.

.

Sunday, 1 September 2019

YOUNG MODERN



Adelaide band Young Modern was one of Australia’s pioneering power pop/new wave bands of the late 1970s.Vocalist John Dowler formed the band in 1977 (taking their name from a 1960s Adelaide teen magazine) when his previous band, Spare Change, broke up. Combining the musical stylings of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Byrds and The Who, the band decked themselves out in sharp suits, white shirts and black ties, while Dowler sported a superb Brian Jones haircut.

In May 1978 Young Modern recorded an album worth of demo’s before recording a debut single in Melbourne.  ''She’s Got The Money / Automatic'' was released in October 1978 but sounded lightweight and lacked the punch of the band’s live shows. It nevertheless remains an Aussie cult classic. The band relocated to Sydney – with Mark Carroll replacing original guitarist Michael Jones – but failed to make an impact on a live music scene still besotted by Radio Birdman, in an environment where Cold Chisel, The Radiators and The Angels reigned supreme.

Young Modern called it a day in July 1979. Dowler moved to Melbourne and formed The Zimmermen in 1983, releasing the killer single ''Don’t Go To Sydney'', no doubt based on first-hand experience. Vic Yates and Mark Kohler attempted to keep Young Modern together with new player Peter Laverick (vocals), Peter Hilton (guitar) and Mike Donovan (bass), but the line-up was short-lived. Andrew Richards joined Sydney band The Singles (who released ''That’s Just Someone That I Knew'' in February 1981), while Yates, Kohler and Donovan returned to Adelaide.

The 1978 Young Modern demos were combined with both sides of their single in December 1979 and released as an album entitled 'Play Faster'. In 2006, Dowler reunited Young Modern to cut a new album, 'How Insensitive', which was released the following year; the band went on tour after the album's release, and another reunion jaunt in 2010 resulted in a live album, 'Live at the Grace Emily'.

Members

John Dowler (vocals), Vic Yates (guitar), Michael Jones (guitar), Andrew Richards (bass), Mark Kohler (drums), Mark Carroll (guitar), Peter Laverick (vocals), Peter Hilton (guitar), Mike Donovan (bass)




SINGLES
''She's Got The Money / Automatic'' 1978 Top Gear

ALBUMS
'Play Faster' 1979 Local
'How Insensitive' 2006 Croxton
'Live At the Grace Emily 22.12.2010' 2011 Grown Up Wrong!





References 

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-y/young-modern/


No comments:

Post a Comment