The Currency are a folk-punk band from Melbourne that formed three years ago but have just released their first album. I saw them live a couple of weeks ago, and it was the best show I've seen in months. They're typical folk-punk - catchy, sing-a-long songs that are great to dance or mosh to.
Greg Stainsby from Mutiny plays the instruments he played with his old band - mandolin and electric guitar.
Most of the band were wearing Ben Shermans and Fred Perrys, and one of them is bald, giving them a quasi-skinhead look. They even have a song about an ex-skin, 'Victoria Rose':
Well guess who's out of the nick? / And he's asking of you and Vic / Talking over a game / Just like back in the old days / Of the bomber jacket and black boots parade / And he's laughing at the new skins / Wearing thier pressed denims / Ours were always filthy / Like the lives we lived in them
Filthy jeans and a bomber jacket? Never!
The Currency were so entertaining live I bought a copy of their self-titled album, but it was dissapointing. On cd they sound a bit bland and cliche. They sound similiar to Mutiny but without the humour or strong aussie vibe that makes Mutiny so fun. It's still a solid collection of good tunes.
The title of their first single '888' is a reference to the struggle for the eight hour work day. Eight hours work, eight hours play, eight hours rest. The video has old footage from rallies donated by the MUA, CFMEU and ACTU. The song itself is completely apolitical - the reference to 888 just shows how folky and working class the band supposedly are - which is a shame as many people today do not have an eight hour day.
They are great live so check out their myspace page for tour dates.
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