Andrew Wilson formed Frontier Scouts in Sydney in 1982. Wilson's songwriting matured, moving from post-punk angularity to a fresh indie-pop feeling. Frontier Scouts though remain a nearly unknown band. They disbanded leaving behind only one single "When Daddy Blows His Top / Out Of Your Shell and one five-track EP 'Museum Collection'. In 1999 Chapter Music released a compilation album 'Amateurism (1980 - 1987)' with Frontier Scouts providing nine tracks.
Members
Andrew Wilson (vocals/guitar), Brad Allen Waters (bass), Graeme Hutchison (drums)
SINGLES ''When Daddy Blows His Top / Out Of Your Shell'' 1983 Au-go-go
The Breaknecks formed in the mid-80s in Melbourne, and went on to record a mini album, 'Steal the Truth' and two singles ''Bad Boat / God Of Love'' and ''Tuscany Bells / Spin Me Out, Maestro'' before disbanding in 1991. They played over 150 shows across Australia, and charted well on the indie charts in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe.
Members
Bruce Armstrong (bass), Tony Bennett (drums), Duncan Graham (guitar), Mark Stafford (guitar), Nick Long (vocals)
SINGLES ''Bad Boat / God Of Love'' 1988 Au-go-go ''Tuscany Bells / Spin Me Out, Maestro'' 1990 Tripper's Advocate Records
Johnny Dole and The Scabs were one of the first punk rock bands in Australia; they played live and recorded in Sydney during 1977–78. The band mutated out of The Strays, a typical cover band, and were looking for a new drummer to complete the line-up. After finding the right one the band consisted of: Terry Walsh (lead vocals), Peter Mullany (guitar), Mark Wong See (guitar), Dave Berry (bass - vocals), and Greg Morris (drums - vocals).
After a few rehearsals The Strays played their first gig on Thursday, 24 February 1977 at the Stagecoach Tavern in Sydney. After more rehearsals the band realised that the style of music was different to what they expected it to be, faster and dirtier. With punk rock bursting onto the scene this is exactly what The Strays had become, a punk rock band. This didn't sit well with guitarist Mark Wong See and he decided to leave the band. The four remaining members chose a new name and Johnny Dole and The Scabs was born. It was obvious that this new style of music was not going to suit the 'normal' venues of the time so venues that supported punk rock were approached. George Kringus was the manager of Radio Birdman and booked the bands at the legendary Oxford Funhouse at Taylor Square, giving the band their first 'real' gig on Friday, 15 April 1977.
Ray Walsh, Johnny Dole's brother, agreed to manage the band. He had gathered many contacts during his time as a professional wrestler and was able to secure many interviews with all the major newspapers of the time, The Daily Mirror , The Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald to name just a few. A recording session with Sydney radio station 2JJ's producer Keith Walker led to a number of interviews and songs regularly played on 2JJ. An interview on Channel 9's A Current Affair program with Mike Carlton which aired in January 1978 and supporting The Saints at the Refectory at Sydney University were just some of the highlights of Ray's achievements.
Peita Letchford, a student at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS), had approached the band with the proposal of making a film clip (video) for one of the band’s songs as part of her studies. "Aggro" (Dole/Mullany) was chosen and the shoot was at Woolloomooloo in some old factories that were being demolished. This film clip was never shown publicly. Letchford died of cancer in the late 1990s, but the clip was located 30 years after it was made, in the AFTRS archives.
With the closure of the Oxford Funhouse this left a hole for any punk band to get gigs as there weren’t that many venues at the time. Johnny Dole and The Scabs approached the publicans at many pubs around Sydney hoping to find one that would be prepared to put on this new style of music. The Grand Hotel - Broadway, Sydney was the only one that would listen, and publican Dennis agreed for the band to use the back room, which wasn't being used, to put bands on. On Friday, 16 September 1977 Johnny Dole and The Scabs opened the doors to the Grand Hotel which would go on to be known as ‘the’ place to play in Sydney. Many bands played at the Grand Hotel and some of these included Rocks, Tommy and The Dipsticks, Blackrunner (with Danny Rumour who would go on to Sekret Sekret and then The Cruel Sea), Shock Treatment, Society Blitz, Subversion, Psychosurgeons, The Press, Mental As Anything, The Mangrove Boogie Kings, World War IV and many more.
Johnny Dole and The Scabs' last gig with this line-up was at the Bondi Lifesaver, in Bondi Junction on Thursday, 9 February 1978 supporting Cold Chisel. Not long after this Greg Morris was asked to leave, and Dave Berry followed not long after that. The band didn't last much longer but did do a few gigs with new personnel. Johnny Dole (Terry Walsh) died in 1987 aged only 33 from an accidental drug overdose.
