THE WRECKERY

One of the more important bands on the Australian post-punk scene of the 1980s, Melbourne's the Wreckery played dark, atmospheric music informed by the blues and the same sort of chemical and cultural obsessions as their contemporaries Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in fact, co-founder Hugo Race had been an early member of the Bad Seeds. Joining Race was Robin Casinader (drums), Edward Clayton-Jones (guitar), Tadeusz O'Biegly (bass) and Charles Todd on saxophone and organ (ex-Wild Dog Rodeo, Cattletruck). Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane described the group as "inner-city angst kings which proffered a lurching brand of gutbucket St Kilda blues by way of the Mississippi delta. It was a fiery sound totally unique in Australia at the time". Race was described as "enigmatic, petulant ... whose bleak visions stabbed at the heart of the human condition".

The group recorded their debut five-track EP, 'I Think this Town is Nervous', which was issued by Hot Records in December 1985. After the release of the EP  O'Biegly had been replaced by Nick Barker on bass guitar (ex-Curse, Reptile Smile). Race wrote the majority of the group's material. They issued two studio albums, 'Here at Pains Insistence' (August 1987) and 'Laying Down Law' (October 1988), before they disbanded by mid-1989.

Despite the Wreckery's success, Rampant Records was having financial problems, and after Rampant released a Best-Of set titled 'The Collection', the band jumped ship for Citadel Records, who in late 1988 brought out 'Laying Down the Law', regarded by many as the group's strongest work. However, tensions within the band, exaggerated by touring and health issues, came to a head, and by the time 'Laying Down the Law' was released, the Wreckery had already chosen to split up after a brief tour, with guests standing in for Barker and Casinader. Nick Barker went on to a successful solo career, and Race, Clayton-Jones, and Casinader remain active in music with a variety of projects. In 2008, Memorandum Records issued 'Past Imperfect', a two-CD anthology drawn from the group's catalog, and the Wreckery reunited to play a handful of shows in support.

Members

Hugo Race (vocals, guitar), Edward Clayton-Jones (guitar), Charles Todd (saxophone, organ), Tadeusz O'Biegly (bass), Nick Barker (bass), Robin Casinader (drums, piano), Peter Jones (drums)