Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming
It was an Australian invasion at Slowdown Sunday (5.19.24) when punk rock trio The Chats made a stop in Omaha on their North American tour. The scene was buzzing when The Chats played here a couple years ago, so I made a mental note to put them on the calendar if they ever returned. Finally, the Aussies were coming back and I was stoked.
The Chats drew a pretty decent crowd bringing with them Paint Fumes from North Carolina and Dirty Fences from New York for direct support.
Paint Fumes were up first and they got the crowd rocking! Their power pop jams had the room dancing along with beers raised in appreciation. At the end of the set someone screamed "You guys kick @ss!" and the band was pumped for the warm reception.
Next was Dirty Fences from New York. These guys packed a punch and brought the energy up to 11! There were no slow songs from these punkers. Drawing from classic influences like The Ramones, The Stooges, Sex Pistols, and The Descendants they got the party moving. I really enjoyed their drummers antics and all the crazy faces he was making. It was super fun to shoot. Check out the Dirty Fences on Bandcamp.
As the clock struck 9:00 it was time for the boys down under to hit the stage. The Chats introduced themselves and told everyone "Let's have some fun and everyone be safe, alright?" As their chug-along punk riffs exploded, the room lit up with energy. From side to side bodies were thrashing and the pit was moving!
Lead singer Eamon snarled on the mic while holding down the bass. Several times Eamon pointed over to guitarist Josh Hardy as he burned up the fret board with his wild squeals and punk rock riffage. Behind the kit drummer Matthew Boggis beat the skins with ferocity keeping the pace at break-neck speed all night.
The first big pop came when the band played "6LGTR" or "Six Liter GTR". Eamon shouted to the crowd "This next song is about a car". The crowd threw their fists in celebration and sang along "Six Liter GTR, Six Liter GTR!". Such a simple bop but it definitely got the room moving!
Most of The Chats songs find themselves clocking in under three minutes so they played something like 25 in total. By the end the crowd was drenched in sweat and smiling from ear to ear. The Chats put on a killer show. Make sure to put them on your radar so you can catch them next time!
The Chats have two EPs and two full-length albums available on all streaming platforms, so grab a six pack (of sodas) and crank it up!
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Huge thanks to The Chats management for photo access!
The Chats
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