With the release of the documentary Distorted: Reflections on Early Sydney Punk by Des Devlin from Sekret Sekret fame the surviving members of the original line-up Peter Mullany, Dave Berry and Greg Morris reformed for a one-off show in 2013. Billed as 'A Grand Night Of Original Punk' Friday 19 April 2013 at the Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Leichhardt N.S.W. marked the first time they had appeared together on stage since 1978. Also performing that night were other bands that used to play at the Grand Hotel in the late 70's. Also re-forming to help celebrate were Tommy and The Dipsticks, Rejex, The Urban Guerillas, The Crooked Hearts and Rocks.
In 1997 the group issued a compilation, 'Scab Animal 1977', via Brain Salad Surgery. Eight tracks had been recorded at ABC Studios 201 in 1977 with Keith Walker producing. Col Gray of Vicious Kitten, described the band as, "Australia's answer to the Pistols providing more a backlash against established and commercially dominant rock artists, the tracks sound vital and relevant, oozing with energy and conviction. Eight songs of raw edged aggression, as menacing and snarling as any other punk sound around at that time. The songs are an exercise in hi-energy, structurally sound, with copious amounts of originality in the song writing department." Bonus material for the CD version include four live tracks and an unlisted track providing various radio interviews.
Members
Johnny Dole [Terry Walsh] (vocals), Peter Mullany (guitar), Dave Berry (bass), Greg Morris (drums), Phil Walsh (drums), Mike Couples (drums), Paul Cosgrove (drums)
Tex Perkins formed Salamander Jim with Kim Salmon from The Scientists and Richard Ploog from The Church. Due to touring commitments for Ploog & Salmon, Perkins formed a different line up with Stu Spasm [Stuart Gray], Lachlan McLeod and Martin Bland. In 1985 this line-up recorded and released their only record, an EP titled 'Lorne Greene Shares His Precious Fluids' on Red Eye Records.
Members
Tex Perkins (vocals), Martin Bland (drums), Ewan Cameron (saxophone), Adrian Hornblower III, Lachlan McLeod, Richard Ploog (drums), Kim Salmon (guitar), Stu Spasm [Stuart Gray] (guitar), Billy Pommer, Jr. (drums)
ALBUMS 'Lorne Green Shares His Precious Fluids' 1985 Red Eye Records
Seems Twice was a post punk band formed out of Sydney in the late 70s. Like the bastard sons of early Wire and The Ramones, Seems Twice played incredibly short, fast and loud. Hardly ever more than a minute long, their songs defined a most useful kind of minimalism: an intro (sometimes), a verse, a chorus and, occasionally, an instrumental section with very little repetition. Live, it was blink, and you'd miss them, and you never wanted to do that. First gig was at The Grand Hotel 1979. They played numerous other one nighters, then unfortunately called it a day. Seems Twice recorded an EP titled 'No Plussed' on the Doublethink label with tracks as short as 16 seconds. John Douglas went onto early 80s jazz/punk combo Kill The King.
Members
Anthony Yatras (bass/vocals), Michael Molloy (guitar), John Douglas (drums)
Growing out of the Melbourne retro scene, the Shindiggers popped up in 1983 and stood in stark contrast to the angst of bands in the Birthday Party school or the Gun Club-soaked blues rock of the Smackery, er Wreckery et al. This was music more at home with a slab than a fit with more in common with The Milkshakes than the MC5. Shindiggers churned out a couple of furiously up-beat EPs: 'Baby Let Go' (1984) and 'Go Wild' (1985) and two albums 'Beat Is Back' and 'Crash Your Party' before calling it a day. They re-surfaced in slightly reconfigured form in 1996 (Rod McMurrich replaced Spud Wilman on drums), bonding with a modestly sized but enthusiastic wave of frat rock/beat/surf outfits in Melbourne and Sydney ridden by bands like The Exotics and the Thurston Howlers. They released the album 'Surf, Sex, Shindiggers! in 1996 on the Corduroy label.
All the Shindiggers' recorded output is as tight as a fish's arsehole..... beat pop and unpretentious garage rock liberally sprinkled with choice covers (the Pretty Things' "Don't Bring Me Down", Roy Head's "Treat Her Right", Lord Screaming Sutch's "Black And Hairy") in mostly studio but occasionally live form. The latter-day live tracks show what a tight combo they were. Shindiggers played it straight and energetic but never set out to push any boundaries other than those set up by The Fun Police.Timing's everything and if they had they been a touch luckier, Shindiggers might have carved out the sort of audience enjoyed by The Living End.
