BLACK FLAG – THE CORNER HOTEL – MELBOURNE – 28.05.2026
Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos: David Harris
There was a sea of flannel shirts, studded leather jackets, ripped denim and a few mohawks as punk, metal and hardcore fans packed into the Corner Hotel in Melbourne for a rare opportunity to see American punk rockers Black Flag. The Corner bandroom is well-known for its grunge, unpretentious, gritty, low-budget aesthetics, intense sonic energy and a rejection of mainstream commercialism. A welcoming home for a band like Black Flag and its eclectic mix of fans ranging from social misfits, anarchists, and punks that were here to rock out and experience some hardcore heavy music.
Black Flag formed back in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California by visionary guitarist and songwriter Greg Ginn and singer Keith Morris. The band pioneered a relentlessly aggressive, hyper-fast, chaotic sound with their raw energy, blistering guitar riffs and uncompromising attitude, attracting an underground network of devoted fans. The iconic ‘flag’ logo features four black, staggered bars representing an abstract, stylised black flag waving in the wind. The band chose the image of a black flag as a symbol of defiance and resistance and the term black flag also carries a deeper meaning for the band representing their commitment to challenging social norms, questioning authority and fighting against injustice. Due to volatile and internal friction, Ginn and Morris eventually fractured the bands legacy in 1979 and split primarily into two bands being Black Flag (Ginn) and FLAG (Morris). Black Flag had Henry Rollins as their frontman from 1981 until they dissolved in 1986 and for nearly 3 decades the band remained dormant. Black Flag with Greg Ginn have since performed several reunion tours over the past decade with a frequently changing line-up of younger musicians.
At the Corner Hotel last night, Black Flag delivered a massive double set over 2 hours with their founding member and lead guitarist Greg Ginn and his fresh new line-up featuring David Rodriguez on bass, Bryce Weston on drums and the incredible new Canadian vocalist Max Zanelly, who joined the band in April 2025. Zanelly made history as the first ever female lead vocalist in the band’s nearly 50-year existence. They played all the Black Flag classics and it was wonderful hearing Zanelly’s raw, high octane punk sound injecting a fresh, youthful intensity into the music. I was really impressed with the band’s high energy performance with Weston being an absolute beast on the drums. Meanwhile, Zanelly was the magnetic focal point commanding the front of the stage with a fearless, electrifying presence and rock rage, continuously leaning over the security barrier trying to get as close as she could to the fans.
In the first set, Black Flag performed a bunch of short, punchy, high-paced, hardcore punk tracks that got fans jumping up and about. They opened with CAN’T DECIDE from My War (1984), on which Ginn performed a stunning guitar solo accompanied by Weston’s tribal-like drumming that went for almost 10-minutes. This was followed by the aggressive and explosive NERVOUS BREAKDOWN and WASTED from their debut 1979 EP that had the crowd body-slamming and going wild. This continued with NO VALUES with its fast, atonal guitar hooks and intense, unapologetic anger. The crowd was soaking up the intensity of the show and loved SIX PACK, DEPRESSION and POLICE STORY from the iconic Damaged (1981) album which Henry Rollins originally sang on, but tonight Zanelly totally made them her own. Greg Ginn (now in his 70s) remains technically proficient on lead guitar and was mesmerising to watch him play with such intensity, creating tension with his unconventional power chords and free-form guitar improvisation. Ginn performed numerous solos throughout the two sets showcasing his signature improvisational jamming with the band. BLACK COFFEE was a personal favourite of mine. The music then turned from punk to sludge (Sabbath-like) metal with SWINGING MAN and NOTHING LEFT INSIDE and they finished the first set with FUCKED UP.
The second set seemed to have a different dynamic, commencing with MY WAR followed by some frantic, high-energy and blistering punk tracks like I’VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE. The band played several high-voltage punk anthems and during ROOM 13, Rodriguez (Bassist) went down into the crowd and joined fans running in the circle pit as he continued playing. GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE was also a crowd favourite and this song then bled into Ginn performing a captivating solo during SLIP IT IN with his relentless, dissonant improvisation showing us why he is considered one of the world’s top heavy rock guitarists. TV PARTY and RISE ABOVE from Damaged (1981) were killer tracks and the encore was a sludge-laden cover of LOUIE LOUIE. It was obvious that Ginn and the band didn’t want the show to end as lead guitarist (Ginn) and drummer (Weston) engaged in an improvised call-and-response trade-off jam which eventually led to the sonic explosion of returning to FUCKED UP, resulting in the fans going berserk and crowd surfing. A fitting and fun way to end a nostalgic evening. After the show, Ginn and the band hung out signing posters, chatting and having selfies taken, the icing on the cake for long-time Black Flag fans.
SET LIST:
First Set:
CAN’T DECIDE
NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
NO VALUES
I’VE HAD IT
WASTED
BLACK COFFEE
SIX PACK
DEPRESSION
POLICE STORY
SWINGING MAN
NOTHING LEFT INSIDE
F*CKED UP
Second Set:
MY WAR
I’VE HEARD IT BEFORE
REVENGE
FIX ME
THIS IS GOOD
CLOCKED IN
ROOM 13
GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE
SLIP IT IN
JEALOUS AGAIN
I CAN SEE YOU
TV PARTY
RISE ABOVE
LOUIE LOUIE
