizing power of their music. Their music hits similar sonic beats as other bands in the Melbourne garage scene, but their songs are imbued with a sense of homegrown earnesty, and are anchored by Rhys’ lyrics, which bleed personality throughout the songs, despite their relatively simple narrative focuses. That’s why when Rhysics get the whole room bouncing to songs like ‘Good Dad’, an ode to honest, good fathers everywhere, it feels natural, and importantly, despite the inherent ridiculousness of the scenario, it feels fun. It's entirely possible Rhysics don't think their music is particularly worthwhile, as implied by their descriptions of it as childish, or just “shit”, as seen on their bandcamp website, but it's that casually self deprecating attitude and lack of self-seriousness which makes people seriously enjoy them.
While the Dune Rats spin punk rock bangers from diamonds like the timeless, culture bomb that is: “at a party, who’s Scott Green?”, their lyrics and their music come off as tongue in cheek, fun, but not all that genuine. Bands such as Dune Rats know the role they play and why they're well liked, so while their songs are undeniably a good time, sterile, manufactured ethos like that they can never contend with the personality and warm authenticity of bands like Rhysics.
Prior to Rhysics taking the stage, droves of sweaty, drunken and merch-clad punters swarmed from the bandroom and took to the street to take a much needed cigarette break, to calm their post-mosh jitters. Inside, shattered glass covered sticky floors. Outside, excited groups of people formed dart-circles around the piles of vomit dotting the sidewalk while eagerly, and loudly reminiscing over the shows they had just seen. The look on many of their faces implied that a great and hedonistic time had been had by all. The night was hardly over, though, the eagerness for more was palpable in the air.
I reached out to Henry Osborne, the bassist and backup vocalist of Rhysics, who said that arriving at the venue “it felt clear that a lot of the Dunies crowd were keen to see a bit more of something… It was a pretty good vibe coming off them all” and added that “Dune Rats as well as Skeggs and Gooch Palms facilitate that pretty well, their songs are about having fun and I think our music complimented that”.
Despite the musical similarities between between Rhysics and the bands which played before them, it's possible that they are not quite as aligned in image, and identity as it may appear on the surface. As Rhysics fan, and fellow musician Jordan Oakley eagerly explained to me after the show: “Rhysics does not really identify with the dunies, macho, singlet-wearing audience… Rhys’ (lead vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist) personality and image clashes with other “bro bands”. A guy with a fringe and a bob singing about good dad’s. What a contrast”. He added that the whole event had “had this sort of ridiculous after hours sort of feel to it” and proposed that to Rhysics, perhaps the show carried a element of “we’re here on this stage so let’s just make the most of it, and have fun”, alluding to the band perhaps feeling out of place.
It’s possible that Jordan was correct, but whether or not Rhysics took inspiration from a sense of not belonging is, in the end, irrelevant. What is relevant is that they kicked arse: whether or not they were a perfect fit, Rhysics’ easily won over their crowd, and commanded their late timeslot with aplomb.. As Henry Osborne stated it, it was a night with a “faint hint of delinquency… but yeah, all good fun”.