Members
Pete Andrews (guitar), Steve Agar (bass), Spud Wildman (drums), Bill Leggett (vocals), Rod McMurrich (drums)
SINGLES ''All I've Got To Do / Crash The Party / A X-mas Message'' 1986 Preston
EPs
'Baby Let Go' 1984 Preston 'Go Wild' 1985 Man Made
ALBUMS 'Beat Is Back' 1985 Man Made 'Crash Your Party' 1986 Waterfront Records 'Surf, Sex, Shindiggers!' 1996 Corduroy Records
Formed in 1981, The Skolars started life as a ska band but soon evolved into a more broadly-based guitar-pop outfit. The lineup for their first recording at Earth Media Studios in 1982 was: Cameron Bennell (bass), Stuart Cook (drums), Fiona Mcewan (vocals), Fiona McGregor (sax), Mathew Myerscough (guitar) and Cameron Wright (keyboards). The single ''Something (Should Be Done) / Let The Rhythm'' was released on the Method label. Mcewan and McGregor left the band and they recruited Madeline Chase.
The Skolars recorded throughout the 1980's and released a string of singles, including the 1986 EP 'Next to the Oyster' (also released on Sydney’s independent Waterfront label). By this time David Seeney joined as a second guitarist and wrote some tracks. Their third release in one year. 'Next To The Oyster' combined the gentle melodic pop The Skolars had refined over the years, with a confidence and resonance they had not achieved on previous efforts. In 1990 Red Meat Records released the compilation album 'A-Z' with two previously unreleased songs from the 'Precious Love' sessions.
Members
Madeline Chase (vocals), Fiona Mcewan (vocals), Mathew Myerscough (guitar), Cameron Bennell (bass), Cameron Wright (keyboards), Fiona McGregor (sax), Stuart Cook (drums), David Seeney (guitar), Steve Ludski
SINGLES ''Something (Should Be Done) / Let The Rhythm'' 1983 Method ''Pretty Pretty / European Holiday'' 1984 Method ''No Room For Happiness / Party's Over'' 1985 Method 'Love Of Loves / Time Of Our Lives'' 1987 Waterfront 'Precious Love / Ocean Dream'' 1989 Ruse
Soggy Porridge was formed in 1982, out of the ashes of punk bands The Kelpies and Suicide Squad with Mark Easton on vocals/guitar, Cornelius Murphy on bass, Ashley Thomson on drums and Daniel Coumbe on guitar. Soggy Porridge was at the forefront of the Australian post-punk movement. After recording a demo, the first single "How Can I Tell You" was released after only a hand full of gigs, it was critically acclaimed and picked up major airplay on Triple J.
Not long after Thomson and Coumbe were replaced by Tony Cardinal and Paul Spooner respectively. In 1983, 'Slurp Track' a five track EP, was released and the band was also included on Triple J's 'Live at the Wireless!'. Guitarist Paul Spooner died and it took eight months to find a new guitarist. They recruited Jonothan Purcell, which gave the band a new sound! In 1984, a demo was recorded but never released. In 1985, "Call My Name" was released but failed to make any impact, even though it was far superior to anything the band had done before. In 1986, "Pull It All Down" was recorded but never released! The band split and Easton went on to form the Candy Harlots! All unreleased demos, singles and the complete 'Live at the Wireless' sessions were released on a new CD called 'Broken Romance' on Plastic Donut records in Dec 2006.
Members
Mark Easton (vocals, guitar, piano), Daniel Coumbe (guitar, piano), Paul Spooner (guitar), Cornelius ''Con'' Murphy (bass), Tony Cardinal (drums), Jonathan Purcell (guitar), Ashley Thomson (drums)
SINGLES
''How Can I Tell You / Theme From Soggy Porridge'' 1982 EMI [Custom Pressing] ''Call My Name / Rip This Soul Apart'' 1985 Method
Some Kind of Justice began in 1988 as a recording project between Peter Myllyn and Ian Amos (former frontman for 'The New Avengers'). The sessions were produced by Geoff Stapelton (The Aliens/Rat-Tat-Tat/Ganggajang/Iron Dukes) who also owned Kings Lane Studios in Darlinghurst. The rest of the band (David Lornie on drums, Sean Power on lead guitar and Matt Reddall on bass) was put together and rehearsed with the view to playing around town to coincide with the release in mid '89. Their first gig was supporting Roddy Raydda. They played supports for numerous bands including X, Died Pretty and The Beasts of Bourbon. In '90 Graham Hood (ex-The Johnnys) joined the band on bass.
The album 'Shake The American Dream' received good reviews in Rolling Stone / On The Street but for some reason this did not translate into any sort of sales interest. In '91 they decided to release a single. In an attempt to capture the band's live sound they changed producers. Initially Brad Shephard from the Hoodoo Gurus was slotted in but his touring schedule got in the way. They then approached the legendary Chris 'Klondike' Masuak from Radio Birdman who took up the challenge. The result was ''Permafrost / Muscle Car'' a 7" released in late '91. A much more truthful record from almost every angle. Again without the push of any major it was only sold in small numbers locally. The band continued to play live and regularly headlined at the Hopetoun and Annandale Hotels and around the Inner City Circut. They had several lineup changes and took a break when Hood and the Johnnys reformed to tour Europe in '91. On Hoods return he decided to return to New Zealand and left the band. He was replaced by Steve Cole (ex-Bam Balams). The band folded in 1992 after recording a never to be released EP.
