KiLL CiTY @ Dissent Bar
Sometimes the best gigs start with a personal invitation and end with earplug ears, empty martini glasses, and the comforting knowledge that you’ve once again cheated death. Such was the case on Saturday 30 May when Detroit punk style band KiLL CiTY rolled through Dissent Bar in City Walk.
Chancres drummer Mark and fan club stalwart JoANNE were personally summoned by KiLL CiTY vocalist René Muir, a long‑term Chancres supporter and all‑round instigator of good noise. Always wise to heed such a call, the pair duly presented themselves at one of Canberra’s increasingly rare live music refuges.
Dissent Bar continues to do the God of Rock’s work by hosting loud bands in the city centre and, on this evidence, should be attracting many more live‑music pilgrims. Bonus points also go to the bar staff for producing martinis that are both tasty and a very reasonable $16, a civilised prelude to uncivilised sounds, also a menu with simple fare to maintain the energy of hungry patrons.
KiLL CiTY occupied the middle set and attacked it with gusto. The band delivered tight, high‑energy punk, driven hard and loud, with coordinated backing vocals, while René prowled the stage with an intensity bearing a passing resemblance to Sigmund Freud, had Freud abandoned psychoanalysis in favour of raw‑throated punk exhortations.
Their anthem “5 Seconds to Live” came and went without incident. Fortunately, its grim prediction did not eventuate, and all punters survived to be blasted again another day, always a welcome outcome.
The room was filled with many now somewhat middle‑aged denizens and long‑standing fixtures of the Canberra punk‑adjacent ecosystem, including William Henshilwood, better known as Bill the Busman. Bill could be observed executing the trademark Busman Shuffle — a unique, economical dance style clearly refined over decades, expertly conserving energy while still signalling full engagement with the audio ambience, and in full black garb, politely sparing assembled audience members from gazing upon his hirsute bowed legs, observed to stand out like pale beacons when he wears shorts.
The gig was all ages, though the collective mileage in the room suggested experience rather than restraint. Proof, if any were needed, that enthusiasm does not diminish with age, it merely acquires better footwear, strategic dance pacing, and enhanced ability to pay bar prices.
In short: a cracking set from KiLL CiTY, a timely reminder of why Dissent Bar matters, and a fine night out for anyone who still believes punk works best up close, loud, and slightly unhinged.
Long may it continue.