LIVE REVIEW: FISHBONE + THE POKERS @ THE TRIFFID BRISBANE 25/09/26
Words and Photos by Rod Fletcher
It initially looked like being a very quiet night at The Triffid with not a lot of people around the beer garden before the concert hall doors opened. I expected to see more people around for a high-calibre headliner and a 15-year gap since they last toured Australia. However, there was also a fully sold-out footy crowd at Suncorp Stadium for the NRL preliminary final, and goodness knows how many Brisbane people defected to Melbourne for the weekend to support the Lions in their quest for a three-peat AFL Grand Final win.
Anyway, back at The Triffid beer garden, judging by the band shirts that the early starters were wearing, it was obvious they were there for The Porkers. The faithful remained faithful here to support the Aussie ska-punk legends.
Right on cue at 8.30pm, The Porkers came onto the stage, the six-piece outfit filling the available space left for them with the Fishbone kits under wraps. Pete Porker lifted his sunnies and peered into the audience and said, “Geez, it’s fkn quiet in here.” They launched into their set, and it didn’t take long for more punters to drift in.
The Porkers’ set was chockers full of the songs they are known for. The earlier part of the set included ‘Chemical Imbalance’, ‘Shankin Carpark Blues’, ‘Aporkalypso’, and ‘Swinging Like Tiger Woods’. Then came the call, “Hey Brisbane, what time is it?.” The crowd immediately responded with “It’s Turkey Time!!” - as the band played ‘Bush Turkey’, a clear fan favourite.
Pete Porker was still not entirely comfortable with the crowd and suggested it was so quiet in here that perhaps he should be reading poetry. Then he proceeded to recite a little poem:
Beer Garden
The garden of beer
Is that what I hear?
On the subject of beer, Pete Porker shared a couple of beers with the crowd, whether they wanted it or not. Most of the first can went onto his own head, and the second one sprayed around the stage and well into the crowd.
The band kicked in hard for the last few songs and the crowd was dancing and jumping around. By the time The Porkers finished their allotted 45 minutes, they had done a great job warming up the crowd for the headline act, telling the crowd to buckle up for the best live band in the world. They also left a hint that they might return next year for their own 40-year anniversary tour.
Half an hour later, the lights went down again for the start of the headline act. The crowd had continually built during the changeover break, still quite a way short of a sellout, but the hall was comfortably full. What the crowd lacked in numbers was more than made up for in spirit, with very loud applause to welcome Fishbone to the stage.
Frontman Angelo Moore had the crowd in the palm of his hand from the moment he walked onto the stage. He stood silent for a few moments, his face alight with a big grin, soaking in the energy from the audience.
Fishbone are blessed with multi-instrumentalists and multiple vocal options. The six core band members are -
Angelo Moore (founding member): - vocals, sax, theremin, and jaw harp; Christopher Dowd (founding member): keyboards, trombone and vocals; JS Williams: trumpet and vocals; Tracey “Spacey T” Singleton: guitars; James Jones: Bass and backing vocals; and Hassan Hurd: drums.
Plus they also have Cheyenne Star Forever Moore (Angelo’s daughter) guesting on a few occasions, providing another vocal option and another saxophone.
The band wasted no time showcasing their immense talent and diversity. Although almost all the songs were underpinned by the infectious and unmistakable ska beat, the show was a grand fusion of ska metal, ska punk, punk metal, alternative rock, rap, psych rock, reggae and soul. If you are not familiar with Fishbone, imagine a classic ska sound blended with the likes of Frank Zappa, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Parliament-Funkadelic, Dumpstaphunk, Rage Against The Machine, and Suicidal Tendencies, and you might get some idea of the magic we experienced in this concert. It was a rich and full sound, and every single song was played to perfection.
They are a highly energetic bunch with lots of dancing and musicians pairing up all over the stage. Only the drummer stayed put for the entire show, and that was by necessity (I’m sure he would also have been up and about if he could). The stage tech (Scotty) was kept busy with numerous instrument changes, relocating keyboards and theremin, and adjusting wayward body packs.
This concert tour is celebrating 40 years of the 1986 debut album In Your Face. The first half of the show was devoted entirely to In Your Face, starting with ‘When Problems Arise’ and ‘A Selection’, progressing in album order through to ‘Simon Says’ and ‘The Kingpin’. It’s hard to pick a single highlight as it was all fantastic, and if I was to ask the crowd, I’d most likely get 10 different answers. However, ‘Give It Up’ was probably my favourite track with wonderful solos on keys, theremin and guitar.
The second part of the show was a selection of tracks from some of their other albums, including Still Stuck In Your Throat (2006), the Fishbone EP (2023), Truth & Soul (1988), The Reality Of My Surroundings (1991), and their latest album Stockholm Syndrome (2026).
The second half immediately went into overdrive with ‘Skank ‘n Go Nuttz’. Cheyenne joined the line-up for this one, and the audience was all but in a frenzy.
Chris Dowd said, “Hello Cleveland, how are you?”, and Angelo said “Dude, we are in Brisbane, not Cleveland”. Chris replied, “Yeah, I know that, just seeing if anyone is listening”. They both laughed and the audience did too.
Both Angelo and Chris chatted a lot with the crowd. Some comments were backstories on when some songs were written (such as ‘Cubicle’, then ‘Ma & Pa’). Other comments were directed in line with their reputation for tackling social and political issues head-on, a case in point for being the next song, ‘Racist Piece of Shit’. The crowd didn’t hold back in the audience sing-along section of this one.
Then came the effervescent ‘Party At Ground Zero’, followed by some inspirational comments about sunshine. We’ve all got sunshine, we should let the sun shine from our hearts. The sun doesn’t care about bombs and shit, the sun just continues to shine. With that, they launched into ‘Sunless Saturday’ and ‘Everyday Sunshine’ to close out the concert. That was 90 minutes of orchestrated musical mayhem and fun. Fishbone really are a serious contender for the best live band on the planet,
As they prepared to walk off stage, Angelo announces it was Chris’s birthday, and everyone sang the happy birthday song. He then thanked everyone for being a wonderful audience for the “Fishbone Escapes America Tour”.
What happened next was pretty special too. The band members spent an enormous amount of time talking to fans, signing merch and setlists, and taking selfies etc. It is very obvious this band truly appreciates its fanbase. This band is a class act on and off the stage.