Members
Peter Myllynn (vocals), Ian Amos (vocals/guitar), Sean Power (guitar), Matt Reddall (bass), David Lornie (drums), Graham Hood (bass), Steve Cole (bass), Tim Harris (bass), Chris Masuak (guitar)
SINGLES ''Permafrost / Muscle Car'' 1991 SAM Music
Stig Can't Clap came from the northern suburbs boys in Sydney. They were typical of the large and impressive wave of mid to late ‘80s bands sustained by a relatively adventurous music pub scene and informed by the great Australian live-rock tradition that was brilliantly coloured at the time by punk and new wave influences, mostly from far away. But there was something especially captivating about this four-piece. Pretty boys, they regularly sweated profusely and swooned atmospherically to a fashionably down at heel audience at the Mosman Hotel. That got them a strong following and an unofficial license to indulge and focus on their individual strengths without being troubled too much by the mundane stuff like technical excellence. In 1985 they released a three-track single on the Vi-Nil label produced by Gary Beers from INXS. Their songs ''Otherside Of Midnight'' and ''Average Man'' was added to the compilation album 'Indie Sounds From The Harbour City (1983-1987) Volume 1' released in 2022.
Members
Greg Truman (vocals), Neil Ohlbach (guitar/vocals), Russell Ohlbach (drums), Mark Jago (bass)
SINGLES ''Otherside Of Midnight / Lost And Lonely / Average Man'' 1985 Vi-nil
Cool surf punk/powerpop from this Sydney bunch who formed in 1980. Surfside Six released two singles on the Phantom label both produced by Radio Birdman's Chris Masuak. The A side of their second single. ''Can’t You See The Sign'' sounds like something that could have been done by Radio Birdman, the Visitors or the early Hitmen – an ominous and intense song. When they disbanded, keyboardist Toby Creswell became editor of Rolling Stone (Australia) and a founding editor of Juice.
Surprise Surprise formed in 1983, with the lineup of Alexander MacDonald on vocals, guitar, spoons, David Welch on keyboards, Lance Muir on drums and Glen Blackley on bass. The band played 1960's British Invasion pop covers, as well as quirky originals in a Christian vein. Surprise Surprise released three singles between 1983 to 1986. Surprise Surprise appeared on and won an episode of TEN’s TV show; Star Search in 1984 performing ''Walking With A Zombie''. They also released a cassette-only album 'Welcome to the Snake Village' in 1985. In 1987 Muir and Blackley left the band and they were replaced by drummer Allan Dowthwaite and Charlie Lee on bass who would in turn be replaced by Mark Kiely. Now known as The Surprise they added Lisa Parsons and Catherine Ryan on vocals. Their first album 'Fish' mixed the influences of new wave, heavy metal, country and folk. The last album called 'Reformation' was released in 1990.
Members
Alexander MacDonald (vocals, guitar, spoons), David Welch (keyboards), Allan Dowthwaite (drums), Mal Kiely (bass), Lisa Parsons (vocals),Catherine Ryan (vocals), Lance Muir (drums), Glen Blackley (bass), Charlie Lee (bass)
SINGLES ''Sounds Of Now / Classification Needed / Runaway'' 1983 Secret Chihuahua ''Anguished Heart / Walking With A Zombie'' 1984 Method ''Cried All My Tears / Telefone'' 1986 Method
ALBUMS 'Fish!!!' 1989 Refuge Records 'Reformation' 1990 Refuge Records
The Tall Shirts were a indie country rock band out of Sydney in the late 80s known for their zany antics. The band played regularly at the Hopetown in Surry Hills. They released one album in 1988, 'Great Snakes It's The Tall Shirts' on the Red Eye record label.
Members
Bernie Hayes (bass), Lance Grahame (bass), Tony Hawkins (drums), Peter O'Connor (guitar), Ian Brett (guitar), Jeremy Adair (harmonica), Lizard-Brain Andy (vocals)
ALBUMS 'Great Snakes! It's The...' 1988 Red Eye Records
The Trench Gashes were a Sydney band with a gritty punk attitude, of a similar type to Killing Joke. They released one LP, 'Draw The Short Straw', in 1988 (recorded between 85-88) on their own Lurch label but split shortly afterwards. A compilation album 'Half Truths Fill The Whole Gamut' was released in 2006 containing a collection of studio recordings from 1984 to 1988 plus selected live tracks.
