THE DAGOES

Every so often a lost nugget of a band comes along and has you asking yourself, “How have I not heard this before?” Likely for the great lot of music foragers, The Dagoes was one of those bands. Active from 1978 to 1983, this motley group of Adelaide scene makers (at one point reaching nine onstage members), propelled by a crafty songsmith in Tony Rome [Neil Perryman], were the godfathers of the city’s burgeoning music scene. Infamous for their spirited and unpredictable live shows and brandishing comical, pseudo-Italian monikers, The Dagoes raised the rock n’ roll roof, with their own brand of ’60s garage, ’70s bohemian rock and British punk.

The band released their first single ''We Sell Soul / Little Blackie / Let's Liquidate'' in 1980 on Adelaide label Greasy Pop. The lineup was Tony Rome [Neil Perryman] (guitar/bass), Doug ''Frankie'' Thomas (guitar), Dick Dago [Richard Cant] (vocals), Lilly Pointless [Lucy Potter] (vocals), Turk Nancarrow [Geoff Short (drums), Lou Ouiji [Ian List] (bass) and Johnny Tomato [Beau Kostyszyn] on (drums/keyboards).

Gino Earthquake [Nigel Sweeting] replaced List on bass and that lineup which now included Arna Terrazzo [Arna Eyers-White] on backing vocals recorded a six track EP titled 'Double EP'. Phantom Records in Sydney reissued two tracks from the B-sides (''Ten Years On'' and ''Somehow'') on a single in August 1981. Cant and Sweeting left in late 1981 and the lineup of Rome, Thomas, Tomato, Nancarrow, Dean Martin [James Tizard] on bass and Di Palma (vocals) released the single ''Daunting / Blood On My Face'' in August 1982. Geoff Pin [Geoff Simpson] replaced Martin on bass, but the band broke up at the end of 1982. Members of the group recorded and performed as The Assassins and The Spikes.

In 1984, Tony Rome, Richard Cant and Johnny Tomato re-formed The Dagoes with Peter Roth (guitar), Phil Hannaford (bass) and Andrew Griffiths (drums). That lineup was short-lived but they did record the single ''Heartbeat / Hey Man'' for Greasy Pop in August 1984. The Dagoes reformed with Doug Thomas in 1988 for a series of 10th-anniversary shows. In 1990 Greasy Pop issued the single ''Vatican Stomp / I Can Do What I Want'', and in 1994 Ian List and Neil Perryman compiled all The Dagoes’ material on the CD collection 'Hot & Tasty Supreme'.

Members

Tony Rome [Neil Perryman] (guitar/bass), Doug ''Frankie'' Thomas (guitar), Dick Dago [Richard Cant] (vocals), Turk Nancarrow [Geoff Short] (drums), Lou Ouiji [Ian List] (bass), Johnny Tomato [Beau Kostyszyn] (drums/keyboards), Dean Martin [James Tizard] (bass), Di Palma (vocals), Geoff Pin [Geoff Simpson] (bass), Rickie Gee (bass), Lilly Pointless [Lucy Potter](vocals), Arna Terrazzo [Arna Eyers-White] (vocals), Gino Earthquake [Nigel Sweeting] (bass), Peter Roth (guitar), Phil Hannaford (bass), Andrew Griffiths (drums), Lou Arge (guitar/bass)

SINGLES
''We Sell Soul / Little Blackie / Let's Liquidate'' 1980 Greasy Pop 
''Ten Years On / Somehow'' 1981 Phantom 
''Daunting / Blood On My Face'' 1982 Greasy Pop 
''Heart Beat / Hey Man'' 1984 Greasy Pop 
''Vatican Stomp / I Do What I Want To Do'' 1990 Greasy Pop 

EPs

'Double E.P.' 1981 Greasy Pop 

ALBUMS
'Oh Yeah' 2008 Hammerville
'Oh No' 2010 Hammerville