After decades of noise, controversy and influence, L.A. punk legends FEAR are finally bringing their chaos to Australia this June and July, and before they’ve even landed, demand’s already boiling over.
A second FEAR Melbourne show at The Tote has just been added on Thursday, July 2nd after the first date sold out, with Sydney not far behind, for a band that’s never toured here before, it’s a reminder of just how deep their fingerprints run through punk’s DNA.
Tour Dates
- Friday, June 26th – Marrickville Bowlo, Sydney
- Saturday, June 27th – Thrashville Festival, Hunter Valley
- Sunday, June 28th – La La Las, Wollongong
- Thursday, July 2nd – The Tote, Melbourne (NEW SHOW)
- Friday, July 3rd – The Tote, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
- Saturday, July 4th – Vinnies Dive Bar, Gold Coast
- Sunday, July 5th – The Brightside, Brisbane
Tickets are on sale now via troubadourpresents.com, but if Melbourne is anything to go by, they won’t hang around.
Nearly five decades of confrontation
Formed in 1978, FEAR didn’t just exist within hardcore punk, their sound was sharp, fast, and deliberately antagonistic, but it was their attitude that made them unavoidable.
That infamous 1981 Saturday Night Live performance still hangs over their legacy, brought in by John Belushi, the band tore through the set so violently it reportedly left the studio trashed and got them permanently banned.
Years later, it was ranked the number one musical performance in the show’s history by Rolling Stone, not bad for a band that was never supposed to fit, their debut album has since shifted over 500,000 copies, cementing its place as one of punk’s essential records.
The lineup still carries weight
Frontman Lee Ving remains the focal point, backed by original drummer Spit Stix, that alone makes this run feel less like a nostalgia grab and more like a continuation, they’re joined by Geoff Kresge, known for work with AFI and Tiger Army, and Eric Razo on guitar.
It’s a lineup that respects the past without feeling stuck in it, Ving’s résumé outside the band is just as wild, Film roles in Clue and Streets of Fire, plus involvement in Dave Grohl’s Sound City Players, have kept him orbiting culture far beyond punk basements.
A long overdue first visit
For Australian fans, this tour has been a long time coming, FEAR have influenced countless local bands, but never actually set foot on these stages, now, they’re not just showing up, they’re selling out rooms before they even get here.
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