Members
Paul Simpson (vocals), Louis Delle Vergin (drums), Andrew Rheuben (bass), Paul Timmins (keyboards), Neil Kesur (guitar)
SINGLES ''Age Shall Weary Me / Let Sleeping Dogs Lie / Spite Free Zone'' 1985 Method
The Tripps was three-piece from Sydney. They formed in 1986 and lasted only a short while. Their first release in 1986 was a two song 7″ record ''Sometime Today / It's like a Zoo'' on the well-known Waterfront label. Sales weren’t too good, and that’s why they moved to a smaller label. They recorded an EP called 'Never the Twain' in 1987 on Strand Records. Their final release was ''Ship's Cat (No One's Coming Back) / Green Bottle'' in the same year.
Members
Geoffrey Forrester (bass/vocals), David Smith (drums), Jonathon Pritchard (guitar/vocals)
SINGLES
''Sometime Today / It's Like A Zoo'' 1986 Waterfront ''Ship's Cat (No One's Coming Back) / Green Bottle'' 1987 Strand
80s band from Sydney that released two singles on the Waterfront label ''Heaven / Breaks My Heart'' (1986) and ''Kick It Out / Live Or Die'' (1987) and were never heard of again. Nassa Sultan went on to become a tour promoter and found infamy on reality television show Married At First Sight.
Members
John Clingan (vocals), Scott Deegan (vocals/guitar), Craig Sinclair (guitar), Peter Aderman (bass),
Nassa Sultan (drums)
SINGLES ''Heaven / Breaks My Heart'' 1986 Waterfront ''Kick It Out / Live Or Die'' 1987 Waterfront
Beginning life as an experimental electronic outfit, Sydney band Ya Ya Choral became a much-admired, if commercially unsuccessful, hard rock outfit over the course of a decade. The initial lineup was: Fiona Graham on vocals/keyboards (ex-Systematics), Patrick Gibson on keyboards/vocals (ex-Systematics) and Michael Tee on keyboards/guitar/vocals. Ya Ya Choral's first release was a three track single on M Squared in 1982, followed by the 'What's a Quaver?' EP in July 1983. Guitarist Chris Morrow replaced Patrick Gibson for their next single, ''Two Line's', on the Red Eye label in August 1985. The next year they were featured on ABC-TV's BeatBox program and videos for ''Who's the King?'' and ''Lonesome No More'' received national airplay.
Although the group broke up in 1986, Fiona Graham and Michael Tee revived proceedings in 1987 with a new lineup that included Michael Filewood (ex-Systematics), on guitar, Joanna Urbanik on bass and Dave Kelly on drums. With a new sound that mixed hard rock and pop, support rose as they toured with bands such as Lime Spiders, the Radiators, and Sunnyboys. Their next mini album, 'Grunts', was released on their own Maelstromm label in October 1988, later released as 'Extra Grunt'. Their debut album, 'One Small Step for Mankind', was released in March 1989. Spurred on by a positive reaction from the U.K. heavy metal press, Ya Ya Choral toured the U.K later that year. A momentary name change to Fear of Angels occurred in 1990, but they reverted to Ya Ya Choral soon after. Patrick Gibson died May 3rd, 2019, aged 57 following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Members
Patrick Gibson (guitar), Joanna Urbanik (bass), Dave Kelly (drums), Chris Morrow (guitar), Michael Filewood (guitar), Michael Tee (guitar), Fiona Graham (vocals/keyboards)
SINGLES ''Waiting Time / God's Buzzsaw / Nonsense'' 1982 M Squared ''Two Lines / White City'' 1985 Red Eye
ALBUMS 'What's A Quaver?' 1983 M Squared 'Grunts' 1988 Maelstromm Records 'One Small Step For Mankind' 1988 Rattlesnake Records
X-RAY-Z is recognized as one of Australia's pioneering new wave outfits. The band had its roots in Adelaide pub band Rufus Red, but sensing a change in the musical climate the band adopted a 'poor image', renamed themselves X-Ray-Z and moved to Melbourne in early 1977. Here they set about establishing an identity on the inner-city pub circuit. In that year they supported Lou Reed. Signed to Mushroom they released the single ''Poor Image / Sledgehammer Hit /Citizen John''. In early 1978, X-Ray-Z contributed two songs ''Three More Glorious Years'' (vintage diatribe against the Fraser Government) and ''Valium'' to the 'Lethal Weapons' various artists album. By the end of 1978 X-Ray-Z had mutated into Popgun Men. In 1988 PolyEster Records released an album of earlier recorded and live tracks of the band.
