A band in full bloom on a wet Sydney evening

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By Edwin Garland

Edwin Garland

24 March 2024

Hits: 3068

FULL FLOWER MOON BAND 
SUNFRUITS
(and VILLE VALO)  
Metro Social Club, Sydney
Saturday 16 March, 2024
Photos by DIGBY FROG

Brisbane's Full Flower Moon Band is one of the best, and most inventive bands in Australia; simply put they’ll lift the hairs on your arm. Bold statement, but true. The reasons why will be clear if you read on.

It’s a Saturday night. It’s raining, I am standing at the bus top, irritated and looking at the timetable. Damn, the bus is late again and I’m going to miss the connecting ferry.  Fuck privatisation. It has turned the local bus service to shit.

Approaching is a cool rock ‘n’ roll couple who look about my age, one of them wearing a Chimers T-shirt (a rarity in my part of the world.)

We strike up a conversation about the appalling bus service as they have walked from another stop after giving up waiting for a bus that will never arrive. 

• live
• sydney
• full moon flower band
• sunfruits
• ville valo

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Fans get a killer show with no trickery involved

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By Ronald Brown

Ronald Brown

15 March 2024

Hits: 3136

Cheap Trick
+ The Angels
The Palais, St Kilda, VIC
Wednesday, 13 March 2024 

Hello I-94 Barflies! I hope you are all in fine form. Myself, I’m still recovering from seeing the amazing Cheap Trick at The Palais Theatre in St Kilda and they did not disappoint.

Dragging myself out of bed at 430am for a 1000 kilometre public transport round trip is never pleasant and as the years creep by, travelling does get more fiscally challenging. But family and live rock ‘n’ roll is what gets me off the land and out of The Farmhouse. First, let me say this if you’re ever in Melbourne The Pint On The Punt in Richmond is a nice place to start your drinking, get a feed and sleep on a lumpy mattress. It’s also within walking distance of the now boring suburb of St Kilda. 

• st kilda
• cheap trick
• australian tour
• 2024
• palais
• the angels

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"My Craft" is the new Flowers For Jayne song

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By The Barman

The Barman

13 March 2024

Hits: 3010

The Ides Of March are almost upon us. It's a time of uncertainty across the universe, so Sydney band Flowers For Jayne have conjured an anthem with a message to help you find yourself again and breakout into song, chanting: "I look back to my past. I'm still practicing my craft!"

This is the lyric clip’s online debut. You can order a digital or physical copy of the song or the EP on which it can be found here.

Vocalist, guitarist and composer Jayne Murphy (ex-Lime Spiders) says: "I've stirred deep into life's caldron and drawn out the essence of my personal connection with the universe in this catchy, punchy and racy anthem which evokes feelings of entrapment, liberation and reflection. Make it your connection too!" 

Flowers For Jayne are Jayne Murphy, Kevin Riddle (bass), Peter Timmerman (drums) and Stuart Wilson (percussion). It was recorded by Stuart Wilson at Stu Stu Studio in Marrickville NSW, mixed by Anton Hagop at A-Side Productions and mastered by Ernie O at his Urban Fringe Compound in Victoria,

• flowers for jayne
• jayne murphy
• my craft

Pilots of Baalbek are on approach and coming in hot

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By The Barman

The Barman

14 March 2024

Hits: 1967

Canberra proto-punk-cum-metal band Pilots of Baalbek have released their second album, “By The Seat Of Our Pants”, on happening label Outtaspace and you night want cock an ear to what they're doing. 

Said to be “a groovy platter of ‘70s-style space rock, punk, heavy metal, boogie and glam”, the LP references Hawkwind, The Sweet, New York Dolls, AC/DC, Stooges and Motorhead. Big call but you can judge for yourself by this filmclip for "Cargo Cult" by Mike Foxall (Neptune Power Federation, Nancy Vandal, The Fizz.)  

• outtaspace records
• pilots of baalbek
• by the seat of our pants

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Johnny Casino returns with "High Stone" album

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By The Barman

The Barman

10 March 2024

Hits: 2132

Australian underground guitar hero Johnny Casino has another album on the launch pad. “High Stone” will be released on Australian label Cheersquad on May 3 .

An epic, near 10-miniute version of The Byrds' psychedelic masterpiece "Eight Miles High” is a precursor to the album but, given its length, it won’t make it to threvinyl edition.It was recorded in Philadelphia with members of the band St James and The Apostles. 

The new record was mixed in Spain by American Mike Mariconda, a garage legend in his own right who has worked with the Cosmic Psychos, Powder Monkeys, New Bomb Turks, Jack Oblivion and Holly Golightly. 



