It’s a Wednesday night in Auckland, but you wouldn’t know it by the sheer electricity surging through Double Whammy Bar. The Canadian Punk veterans, The Flatliners, rolled into town like a freight train on fire, armed with a setlist that rattled the walls and sent bodies flying in the pit.
With support from local upstarts Fireshark and the ever-chaotic Flirting With Disaster, this was an all-in, sweat-soaked showcase of pure, unfiltered Punk energy.
First up Flirting With Disaster, and as their name suggests, they brought a touch of beautifully reckless abandon.
Rising from the ashes of The Rabble, these guys know how to own a stage, work a crowd, and bring the chaos. Their performance was an explosion of energy. Fast tempos, shouted choruses, and relentless stage presence.
Frontman and guitarist Charles Hill-Hayr (pka Chazz) was a whirlwind, barely touching the ground as he launched himself time and again into the air. Bassist Ash, equally airborne, locked into a groove so tight with drummer Kev that you could set your watch to it.
At one point, Chazz addresses the crowd. We’ve never played this song before, so there’s a good chance we’ll fuck it up! Instead of faltering, they absolutely nailed it, delivering the track with impressive precision while maintaining their polished stage presence, and most importantly, having a blast.
They closed with a riotous anthem that had the entire room screaming along, cementing their place as Auckland’s premier purveyors of Punk mayhem.
Then came Fireshark. Tonight, you wonder if the lineup was picked out of a hat in the dark. Running order can make or break a show, and following the high-energy storm of Flirting With Disaster, Fireshark faced an uphill battle.
Their set was solid, and their musicianship was evident, but after the sheer intensity that came before, it was a tough transition. The energy, while present, didn’t quite match the electricity of the previous act, and the shift in momentum was palpable.
The band started strong, but at times, the set felt a little restrained. A moment of misfortune, when the drummer lost a stick mid-song, felt emblematic of the night. A slight stumble that, while recovered from, left a lingering sense of something being just a little off.
To their credit, Fireshark pushed through with professionalism, but following such a powerhouse performance is no easy feat. Tonight, Flirting With Disaster simply set the bar incredibly high.
The Flatliners: A Masterclass in Punk Rock Resilience
By the time The Flatliners stormed the stage, the room was a powder keg of anticipation. Under the buzzing neon glow of a half-filled venue, unfazed by the modest turnout. If anything, the intimate setting only amplified the connection between band and crowd. This wasn’t just a show, it was a gathering of believers in the raw, unpolished magic of Punk Pop with a Ska-infused, sun-soaked Cali twist.
With over two decades under their belt, the Toronto quartet know exactly how to command a crowd.
Kicking their set off with an explosive tone delivering the track Performative Hours, this wasn’t just a gig, it was a war cry.
The energy in the room built fast. Those in attendance weren’t just casual onlookers, they were die-hard, eager to get as close as possible to the action. And close you could get. With no barriers to kill the vibe, this was the kind of gig where you could feel the bass in your chest, smell the sweat in the air, and catch every impassioned lyric spit from the mic.
Chris Cresswell’s vocals cut through the mix with an intensity that felt like a gut punch, while Scott Brigham’s guitar work oscillated between melodic flourishes and all-out sonic assaults. The rhythm section, Jon Darbey’s thunderous bass and Paul Ramirez’s machine-gun drumming, kept everything locked in tight, propelling the set forward at a breakneck pace.
Tracks from Oath and Carry the Banner had the crowd in a frenzy, but it was the deep cuts, Monumental and Rat King, that truly sent the die-hards over the edge.
Punk pogo dancers rode the human tide, beers went flying, and for 60 plus minutes, the Double Whammy Bar became a sweat-drenched temple of Punk Rock devotion.
Flatlines’ sound is a clash of styles that shouldn’t work together but somehow does. Like a deserted alley where Punk meets Ska and Mother Cali pop tones bleed through the cracks. It’s the kind of music that thrives in chaos yet feels undeniably fun. A sound built for backyard parties and underground clubs, yet equally at home on a festival stage.
It was the band’s first time in New Zealand, but you wouldn’t have guessed it from their effortless banter with the crowd. There was an easy familiarity, a sense that these guys had been here before in some parallel universe.
Feels like home, they said, comparing the vibe to Canada. Having crossed that vast country myself and met people from all corners, I could see it too. The same blend of laid-back cool and unpretentious, beer-spilling enthusiasm.
As they tore into their final song, the anthemic Eulogy, the entire room screamed the lyrics back at them, a fitting testament to The Flatliners’ enduring ability to unite a crowd through pure, cathartic energy.
When the dust finally settled and the last chords rang out, one thing was clear. Auckland won’t be forgetting this night anytime soon.
If this show proved anything, it’s that The Flatliners are still at the top of their game, and Auckland’s Punk scene is as fiery as ever. Here’s hoping it won’t be long before they roll through again.
Paul Marshall