The Decline - Cats, Bodyjar and Wembley Stadium

Back in August (our logistics suck) we saw Australia’s The Decline bring their sunny skateboard punk rock to Kingston’s The Fighting Cocks. The Grab Bag is always out of control in that venue so it was only right it attacked The Decline whilst they were over the water!

Describe yourself in one sentence.

Pat: One time…

Harry: You’re just describing yourself, you don’t have to tell a whole story.

Pat: I know but I want to tell a story that describes me. There are so many sentences. One time I borrowed this cat off of somebody and I had to give it back so I got another cat to replace it but then I got given the other one, so then I ended up with two cats, also, I really like cats.

Harry: That was two sentences.

Pat: No! They were all commas man. They were all commas. Two cats COMMA I like cats.

What is your favourite song to play live?

Harry: Do you remember the name of the songs?

Ray: I do now. I’m new to the band but I do know the song names. I think… I Don’t Believe.

Harry: You don’t believe what?

Ray:…the song is called I Don’t Believe. It’s probably one of my favourite songs on the new album, and there’s a section that I get to sing.

Harry: We don’t let him sing much.

Pat: Just one section on I Don’t Believe.

Ben: So in that song Ray is actually stepping in for Cam (Cameron Baines) from Bodyjar, who actually sings it on the album. So he doesn’t sing often but when he does it’s in the most important spots.

Ray: And Cam’s one of my favourite singers as well.

Pat: Ray has a Bodyjar tattoo, they’re one of his favourite bands!

Where is the worst place you have woken up?

Ben: I guess in the van after sleeping for half an hour. Or maybe a park…but I can’t remember how I got there. Maybe I was bird watching…drunk.

What is your favourite venue to gig in?

Pat: Do we have to of played there before? Because if not then Wembley Stadium.

Ray: I don’t think I’m ready for 60,000 people.

Ben: We could play to 5 people there…

Pat: Yeah, be realistic now.

Ben: We’ve been pretty lucky on this tour. There was a place called Bar Ceferino in Barcelona that was pretty cool. It was a small capacity venue, maybe you could fit 40 or 50 people in there max. We played there after playing Resurrection Fest to a few thousand people, which was something we had never done before, and then we played to a small group and that was amazing.

Ben: We should open a bar in Barcelona called Bar-celona.

You’re feeling ill and can only have one home comfort, what do you choose?

Pat: This is hard because I really like pizza, and I really like cats, and my girlfriend so….pizza.

What is your favourite memory of being in this band?

Ben: Erm…waking up in the van? I don’t know, maybe the second show of this tour playing Resurrection Fest which was fucking insane, I had no idea what to expect.

Is there anything you know this week that you didn’t know last week?

Pat: UK traffic is pretty bad. That’s one thing.

Ray: Something from Karl Pilkington maybe?

Pat: Oh yeah! Karl Pilkington has some good stuff. He said that every time you remember something you’re actually remembering the last time you remembered it and not the first time it happened. I mean he didn’t say that but…

Have you ever had an epic fail on stage?

Pat: One time I fell over on stage. We were playing this weird bar like 5 years ago, but there wasn’t that many people there so it was okay.

Ray: At Resurrection Fest, in front of thousands of people, I was playing and I must have jumped and stepped on my leg. For like half a song we may have played without any bass.

Pat: I keep on forgetting to play this song called Wrecking Ball that we have. I keep forgetting that it’s on the set list so I just go straight into the next song where I start singing by myself and the rest of the band just doesn’t play. I’ve done that maybe 2 or 3 times on this tour.

Ben: It’s only been on the last third of the tour, so it doesn’t quite make sense because it was never an issue before.

Pat: It’s because we started adding this old song to the set and I always think that’s instead of Wrecking Ball but it’s not, it’s as well as Wrecking Ball!

The Decline caught up with their UK pals

So summer finished. I only know that because of the duvet that I’m cocooned in and the steaming hot soup I’m sipping through a straw.

But it was a fantastic summer and there’s no better way to wrap it up then by looking back at The Decline’s set at Kingston’s The Fighting Cocks in August. Nothing screams summer more than an Australian Skater Punk band, especially when they’re this much fun.

First things first, we sat down with The Decline and watched them face the Louder Now Grab Bag before their set. You can read that here. 

The Decline went full pelt with opening song, New Again, which is also the first track of their new album The Resister, released in July. Short and speedy, no other track could have got to the point faster. The point being that this band has so much energy it’s a wonder the drum kit didn’t get pummelled through the stage.

Ben Elliott - Guitar/Vocals
The Fighting Cocks - Kingston
17/08/2015

Next up was my favourite song from these guys, Giving Up is a Gateway Drug (also the second track on The Resister). A dedicated fan of explicit language, this song had me from the very first line. It’s another worthy example of fast paced punk-rock with a relentless drum track but with a downbeat mid-section to match the lyrics.

But I’ve got a problem with those lyrics, they’re a bit of an understatement: “I haven’t seen it all, just some foreign countries and a mattress for on my best friend’s interstate living room floor.”

Just some foreign countries? These Aussie natives have toured the States, Europe, the UK (holllllllaaaa), have just closed up a Japanese tour with our friends Versus The World and in a few days will be jetting off to Mexico. Just some foreign countries my arse.

I’m jealous of the frequent flyer miles but I understand. The Resister is album number three from a band who will celebrate their 10^th birthday next year. Tonight’s set spanned that decade long career and showcased the robust, energetic, decaying sunshine that is The Decline.

Tracks Excuse Me, 66B and $hit Yeah!!, all from the 2011 album Are You Gonna Eat That? were all highlights of the night because…well because The Decline have had punk rock nailed for a while now.

Pat gives up the mic to a fan
The Fighting Cocks - Kingston
17/08/2015

They’ve had it nailed for so long in fact that they can be half a planet away from home and still be surrounded by friends to have some chitchat with from the stage. And when that distance gets boring just get them up on the stage to sing with you!

When a band asks the crowd what song they should play next, and a discussion ensues, you know that there’s something pretty ridiculous going on. Pat (guitar and vocals) kindly wrote out a set list for me before he took to the stage (thanks Pat!) but that was COMPLETELY pointless. I told him afterwards that it sounded as if the set list had changed a bit. He smiled, chuckled a bit and said “once or twice I think, yeah!”

Ray Chiu - Bass/Vocals
The Fighting Cocks - Kingston
17/08/2015

But somewhere in there, around the middle of the set, they cracked out Almost Never Met You, the video for which was released this week (which is definitely the reason why I have waited so long to write this review, it has nothing to do with s**t logistics and laziness on my behalf). My challenge to you is to listen to this song and try to refrain from grabbing a board and pretending you know how to do rail grinds, flips and other stuff I learnt from playing Tony Hawks Pro-Skater.

The Decline were a pleasure to chat with and I’m so glad I got to catch them whilst they were over the water. They are a lot of fun to watch and are flying the flag for mindful punk rock with something to say.

The Decline Facebook. 

The Decline Twitter. 

The Decline Website.