C.O.F.F.I.N take two decades of punk on the road with 10,000 Miles to Oslo.
Rock documentaries usually arrive after a band has broken up, reunited or started quietly discussing a deluxe anniversary box set. C.O.F.F.I.N are doing theirs while still very much in motion.
The Sydney punk band are taking their documentary, 10,000 Miles From Oslo, around the world, with the screening run reaching New York on July 17 following stops in Melbourne, Sydney, Berlin, Austin and Los Angeles.
Directed by Jake Laderman, the short documentary traces C.O.F.F.I.N from their early days as teenagers on Sydney’s Northern Beaches through to two decades spent becoming one of Australia’s most respected rock’n’roll bands.
The film features interviews with the band’s family, collaborators and figures from across the Australian music community, alongside live studio performances, archival material and previews of unreleased music.
In other words, it is less a polished victory lap than a look at how four mates managed to keep a punk band moving for 20 years without sanding down too many of the rough edges.
The Australian premiere run began at Melbourne’s Cinema Nova on June 30, before heading to Sydney’s Dendy Newtown. Screenings have since taken place in Berlin, Austin and Los Angeles, with several dates selling out along the way.
Following the New York screening at Film Noir, the documentary will head to London’s Genesis Cinema on August 10 and Manchester’s Cultplex on August 12. Both UK dates will include Q&A sessions with C.O.F.F.I.N and Laderman.
A final announced screening will take place at Vaterland in Oslo on November 27, although that one has already sold out. Apparently, putting Oslo in the title was a sound marketing decision.
The documentary arrives during a busy stretch for C.O.F.F.I.N, who signed with p(doom) records earlier this year and released ‘Sleep In It’ on June 23.
The track was their first new music since 2023’s Australia Stops and offers the first taste of their forthcoming fourth album, Out In Oslo.
Produced by Declan Mehrtens, who has previously worked with Amyl and The Sniffers, ‘Sleep In It’ still carries the band’s usual rough-edged momentum, although the Beach Boys-style “oohs” sitting behind it introduce a slightly unexpected sweetness.
According to the band, the song explores “the consequence of a lopsided life” and the difficult business of confronting the relationships and parts of yourself that have been neglected.
Its accompanying video places C.O.F.F.I.N underwater with fish and assorted sea creatures, giving the band’s usual chaos a strangely peaceful backdrop.
The group are also expected to return to the road for live shows later this year, with further details still to come.
Remaining 10,000 Miles From Oslo screenings
July 17 — Film Noir, New York City
August 10 — Genesis Cinema, London — Q&A
August 12 — Cultplex, Manchester — Q&A
November 27 — Vaterland, Oslo — sold out, Q&A
Head to their website for Tickets.
