Harry Howard's songs will stay with you

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

21 December 2022

Hits: 2051

Harry Howard Presents: Slight Pavilions – Harry Howard (Cranes Records)

If you'd made this LP, you'd be bloody proud. It's a triumph, as far as I'm concerned. 

How to get your attention?

Ah.

Remember those “Nuggets” compilations when they first came out, tipping what we knew of the 1960s upside our heads? How so many of those tracks had such a unique joy of life, such a moving intimacy?

“Slight Pavilions” sounds nothing like those “forgotten” independent records of the 1960s, but it certainly does have that joy of life, a profound intimacy, and more than a touch of the backyard rebel. It also echoes that strange late 1970s and early '80s period when so much experimentation was taking place... Technologically, the difference between then and now is profound and borderline unbelievable.

• nde
• harry howard
• crime and the city solution
• slight pavillions

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Serenades to darken your soul

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

21 December 2022

Hits: 2308

Wayward Serenades - Long Hours (Spooky Records)

The cover features a topless Julian Medor on his back on what looks like a garage floor covered in oil, eating his necklace, mic in hand and eyes shut. Shades of Darby Crash, and Iggy Pop.

Which are pretty good introductory comparisons, though Long Hours don't sound much like Iggy (well, alright, maybe “A Ghost To You”), but perhaps a bit like The Germs. But that's where comparisons pretty much end. 

• suicide
• spooky records
• the cramps
• wayward serenades
• long hours
• julian medor
• the germs

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Joey Bedlam has your Xmas charity angle covered

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By The Barman

The Barman

20 December 2022

Hits: 2273

Feeling Festive? Here’s a present for you in the shape of four songs from Joey Bedlam, leader of Melbourne band Dollsquad and better half of X frontman and solo artist in his own right, Steve Lucas.

Joey has assembled film clips for her tunes - all of them Shocking Blue covers - recorded with various bands outside of Dollsquad, including Perth's Chevelles. In the spirit of making somebody else’s Christmas a little brighter, she’s asking you to consider donating something to the Cancer Foundation.

Joey’s donation link is here and we’ll repeat it at the end of this story just to make it super easy, OK?

• chevelles
• dollsquad
• joey bedlam
• x band
• shocking blue

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Where's Wally? Everywhere, now that you ask

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By Patrick Emery

Patrick Emery

17 December 2022

Hits: 3035

 _{A tense moment at a Meanies band meeting: Wally Kempton-Meanie (right) comes to the realisation that it's his shout and he left his wallet in Spain.}

Wally Kempton is a busy man. Fresh from a Meanies tour of Spain (more on that later) last month, Kempton hopped off the plane in Melbourne and into the van for various tour managing duties.

In the coming days he’ll be rehearsing with Ash Naylor and Matt Cotter in preparation for next week’s annual Even Christmas shows, then regrouping with The Meanies for a gig at Hotel Westwood with Super American Eagle and Rocket Science. Then there’s the raft of current, imminent and potential signings to his Cheersquad Records label and associated promotional and general label managerial activities. “I just can’t stop!” Wally laughs.

• los chicos
• rocket science
• even
• wally kempton
• wally meanie
• cheersquad records
• super american eagle
• westwood hotel

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Raw garage punk fans will dig it

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By The Barman

The Barman

15 December 2022

Hits: 2537

Diggin’ It! – Wild Zeros (Heavy Medication/Adrenalin Fix/Beast)

Scuzzier and nastier than your usual French garage rock, “Dig It!” is three tracks of furious punk fun.

First impressions count for a lot and on the strength of their 2019 seven-inch compilation on Heavy Medication, “Well Cooked”, Wild Zeros are a singles band, in that they’re equipped with succinct, catchy songs that do their business and get out of the way.  This 45 does nothing to dispel that.

The title track skids along like a Renault with no brakes with a distinct Devil Dogs flavour. There’s a nagging chorus and room for a brief guitar break before the thing shudders to a halt. “Tough Job” doesn’t have many lyrics aside from the title and probably doesn’t need them. “Did You Dig It?” is a raw and rhetorical question that's served with a side of raw six-strings. 

The whole shebang has as many chords as it has songs and is delivered with a ragged sense of l’ espirt that’s invariably fuelled by a case of those Kronenbourg 1664 green bottles.

1/2

Buy it

• garage
• french
• heavy medication records
• wild zeros
• diggin' it!

Out of time but not running on empty

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By The Barman

The Barman

13 December 2022

Hits: 2910

Out of Time – Sonic’s Rendezvous Band (Easy Action)

Some bands defy objective assessment and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band is one of them. So let’s not even try to pretend.

How can you be objective about a band that issued just one single in its lifetime when it happens to be “City Slang”, inarguably the greatest rock and roll seven-inch of all time? Can you really question the worth of a band whose lineage is former MC5, Rationals, Stooges and The Up members?

Yes, you could. But that’s just you.

• easy-action
• sonics rendezvous band
• stooges
• mc5
• fred sonic smith
• gary rasmussen
• scott asheton
• scott morgan
• born out of time
• the up

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Kuepper and White return to the fray

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By The Barman

The Barman

10 December 2022

Hits: 2410

_{Anna White photo}

Two of the hardest working men in Australian show business, Ed Kuepper and Jim White, return for a short series of duo shows this summer.

Kuepper has just completed a run of residency shows with his new instrumental project Asteroid Ekosystem and drummer White is taking a brief pause from international touring with Bill Callahan, Xylouris White and Marisa Anderson.

The pair will continue their journey of exploration via Kuepper’s extensive catalogue and a studio release by the pair looms in 2023.  Acoustic troubadour Darren Cross will open all shows which are on sale now via feelpresents.com

ED KUEPPER & JIM WHITE
FEBRUARY 2023
Thu Feb 2 Murwillumbah, The Regent
Fri Feb 3 Coffs Harbour, The Jetty
Sat Feb 4 Brisbane, The Outpost
Wed Feb 8 Sydney, The Great Club
Thu Feb 9 Cronulla, Brass Monkey
Fri Feb 10 Melbourne, Brunswick Ballroom

• saints
• ed kuepper
• australian
• australian tour
• jim white

Died Pretty season finale of Thursday Evening Gunk is now live

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By The Barman

The Barman

06 December 2022

Hits: 2400

• died pretty
• joeys coop
• brett myers
• thursday evening gunk
• steve clark
• nothing but dust

Holler for a Marshall

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

05 December 2022

Hits: 2331

Tears of the Minotaur - The Christopher Marshall Predestination (self released)

I guess the starting point here will be 1980s noisy blues outfit Harem Scarem, formed by Charlie and Christopher Marshall. Until they found Chris Wilson, Christopher was lead vocalist. And I do wish for a few live tapes of that line-up. 

And, curious how things turn out. 

Like his fellow bandmate the late Chris Wilson, Marshall's voice is quite extraordinary, and you can pretty much pick your own favourite blues vocalist to compare him to. 

• charlie marshall
• harem scarem
• christopher marshall
• tears of the minotaur
• the christopher marshall predestination

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