Starting as a school blues band at Brighton Grammar School in 1975, the Relatives made their punk debut as The Velvet Underpants at their school dance in 1977. Covers included the Saints, Sex Pistols, plenty of Lou Reed and David Bowie, and a fnarr fnarr throwback to their blues roots - Chain's ''Grab A Snatch And Hold It''. After a name change to the Nooney Rickett 4 , the band made its public debut beyond school halls and parties in May 1978, opening for News at Bernharts (formerly the Thumpin' Tum in the 1960s, then commandeered by News as a regular haunt).
Post-school the six members stayed together, had a name change to the more serious Relatives in 1979, and gigged aplenty at the regular Melbourne haunts - the Crystal Ballroom, the Exford, The Tote, Prince Of Wales etc. Their first 7", released on Red Ash Records in June 1979 contained three tracks. Highlighted by ''Picasso (Private Collector)'' which encompasses all the things we love - instruments all racing to get to the end of the song first, 1-2-3-4s (including one to end the song), and lots of attitude: eventually, Pablo Picasso was called an arsehole. A simple riff and some nice acid guitar underpin ''Now She's On The Beat'', a tale of prostitution. ''Clock Struck One'' rounds out the record. Bassist Simon Kain recalls: "We pressed 300 of the first and gave them all away on our launch night- many were trashed then and there!" The band continued until 1982 with one more 7", which featured some more standard punk rock icons. Members ended up in the later garage influenced Wet Taxis, post-Sekret Sekret band Red Ochre, Chad's Tree and the Jackson Code. Andrew Dowd died in 2009.
Members
Ashley Davies (drums), Andrew Dowd (vocals), Rob Howard (vocals), Rodney Howard (guitar), Jason Kain (guitar), Simon Kain (bass) Ashley, Thompson (drums), Bruce Campbell (drums)
''Now She's On The Beat / Picasso (Private Collector) / Clock Struck One'' 1979 Red Ash Records
''Emotional Moment / Summer Holocaust / The Collector'' 1979 Red Ash Records
References
http://wallabybeat.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/relatives-picasso-private-collector-7.html
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