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.
Johnny Dole [Terry Walsh] (vocals), Peter Mullany (guitar), Dave Berry (bass), Greg Morris (drums), Phil Walsh (drums), Mike Couples (drums), Paul Cosgrove (drums)
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Dole_%26_The_Scabs
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
Members
Johnny Dole [Terry Walsh] (vocals), Peter Mullany (guitar), Dave Berry (bass), Greg Morris (drums), Phil Walsh (drums), Mike Couples (drums), Paul Cosgrove (drums)
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Dole_%26_The_Scabs
Full album here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQLR1TAaiKE
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