By JOHN ENCARNACAO

FUGAZI - it's US military slang for an out-of-control situation. This does bear some relation to the sound these four men from Washington, DC, make: lean, angular, direct guitar music. Some call it hardcore.

The definition of their name bears no resemblance to how the group is run, however. For nine years and five albums, Fugazi has remained absolutely in control. They release their music on the DC Discord label for about two-thirds of the price of most other groups. And they won't play at venues that deny entry to those under drinking age.

"We have a long perspective," says Guy Picciotto. "I'm 31 years old now and I've been in bands since I was 15. When we started playing, avoiding the bar circuit was a literal fact - we had to, we were too young to play in bars. It was less ideological then and more practical. At the time there was no corporate interest in the kind of music being played so you had to create networks and structures that didn't exist otherwise."

Fugazi - Picciotto, Joe Lally, Ian MacKaye and Brendan Canty - get their music across the world to those who want it. This is their third tour of Australia; most years they tour the US and Europe extensively and, in recent weeks, they've been doing their powerful, cathartic live gigs in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Japan. Success on their own ethical terms is far more important than the reach of a major label.

"I figure McDonald's can get a burger to everybody in the world," says Picciotto. "It doesn't mean the food tastes any better. We've never been so self-important that we thought we needed to harness the machinery of a world corporation to make sure what we had to say was in front of everyone's face."

Formative years were spent ingesting a steady diet of punk from the UK, the US West Coast and Australia. But, most important was their own DC scene, the rulers of which were punk rock rastas the Bad Brains. This may explain why Fugazi's rhythm section cooks and why hints of reggae and dub occasionally seep through on their latest platter, Red Medicine.

Their democratic working relationship extends to their live shows where, reading an audience, any band member can cue into a tune and take the night in a certain direction.

"It's a question of respecting the environment," is how Picciotto sees it. "Our thing is really flexible. What we play each night is different and decided on stage; we create the sets as we do."

One particular pleasure is playing at places where the group is hardly known, as with some recent dates in Asia. "It's actually cool for us 'cause it's this immediate reaction. You're in these small rooms and you can really destroy them, it's excellent." Or, in army speak, just two bits short of a fugazi.

Who... Fugazi.

Where... Sydney UNI.
When... Tonight.

Where... The Metro.
When... Sunday.