Fishbone, The Kittyhawks @ The Gov, Adelaide 21/9/2026
The week was set up perfectly spending a Monday night at The Gov to experience the legendary Fishbone play a show which is something that live music folklore is shaped by. Surprisingly, I would have thought that there would have been a full house there to experience this rare treat given that it has been a long in between drinks. Nevertheless, the energy, gusto and intensity that Fishbone play with you would have thought that there was thirty thousand there. For those not in the know Fishbone have been doing their thing for over four decades establishing themselves as one of music’s great genre disruptors, fusing punk, ska, funk and soul into a sound that is both socially conscious and musically innovative. This show had everything and a whole lot more including a Theremin of all instruments! In short, absolutely terrific!
Opening proceedings was Melbourne ska punk icons The Kittyhawks. Hot damn! Where the hell has this band been? They were in red hot form playing a scintillating set making the most of supporting this legendary band making for one nice add to the band’s resume. Right from first drop with Hold Your Fire there was no let up grabbing this set by the scruff of the neck and making it count. Seven members! One big sound! When the rest of the country catches on The Kittyhawks are no doubt set for superstardom. There’s plenty to love about what they do and how they do it ploughing through Danger In The Middle, Rally Cry and Seamus. The singles are great but there’s more tucked away in the armoury pulling out The Devil’s Offbeat, The Dream and finishing off on the stirring ditty The Legend Of Dead Red. Good news is that they are returning next month on October 17 at Arthur Art Bar.
It might have been a low key build up but that all changed when Fishbone hit the stage. Founding member and front man Angelo Moore packs plenty of charm and natural ability turning his hand to vocals, saxophone, Theremin, percussion and even greeting fans on the way in at the merchandise stand. He’s joined by Christopher Dowd (vocals, keyboards, trombone), Tracey “Spacey T” Singleton (guitar), Hassan Hurd (drums), JS Williams (trumpet, vocals) and James Jones (bass). The talent in this band is elite and the music they have made is etched in history making for interesting research. The synergy and chemistry this band possesses is something to be in awe of. There’s no faking this or going through the motions… the Fishbone live show for any music enthusiast is an essential must see experience.
The first hour of power was playing their classic album In Your Face in full start to end. A killer album elevated even further at The Gov and there was no being a passive observer as the Fishbone live experience kicked in to gear. When Problems Arise and A Selection was an electrifying start when main man Angelo Moore said “Adelaide! What’s Up! What’s Goin’; On? We’ve escaped America and defectred to Australia! We told you we were coming!” As this album unfolded it was a stern reminder of how underappreciated this album is and still just as relevant now forty years later as it ever has been before. Move In The Light which was preceded by I Wish I Had A Date were both bangers! The saxophone, trumpet and trombone combo in Turn The Other Way was first class followed by another highlight in Knock It which morphed in the Ohio Players cover Love Rollercoaster encouraging a little audience participation. The sweat was teeming off Angelo’s head who was giving it everything playing like his life depended on it. In Your Face wrapped up with another awesome ditty in ‘Simon Says’ The Kingpin.
The second set was a little more loose but still just as chaotic and energetic as the first. Cheyenne Star Forever Moore made another cameo on Skankin’ to the Beat kicking it another hundred notches. Absolutely wild! Christopher Dowd was celebrating a birthday and took a moment to reflect on “cutting vegetables” inspiring a ditty about being stuck in a cubicle aptly titled Cubicle. If you weren’t having a good time I think you might be the problem! This was a far better proposition than a Monday night in front of the box. Racist Piece Of Shit speaks for itself and all the excitement finished with Party At Ground Zero and Everyday Sunshine. The crowd was given a choice with the last song having considered playing a bit of that and a bit of Sunless Saturday which ended up being tucked up the sleeve returning for an encore to play that one. It didn’t seem like they were going to return with the house lights turned on but the crowd was persistent making plenty of noise to return to play Sunless Saturday.
Fishbone is one for the history books and an incredible live experience seeing a band at the height of their powers. If you didn’t go, you really did miss out and if your contemplating going to other shows on the tour it will be the best decision you’ll make all week.
Live Review By Rob Lyon