Top Tens for 2024: Rob Griffiths of Little Murders and The Fiction

Details

By Rob Griffiths

Rob Griffiths

02 January 2025

Hits: 226

_{With Toyozo of The Fadeaways and a copy of Rob's memoir.}

Top 10 Gigs for 2024 in No Particular Order

Calexico @ the Melbourne Recital Centre
Not that Americana is my favourite type of music, but ever since hearing “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash, I’ve been a sucker for Mariachi horns. Not that that is all Calexico do but it’s what pulled me into their orbit at first through the album “Feast Of Wire”. Which they played this night. And it was sublime. And sometimes you don’t want it loud! Especially with a lot of bands testing out my hearing lately. Oh and they covered “Alone Again Or” by Love. Sublime.

Jenny Jenny @The UFO Club in Tokyo. Japan
The Fiction played our second tour of Japan this year and one of the absolute highlights of these tours are the bands who support us. And we loved Jenny Jenny. 4 girls in matching outfits like cosmic airline hostesses playing garage rock. What is not to love? And the fact Suzu from the High Marts was DJing in between was even sweeter because if anything  we should get Jenny Jenny and the Highmarts down to Australia. In fact bring all the Japanese garage bands down for a tour.

• little murders
• rob griffiths
• the damned
• the fiction
• the fadeaways
• yard act
• jenny jenny

Read more …

Top Tens for 2024: Our Man in Dimboola, Ron Brown

Details

By Ronald Brown

Ronald Brown

01 January 2025

Hits: 446

Happy New Year Barflies. Well, I could have a Top Ten of gigs I’ve had tickets for but missed this past year but let’s not dwell on what could have been…and get on with my Top Ten

1. Mick Medew & Ursula - IN THE ZONE CD
I just adore this album.

2. The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs -  “CALL THE DOGS” EP
Four-tune EP of pure garage Rock n Roll.

3. Radio Birdman  LIVE IN MELBOURNE
Great gig on the Friday night and backed up on Saturday afternoon to see Deniz and Anne Tek  play an in-store at a Northcote record shop.

4. The Toss – “SPILL THEIR GUTS” album
Awesome album by one of Adelaide’s finest bands. Review coming in 2025.

5. The Who – “WHO’S NEXT” album reissue
Brilliant reissue and remix ,plus a wonderful live album of the band live at the Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, in 1971.

• top ten
• the toss
• cheap trick
• deniz tek
• radio hirdman
• streetwalkin' cheetahs
• ron brown
• mick medew and ursula
• the sports

Read more …

Top Tens for 2024: Edwin Garland of Sydney bands Moonlight 5, Waxworks and Dwarfthrower

Details

By Edwin Garland

Edwin Garland

31 December 2024

Hits: 637

Every year The Barman makes the call-out for the Top Ten. Every year I can’t reduce mine to only ten.  Near impossible. I have cheated and there way too many highlights. For me personally, it was good to step out and do an acoustic gig for the opening might of Bryan Cooke’s musical photography exhibition in Sydney.  I used to play these shows at The Excelsior, Hopetoun and Manly Fishos and aim to do more this year.

Live Gigs

1. Grace Cummings in several places
It has  been a long time I have seen one artist or band four times in a year. I was envious of other people as Grace’s local performances, up until recently, have very rare. In fact, it’s been almost 18 months between Sydney shows. Notably, one was a warm-up prior to a gruelling American and European tour that included a live performance on the Steven Colbert late show.  

Four months later came an actual album launch for “Romana” at Sydney’s Metro Social in August. Then I won a lottery for a spot at the Phoenix Theatre, and finally caught a packed Crowbar show in early December.

• blondie
• smudge
• radio birdman
• alice cooper
• psychotic turnbuckles
• charlie owen
• cam butler
• jupiter 5
• pocketwatch
• grace cummings
• the fadeaways
• yard act
• full moon flower band
• pete ross and the sapphire
• van ruin
• superchunk
• rust
• dirt bag

Read more …

Top Tens for 2024: Ray Ahn of Hard-Ons and Nunchukka Superfly

Details

By Ray Ahn

Ray Ahn

30 December 2024

Hits: 579

_{Photo by Jo Forster. Check out her work on Facebook or Insta.}

RAY AHN’S TOP 10 for 2024

1: “Action Man”: Unreleased new Moffs number recorded by Tom, David and Andrew during Covid. Private listening, thank you Smiley. The Byrnes brothers – still best best rhythm masters!

2: Radio Birdman July 2025, 3 shows in Sydney. I was emotionally overcome

3: The Damned April 2025 Enmore. I was emotionally overcome

4: Oår live at Medley Musikhuset, Malmö October 8th – killer Swedish art-punk

5: Call It A Wasteland live at Club Rote Sonne München October 10th – killer German art-punk.