Members
Peter Rich [Peter Doley] (vocals/sax), Mike D'Art [Martin Doley] (guitar/keyboard), James Wave [James Lloyd] (bass), Jon Ray [John Wilkinson] (drums)
In the finicky annals of Australian music history, and with no disrespect to Helvelln, they barely warrant a mention. To briefly summarise, Helvelln was an inspired pop/rock three-piece formed in Melbourne in the late 80’s. In 1989 they won a battle of the bands run by the City of Malvern (Stonnington these days). The prize was a couple of days recording at Bakehouse in Fitzroy and they recorded ''Subway'' and ''Elvis''. In 1990 they were signed to the Mushroom label's subsidiary White Label Records where they released a single and their debut album in 1991. As debut albums go it was classic three-piece rock/pop — strong hooks, great melodies, just perfect, catchy radio tunes.
Members
Jeremy Gronow (guitar, vocals), Nick Green (drums) and Andrew Papdopoulos (bass)
Each of these three guys already had an amazing pedigree as guitarists, singers and songwriters with some of our best bands when they came together in 1978. Chris Stockley had played in Cam-Pact, Axiom, The Dingoes, Greg Quill's Southern Cross and had tenures with Rock Doctors, Jimmy Barnes and Broderick Smith among many others to come. Sam See had been an early member of Sherbet before making his name with Flying Circus, Fraternity, Greg Quill's Southern Cross and later on John Farnham's band, Goanna, Zarzoff Brothers and again Brod Smith.
Add Glyn Mason's pedigree and it's very apparent what a talented band they were. Glyn came to Australia from NZ with The Rebels (formerly Larry's Rebels), then quickly found himself part of the Chain line-up that recorded 'Live' and 'Live Again'. After replacing Jeff St John in Copperwine for a short time he formed the groundbreaking country rock group Home who recorded two albums, then he joined Mike Rudd in Ariel to share vocals and writing duties. He was also a prominent performer at the Andy Durant Memorial Concert. Although they were a highly talented band with seasoned song writing skills, they only produced one album 'Beg Steal or Borrow' produced by (former Fairport Convention member) Trevor Lucas, one EP and one single ''Lucy / Paradise For Fools'' on the Mushroom label. Disbanded in 1981.
Members
Chris Stockley (vocals guitar), Sam See (vocal guitar), Glyn Mason (vocals guitar), Geoff Rosenberg (bass), Dave Stewart (drums).
SINGLES ''Lucy / Paradise For Fools'' 1979 Mushroom
Short lived Melbourne band that formed in 1984. Released two singles ''Let Me Be / Polar Notch'' and ''On Again Off Again / Ping Pong'' on Freestyle Records. The band appeared on Countdown. When they quit Simon Hussey formed Company of Strangers with Darryl Braithwaite and James Reyne. Mark Greig joined Australian Crawl until they disbanded in 1986 and David Reyne joined the Chantoozies
Members
Simon Hussey (guitar keyboards), Mark Greig (guitar), David Reyne (vocals drums)
SINGLES ''Let Me Be (#76) / Polar Notch'' 1985 Freestyle ''On Again Off Again / Ping Pong'' 1985 Freestyle
There is no doubt about it, Delilah was a born performer, a born entertainer. At the early age of 4 years Delilah was entertaining neighbourhood kids in her backyard in Baltimore, Maryland, charging one cent for admission. Later, inspired by the gospel music of her church choir, more interested in singing in school concerts than reading textbooks, Delilah with stardom in her eyes, headed for San Francisco, singing jazz and rhythm & blues in a pizza parlour. Delilah's undoubtable talents were quickly recognized alongside the likes of Sly Stone and Bobby Freeman.
Bookings in Canada resulted and were followed by a successful trip to Japan. Delilah's professionalism was however then cultivated over a five-year period spent in Las Vegas. There, she was recognised for the great performer she was, appearing with people such as Duke Ellington, Sammy Davis Jnr., Lou Rawls, Robert Goulet (and the list goes on). This period set the mould of a very versatile singer, performer and actress.
A trip to Australia in the early 70s paved the way to an extensive, successful tour of South East Asia. The demand was such that she took in Indonesia, Taiwan, Bangkok, the Philippines and Hong Kong. A trail of rave reviews remained in her wake, wherever she performed. Hong Kong took her to heart. A weekly television show Just Delilah followed amidst modelling assignments and a film. Delilah's desire to return to her favourite country, Australia, was fulfilled when she returned to play in the stage production The Wiz. It was around that time that Delilah decided to make Sydney her home. She signed on with Robie Porter and released some singles on his label. Her version of 'My Guy'' was also released in NZ.
This tall, slim and sensuous lady appeared regularly on every major national television show, such as Bert Newton's Good Morning Australia, Dave Allen's Live across Australia and many more. Her voice and character, her ability as a performer were welcomed for the variety and strength they transmitted to an audience. At the time Delilah made a big hit in the disco scene and became firmly established on the club circuit, topped by nomination as the Queen of Disco, which highlights the fact that she was a very talented and versatile lady. Delilah also performed in Tokyo at the World Popular Song Festival 1979, where she wooed the audience with her great performance of the song "Here and Now", winning the Most Outstanding Performance Awardas well as the Most Attractive Female Performer Award.
