Words: James Frostick

Byron Bay shredders Mini Skirt have dropped the second single from their upcoming debut LP Casino. ‘Brigantine St’ is a slice-of-life revelation from the trodden on regular class – a wounded and angry howl aimed at the tyrannical ruling elite.

“I wanna believe in the revolution, I wanna believe in my contribution, but the bastards keep winning”

This line, plucked from about 40 seconds into ‘Brigantine St’ pretty much sums up the mindset of Mini Skirt – a coastal New South Wales four-piece that has been cranking out agitated pub punk for a few years now. The group – known for weaving in socially conscious sentiments into the fabric of its songs since inception – come across as particularly fed up right now and it’s not hard to see why. The embers have barely cooled from the recent bushfires and now, well, if you’re reading this in early April 2020 you know what else is up. What’s most important is the country seems to be falling apart, and few of the bodies meant to keep us together seem up to the task. I can’t imagine the feelings that stirred within Mini Skirt’s Jacob Boylan (vocals) when he saw last year’s federal election cement the Liberal Government’s power. Combined with the influence of Murdoch-controlled mainstream media and it’s pretty easy to become disillusioned at the prospect of change.

“But I’m stranded, and I feel abandoned”

Over three-and-a-half minutes Mini Skirt lean into the despair with urgency, ripping off piercing guitar riffs at a breezy clip as Jacob yells himself hoarse – his beer-numbed larynx straining under the weight of his situation. Jacob’s witnessing the nation’s eyeballs rotting as they are glued to A Current Affair, as the colonial spirit from our European forebears becomes further entrenched within our power systems. At the outset Jacob postulates that maybe we can shake things up from our childhood learning habits, where we learned by breaking things. I’m sure the boys in Mini Skirt know where we should start …

The band’s debut album Casino (recorded by Owen Penglis from Straight Arrows) will be out later this year, also featuring previously released single ‘Pretty’. 

BANDCAMP