6: The Dark Clouds live at Marrickville Bowling Club Friday December 13th

7: No Future and Zerodent at Amplifier Bar, Perth, Thursday November 7th

8: Los Chicos live at Red Hill Hotel, Chewton, Sunday November 3rd

9: Glycereens and Boondall Boys, Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane, May 11th

10: Liquid Face and Square Tugs Live at Mo’s Desert Club house, Gold Coast, May 10th

One Jones worth acquiring

Details

By The Barman

The Barman

29 December 2024

Hits: 430

Keepin’ Up With The Jones – The Ballbusters (Vicious Kitten)

You might question the validity of this four-song EP from the Worcester, Massachusetts, band that used to be Rick Blaze and The Ballbusters until their frontman’s demise in 2011 following protracted health issues. After all, it’s been 23 years since their second album and first for Vicious Kitten (the “Manhattan Babylon” CD) and one of the guitarists, Dave Cuneo, has also since shuffled off this mortal coil.

It was easy back then to write off Rick Blaze and The Ballbusters as yet another Thunders-besotted outfit from the backblocks whose fascination for JT's dubious lifestyle choices got in the way of them making it out of their own backyard. The cover art for this EP is all a bit too obvious but its arrival prompted re-visits of “Manhattan Babylon” and its 2001 follow-up “People’s Republic of Rock and Roll”, and they retrospectively hold up as righteous slices of swagger that owe as much to Mick and Keef as  J. Genzales.  

• rolling stones
• johnny thunders
• vicious kitten
• the ballbusters
• rick blaze
• dave cuneo
• jimmy buscarino
• keepin' up with the jones

Read more …

Third album finds Full Moon Flower Band in full bloom

Details

By Edwin Garland

Edwin Garland

29 December 2024

Hits: 324

Megaflower - Full Flower Moon Band  (Silver Arrow)

Full Flower Moon band as a concept has been ongoing for almost a decade. It was a project created by songwriter, filmmaker and musician  Kate Dillion. Early gigs in Brisbane were more of an experimental affair, playing at fringe music venues around Brisbane as a duo but sometimes supplemented by other musicians.

Dillion’s masterwork of a few years ago was her ambitious sci-fi  film, “Chinatown”. She wrote the script, played the lead and wrote the soundtrack that became her debut album.  A critically-acclaimed, intellectually-layered short film, it was an incredible achievement.

• babyshakes
• full moon flower band
• megaflower
• silver arrow
• kate dillon

Read more …

I-94 Bar Top Tens for 2024: Editor of Munster Times zine and promoter Matt Ryan from Melbourne

Details

By Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan

28 December 2024

Hits: 601

_{Renan Goksin photo}

1. Private Function, Los Chichos, Human Toys, JJ McCann Transmission- St Kilda Bowls Club
A real mixed bag of lollies this gig was, style wise. Two internationals plus two local legends, all with their unique style of stage show on the one line up, was a pleasure to have been part of it.

2 . Pat Todd and the Rankoutsiders, Simon Juliff Band, Wrong Turn- St Kilda Bowls Club
One of the true rock 'n 'roll warriors from the US put on an fantastic mix of garage, country and blues at the club, along with the powerpop of stylings of SJB and three-chord rock heroes Wrong Turn.

3.  A Swayze and the Ghosts- The Old Bar.
After my dear friend Terry bought me the group’s first LP I knew I had to see ‘em live. I finally did, five years later. But the wait was worth it, and the hype delivered. The Ghosts sound like Alan Vega fronting a disco group, with 70s punk thrown in. A must-see act.

• digger and the pussycats
• sacred cowboys
• psychotic turnbuckles
• wrong turn
• mach pelican
• munster times
• matt ryan
• lord rochester
• the fadeaways
• pat todd and the rankoutsiders

Read more …

Top Tens for 2024: Chris Masuak, ex-Radio Birdman and the Hitmen and now of The Revelators and Chris Masuak's Dog Soldier

Details

By Chris Klondike Masuak

Chris Klondike Masuak

27 December 2024

Hits: 716

CHRIS KLONDIKE MASUAK
TOP SEVERAL FOR 2024

Ahh, the Festive Season!

Serious decisions have to be made … buzzkill the Glad Tidings or be of Relentless Good Cheer.

Once again, I opt for the latter, so chuck “It’s Christmas Time Again” on the player and sit back for my yearly screed.

• top ten
• chris klondike masuak
• 2024

Read more …

Top Tens for 2024: Ashley Thomson of Sydney bands Brother Brick, Soggy Porridge, The Kelpies, The Panadolls and Roll Cage

Details

By Ashley Thomson

Ashley Thomson

27 December 2024

Hits: 418

Private Function
Best Oz Punk band by far out of the current crop.

Old Chisel
Only way you get out is by dying, live show still strong.

• cold chisel
• panadolls
• kelpies
• the birthday party
• the damned
• mark lanegan
• ashley thomson
• private function
• haute & freddy

Read more …