Since then and up until her death Delilah had paid her dues, and proved herself to be worthy of being noted by many, far and wide. On all levels her professionalism, her voice, her truly talented personality had been proving itself to audiences on all levels. Delilah's stage presentation was truly in the style of the greats, and that's why in 1990 John Singleton, David Hollins and Mike Gordon saw her as the lady for their five million dollar advertising campaign for Campbell's Cash and Carry though, once again it was Delilah's wit and humour that added that bit extra. This highly successful campaign had increased her value as an asset to any organisation which employed her diverse talents. Delilah died in 2018.
SINGLES
''My Guy / Leave Me'' 1977 Miracle ''Where Is The Love'' 1978 Wizard ''Where Is The Love / My Guy (New Version)'' 1978 Miracle ''Sitting On The Edge Of The Ocean / Don't You Walk That Way'' 1980 Airborne
The Bhagavad Guitars were formed in 1985 as Inner Circle in Canberra by Jeremy Butterworth on guitar, vocals and flute, John Underwood [John Kilbey] on guitar and vocals, Kynan Hughes on bass guitar and Matt Kerr on drums. As teenagers they had played together in a band while students at Dickson College. In 1987 they relocated to Sydney and renamed themselves, the new name, "was derived from a pun on the title of the Hindu book Bhagavad Gita." Butterworth later reflected, "We started off seriously interested in Eastern thinking, different philosophies, meditation... etc but now we're more cynical."
In July 1988 they released their debut five-track EP, 'Foreverglades', which was produced by the Church's Steve Kilbey (Underwood's older brother) for Red Eye Records. Its featured track, ''Just to Be Sure'' became a radio hit in Sydney." They followed in October with a six-track EP, 'Headland', where Hughes had been replaced on bass guitar by Adrian Workman.
Red Eye compiled the two EPs, leaving off "Shrine" from 'Headland', into a full-length album, also titled, 'Foreverglades', in July 1990. They followed with a third EP, 'Party', with six tracks, in October of that year. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, observed, "The band's brand of spacious, chiming guitar-based pop called to mind the likes of The Crystal Set, The Church and UK band Simple Minds."
The group's album, 'Introversion', was recorded in 1991 but did not appear until July 1996 on Karmic Hit/Shock Records. It included a bonus 14-minute CD EP 'Extraversio'. In 1992 Kilbey formed a record label, Karmic Hit, which issued the group's single, "Hypnotise Me" in February. They followed with their first studio album, 'Hypnotised', in May 1992 with Tony Locke on bass guitar and lead vocals for two tracks, "Romeo Error" and "Accident".
After the Bhagavad Guitars separated, Kilbey released three solo albums, 'Nothing More Than Something to Wear' (February 2003) as John Kilbey, 'Catching Some Z's' (2004) as J.L.K. and 'Good Fortunes' (March 1999) by the Penny Drops. Kilbey was part of a band, Warp Factor 9, which released an album, '5 Days in a Photon Belt', in 1993.The Bhagavad Guitars reformed in 2008 with Adrian Workman back on bass and released another album, 'Unfamiliar Places', in May 2011.
Members
John Underwood [John Kilbey] (guitar, vocals), Jeremy Butterworth (guitar, vocals), Matt Kerr (drums), Kynan Hughes (bass), Adrian Workman (bass), Tony Locke (bass)
SINGLES
'Hypnotize Me / 12th Of Never / Dion'' 1992 Karmic Hit
EPs
'Foreverglades' 1988 Red Eye Records
'Headland' 1988 Red Eye Records
'Party' 1990 Red Eye Records
ALBUMS 'Hypnotised' 1992 Karmic Hit 'Introversion' 1996 Karmic Hit 'Unfamiliar Places' 2011 Karmic Hit
Grong Grong was a punk rock band from Adelaide. They formed in 1982 with Michael Farkas on vocals, synthesiser and saxophone, his half-brother Charlie Tolnay on guitar, George Klestinis on drums, and Dave Taskas on bass guitar. The band's name Grong Grong was named after Michael Farkas consumed acid on a road trip from Adelaide to Sydney. After losing his grip on reality, he arrived in the rural village, Grong Grong, which Farkas found hilarious. While in Sydney trying to get in a club for free, he pretended to be in a band, Grong Grong, to gain access. The ruse worked and he decided the name was lucky.
They drew upon influences of the Birthday Party, the Pop Group, the Stooges and Pere Ubu. They made their performance debut at a party in February 1983. Their harsh and brutal sound met with extreme reaction. In May of that year Grong Grong won a free recording session during a local radio telethon. They recorded four tracks meant for release as a demo.
