Black Rheno - Gig Review 1st August @ Wings n Tins, Dee Why NSW
Black Rheno
Wings n Tins, Dee Why NSW
August 1, 2025
Supports: The Darrans, Die Rat Die and Stricta
“FOOTYYYYY!!!!!”
Love it or hate it, it’s hard to deny the heavily concussed aura of Footy lingering in the air of most Australian towns. Venture into places like Cronulla, Parramatta or beautiful Penriff at the croc-wearing foot of the Blue Mountains and you may be met in the street by a toothless yeller, decked out neck to nuts in a full team kit, screaming out aimless, impassioned rhetoric like “who let the dogs out” at high volume to a street full of passers by, hell bent on avoiding eye contact with the scabby die hard sporting a backyard-kit Rabbitohs neck tattoo. That aura doesn’t ring more true than when you head into Dee Why, right in the heart of Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles territory.
Now, I am, by all accounts, a bogan and while I LOVE heavy metal, I was also raised on a steady diet of rugby league. As a result, wandering into this part of NSW as a Doggies fan (boo-hiss) feels very much like walking into enemy territory. So why would I make the abhorrent, toll-heavy trek from the safety of far western Sydney to hang out in this seaside monument to mullet cuts and Kmart flannelette shirts? Three words. One band.
BLACK FUCKING RHENO.
These very loud and very proud local lads have built a firm and faithful following on the back of a decade of high octane performances that has seen them grace all manner of stages. From the dankest dive bars of Australia, to the grand stages of Japan, SXSW in the States, and one of the two coveted support slots on the only Pantera Australian Knotfest sideshow in Adelaide in 2024.
Despite their success, Black Rheno have always kept one foot planted firmly in the underground, using their platform to promote and support the local talent and that is shown beautifully tonight by launching their national tour at new live venue Wings n Tins in their hometown of Dee Why with a lineup of quality bands, all of whom share the same postcode. Stricta open proceedings and while I missed them unfortunately, by all accounts their set was cerebral, heavy and a good start to the night.
Die Rat Die are all smiles this rainy evening. Only three of the five members of DRD are here tonight but this stripped back version of the band are more than enough. They do a half-arsed soundcheck under duress, but they just want to rip in. They shoo Milla (Black Rheno frontman and tonight’s sound guy) off to the mixing desk and get moving. Any sound issues are sorted quick smart and they put on an irreverent, hilarious and fun filled set. At first there’s four microphones and three blokes on stage but after a couple of tunes some bloke called Thomas gets up and has a go. With songs like ‘Deathwish’ and ‘Bruiser’ this is stylish sped up Oi Oi Aussie punk and I love it. The drummer has the best mullet on the planet and his swish porn stash will have some of these punters heading to the barber first thing to get the same. Every sentence at this stage starts with the words “fuckin” and they play a song called “Fuckholes” or “Fuckups”. Whatever it is, you get the gist. Despite the shoutout to the straight edge legends this whole set has been beer drinking fun. Will suss these legends out again for sure. That was sick.
You can’t go to a joint called Wings n Tins and not eat wings and drink tins. So on Milla’s say so I grab the Whiskey Maple wings and wash it down with a Black Rheno pale ale. The wings are amazing and the beer is tip top, but the guy filling the beers needs a refresh class in pouring tap beer because of the four red solo cups of the pale ale I get, three are a third filled with head. If I want a full beer tonight, I’m going to have to pick from the large selection of cans in the fridge behind him, or get the bald bearded bloke to pour it. He nailed that fourth beer perfectly.
Satan's favourite godsons The Darrans come out to a few “CARN MANLY” chants before announcing “This is a song about pissing yourself”. They catch the eye of a few gawkers outside the front window who are curious enough to look through the window, but not game enough to wander in. The stage placement of Wings n Tins is super band friendly. Gone is the usual set up where bands are jammed up the back like the shit kid in class, out of sight from the normals in the street. The bands are the window dressing and a bus full of commuters could pull up out front and watch a drumming masterclass by the likes of the percussionist from Fat Monica.
One of The Darrans rescues a stray unopened can sitting on a shelf to his right and says “someone left a beer and I’m drinking it. Unluckyyyyy.” A punter that looks like fat Thor raises his tin to him as the lads rip into new banger ‘Thinkin Bout You’. Some dude on the verge of getting RSA’d out of the joint finds a rag, puts it on the dance floor, stands on it and does well not to move from his squeegee little spot. The band give a shout out to Stricta who made them “feel dumb with all their time changes and shit”. Then big ol Squeegee Boy starts to get bumped from his rag in the pit when the band launches into ‘Dad Bod’. That single beyond-tall gronk that can see the gig from anywhere, but stands in front of everyone, gets his arse shifted to the side by a big dude wearing a Cronulla Sharks muscle tee (boo-hiss) and it’s the only time that fella gets a cheer in this Sea Eagle loving room. The Darrans got this crowd moving in what was a stellar set. Well in lads.
“Dee Wizzy, you fuckin ready or what?”
The room fills around Black Rheno as they kickstart their month long Aussie tour with groovy opener ‘Collision’ and the room all of a sudden starts to behave. The guys hug the walls like teens at a prom, too nervous to ask a girl to dance. Frontman Milla gets a solid dose of “fuck that” as he very quickly starts climbing shit and pushing the rabble into the pit as they rip into new banger ‘Shake Will Rattle. Squeegee Boy gets the rag out and starts dancing like Christopher Walken for some reason as the push and shove starts again. Guitarist Nano shreds as he stomps around the stage area as Milla climbs over the flock like a cattle-dog on sheep and I’m surprised he doesn’t tear a board off the wall and try surfing over the top of this mob. They break out brand spanker ‘A Bad Ass Love Song” and three outside pedestrians stick their face up against the glass door. Milla grabs the bastards and drags them inside. This has all the feel of a bunch of mates hanging about in a shed. I’ve seen Black Rheno in front of many different types of crowds across Australia over the years but seeing them in their hometown in front of their bro’s, it hits different. After tearing through ‘Vortex’, Milla lets us know that their new album, the one that was produced by the one and only Machine a good while back, will be coming out in the next year and one good looking bloke who drove from far western Sydney yells out “ABOUT FUCKING TIME”. Drummer Kieran leans into his mic and replies with “Alright things come to those who wait”. On top of being one of Australia’s sickest drummer, Kieran is also a funny bastard and any time he throws some heckle into the set, it gets a great reaction. The lads finish off with stone cold classic ‘No Time For Numb Nuts’ and the dude on the squeegee didn’t stand a chance. Bro hugs all round. An absolutely killer set.
Black Rheno are razor sharp. Milla is the fittest he’s been in decades after getting his back sorted and he has all the energy of a bloke half his age. He’s backed by two great mates who just so happen to be incredible at what they do. This month long tour is going to snowball into what should be a hell of a year ahead. Armed with an incredible finished album and with their ten year anniversary incoming I cannot wait to see how it all unfolds. Plus choosing Wing n Tins as the place to kickstart this next 12 months was perfect. A killer venue with some unreal people. It’s just a crying shame that your local footy team is shit. (Boo- hiss)
Review by Duane James @duanejamestattoo
Photos supplied by Steve Fry @steve_fry_photography
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