VENOM P. STINGER

Venom P. Stinger was formed in Melbourne in 1985 by Dugald Mackenzie on lead vocals (ex-Sick Things, Brainshack), Alan Secher-Jensen on bass guitar (ex-Brainshack, Beachnuts), Mick Turner on guitar (ex-Sick Things, Fungus Brains, The Moodists), and Jim White on drums (ex-People with Chairs Up Their Noses, Feral Dinosaurs). Turner later cited the Birthday Party, Flipper, Dead Kennedys and the Saints, as early influences on the band.

Venom P. Stinger's debut album, 'Meet My Friend Venom', appeared in January 1987 via No Master's Voice. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, felt, "tracks like 'P.C.P. Crazy' and 'Venom P. Stinger' were clattering slices of avant-rock with absolutely no concession to commercial gains." AllMusic's Brendan Swift declared, "the album is completely uncompromising and uncommercial." They followed it with a single, "Walking About / 26 Milligrams", on the Aberrant label in June 1988 before disbanding.

Venom P. Stinger got back together in 1990 and released the band's second album, 'What's Yours Is Mine' via Aberrant Records. Dugald Mackenzie left the band and moved to Adelaide. Adding Nick Palmer on lead vocals they embarked on an American tour. Patrick Emery of The Sydney Morning Herald described Mackenzie, "his lyrics were laced with angst, catharsis and invective... his life followed the arc of punk-rock tragedy; his incandescent personality burnt out forever in 2004. Songs such as 'PCP Crazy', 'Going Nowhere' and 'Walking About' captured the nihilistic punk existence."

The group issued a live album, 'Live' (1992) which was recorded live in the studios at radio station KDVS in Davis California, followed by a third album, 'Tear Bucketer' (1996), before disbanding in 1996. McFarlane summarised their career, "they took the experimental avant-garde route to its logical conclusion with an unnerving sound that thrived on raw energy, a complex rhythmic base and unconventional song structures." Writing for Spin, music critic Byron Coley described their sound, "magnificent, speedy scuzz-rock that blurs the distinctions between punk and noise like 40 stiff beers." Their influence has been detected in a wide range of bands, from the likes of Halo of Flies and other American stalwarts of Amphetamine Reptile Records to more recent Australian groups such as Melbourne's Eddy Current Suppression Ring.

Between commitments to Venom P. Stinger, Turner and White had joined violinist, Warren Ellis, to form post-rock band, Dirty Three in late 1992. In 2013 American independent label Drag City reissued the original line-up's catalogue on a compilation album, 'Venom P. Stinger 1986–1991'.  Dugald Mackenzie, died of cancer in October 2004. Alan Secher-Jensen died in May 2019.

 
Members

Dugald MacKenzie (vocals), Mick Turner (guitar), Al Secher-Jensen (guitar), Jim White (drums), Nick Palmer (vocals)

SINGLES
''Walking About / 26 Milligrams'' 1988 Aberrant
''Thickskin / Tearbucketer'' 1994 Death Valley

EPs

'Waiting Room' 1991 Au Go Go

ALBUMS
'Meet My Friend Venom' 1986 No Masters Voice
'What's Yours Is Mine' 1990 Aberrant 

References

Venom P. Stinger - Wikipedia