The new album is said to highlight Johnny's huge guitar chops and fine singing songwrting. but features a stronger keyboard presence than usual – a soulful nod to  Memphis greats the Reigning Sound. 
 


Formerly of Sydney's beloved '90s high energy rock 'n' rollers Asteroid B-612, Johnny Casino now calls Spain home and regularly plays across Europe and in the US. 

• johnny casino
• cheersquad records
• high stone
• the byrds

The Dangermen launch their album (again) 18 years later

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By The Barman

The Barman

08 March 2024

Hits: 3297

Brisbane garage mainstays The Dangermen have been scoring airplay for their most recent single "Wrong Train Home" all over the globe, but it's an 18-year-old record from their past that's occupying their time this weekend.

Swashbuckling Hobo Records is releasing their 2006 CD album “The Dark Place” on vinyl for the first time. It was originally out on CD on fellow Brisbane label MereNoise, in 2008. The LP version features artwork by Rick Chesshire.

The DangerMen will launch the vinyl edition in style at The Cave Inn in Brisbane this Saturday, supported by Eyes Ninety, The Busymen and Boondall Boys. Doors are at 7pm and it's onloy $15 so be early.

If you can't or don't make it, the record is available here.

• swashbuckling hobo
• eyes ninety
• boondall boys
• the dangermen
• the busymen

Tuneless racket? This punk and new wave series is Indispensable

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By The Barman

The Barman

07 March 2024

Hits: 4462

Another Tuneless Racket: Punk And New Wave In The Seventies, Volume One: Origins 
Another Tuneless Racket: Punk And New Wave In The Seventies, Volume Two: Punk
Another Tuneless Racket: Punk and New Wave In The Seventies: Volume Three: UK New Wave
Another Tuneless Racket: Punk and New Wave In The Seventies, Volume Five: The American Beat – West
By Steve H Gardner (self published)

The best intentions are often derailed by practicality. After being gifted Volume One of “Another Tuneless Racket”, the plan was to acquire and read the other three back-to-back and then write a review. A fine goal but one that slipped after realising their combined volume came to almost 2,400 pages and life was getting in the way…

After delving deep into the series, it’s clear that the beauty of “Another Tuneless Racket” is that once you get your bearings, you can dive in almost anywhere, pick up on a thread and keep going. As you'll gather from the titles, each volume zeroes in on a time and place in the history of punk and new wave music, and then takes up the story of key acts. The series serves as a roadmap through the twists and turns of punk and new wave across most of the western world. 

It’s meticulously researched but you’d expect that from author Steve Gardner, He’s a lanky Yank from San Diego who grew up on the US East Coast where he went to university before finding himself working in engineering. A music obsessive from an earl;y age, he'd been bitten by the punk rock bug by the time he blew out the candles on his 21^st birthday cake. 

• new wave
• noise for heroes
• steve gardner
• another tuneless racket

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Last word on the MC5 looms as Jaan honours a promise

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By The Barman

The Barman

03 March 2024

Hits: 3531

What should be the definitive history of the MC5 is heading for release in October 2024.

“MC5 - An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band” is being published worldwide by Hachette and is the result of years of work by writers Brad Tolinski, Jaan Uhelszki and the late Ben Edmonds.

A former CREEM magazine staffer, Uhelszki delivered the news in a Facebook post a day ago: 

“In 2015, when my friend and CREEM magazine co-conspirator Ben Edmonds fell ill, he asked me to come to Detroit to help him finish his MC5 book. I thought we could knock it out in three weeks,” she wrote.

“Boy, was I wrong. It took me three weeks just to read through all the interviews he had done with the band members in the 10-15 years after they had broken up. 

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Consider yourself Born To Be Punched if you miss this

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By The Barman

The Barman

03 March 2024

Hits: 3602

Legendary drummer and scene-maker James Baker (Scientists, Victims, Hood Gurus, Beats of Bourbon) has a solo record out this month via US label In The Red, and Melbourne’s Strange World Records will be its exclusive Australian retailer.

“Born To Rock” is a six-song vinyl EP from James Baker and the Groundbreakers and it’s available from Strange World for pre-order here and from In The Red here. 

The EP marks James’ 70^th year on the planet and he and a hand-picked line-up will celebrate at The Duke of George Hotel in Perth on Sunday, March 17. 

The bill is Big Boss Man, Abbe May, Datura4, Luke Dux and Joe Bludge and the show will raise money to assist James in fight against cancer. 

And because he's on doctor's orders, James will be part of the April Australian tour by The Beasts and tickets for that run are available here.

• james baker
• in the red
• the beasts
• born to rock