After supporting Melbourne band, Corpsegrinders, Grong Grong took a support slot for the Dead Kennedys at the The Barton Town Hall in 1983. They impressed that group's singer, Jello Biafra, "I lay awake for about two nights after seeing them, still wondering if I actually saw what I really saw." Biafra signed Grong Grong to Alternative Tentacles and financed their first album. He later collaborated with Tolnay on the album, 'Tumor Circu's, and he signed Farkas' later band, Hack, to Alternative Tentacles.
On Christmas Day 1984, Farkas went into a drug-induced coma, which lasted nine months. Though he recovered, the band had split up. As of 2013 Grong Grong are one of two Australian bands to sign with Alternative Tentacles (the other is Hack). Klestinis and Tolnay formed King Snake Roost in Adelaide in 1985, they were briefly joined by Taskas in 1987. Farkas recovered and worked in other bands including Hack.
Their self-titled debut album was released posthumously in 1986. It comprised a studio side of four tracks recorded from July to October 1983 and a live side of five tracks recorded at the Seaview Ballroom, Melbourne in October 1983. An expanded, remastered version of 20 tracks, with an additional 17-track DVD disc, was issued in 1998 via Memorandum Recordings. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, observed, "they were the original post-punk, grunge noise terrorists... their brand of psychotic, swamp rock was akin to a Mac truck driving slowly through a china shop while the Cramps' 'I Ain't Nothing but a Gorehound' blasted out over a nearby PA system!"
In 2009 original members Farkas, Tolnay and Klestinis reunited with the assistance of Nathan Dale on bass, a former member of Farkas' band Hack. Memorandum Records released a compilation album, 'To Hell 'n' Back'. The reformed group embarked on a tour of Australia's eastern states. On return to Adelaide Klestinis returned to his career as a DJ and film maker and was replaced on drums by Michael Wilczek, a collaborator with Dale in Peterhead, White Tiger and Glamville. Wilczek performed his first gig with the band without rehearsal and improvised his way through a 15-song set, the next night week departing on tour to Melbourne.
Since 2009 Grong Grong has played across Australia, with gigs in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle and Geelong, and supported Biafra and his Guantanamo School of Medicine, re-establishing their connection after 30 years. A live performance by Grong Grong at 3D Radio on 27 October 2013 was issued posthumously in the following year as 'Live at the Sound Lounge'. Grong Grong are an influence on noise rock, they were one of the first bands to refer to the term, grunge. They contributed to the Australian "Swamp Rock" genre, which later influenced/mutated into the Black Eye scene in Sydney and is a contributor to the Pigfuck sound popularised in the United States. Guitarist Charlie Tolnay died in Pennington, South Australia on 15th September 2017.
Members
Michael Farkas (vocals/synth/sax), Charlie Tolnay (guitar), Dave Taskas (bass), George Klestinis (drums), Nathan Dale (bass), Michael Wilczek (drums)
ALBUMS 'Grong Grong' 1986 Aberrant Records 'Live At The Sound Lounge' 2014
The Toy Watches were a punk/pop band based in Ipswich and Brisbane between 1979 and 1981. Shaun Mcgrath. the singer, said ''there was nothing to do in Ipswich so I organised the band, Toy Watches to play in Queens Park on a Saturday. Signs were placed on the main roads and many people ranging from a bank manager to babes in arms dropped in to hear the band perform behind the bowls club''.
Toy Watches played their first Brisbane gig at the now infamous Curry Shop in Roma Street, and on the same bill were The Go-betweens. As 1980 rolled around the band caught the eyes of promotor Dave Darling and promotor Graham Hutchinson. This put the band in the ideal spot where they were playing independent venues in Brisbane including The Silver Dollar, The Hotel Brisbane, The Cleveland Sands, Pinocchio’s in the Valley, and Sally’s in Annerley. With the input from Graham Hutchinson Promotions connected with Dave Darling they were also playing larger venues including Pip’s nightclub, Thompsons Hotel Mooloolaba, The Patch and The Jet club Coolangatta, and even as far north as Gympie and Bundaberg.
In 1980 the band released a single ''Too Long / Hawaii'' on Peanut Republic Records, a company established by Graham Hutchinson Promotions. The band was also fortunate enough to make a film clip for the song ''Too Long'', with the help of Cherie Bradshaw, a student at the time of Griffith University. Although not credited, snippets of the film clip are shown several times during the 2015 ABC documentary I’m Stranded. The band was known for their quick snappy songs with titles like ''She’s a Mess'', ''Tonight'', and ''5 Cent Shuffle'' supported by the mesmerizing front man Shaun McGrath. Like many bands of the time, as Clinton Walker put it about Toy Watches in his book Inner City Sound, “they appeared suddenly, shone briefly and then disappeared.” The band did a reunion show in 2014.
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