You need Fowl Weather Vein to know which way the wind blows

Fowl Weather Vein – Fowl Weather Vein (Vi-Nil Records)

The years 1978-82  produced the greatest explosion of music in the last century. Only the mid to late 1960s rivals it. Some called it New Wave, others came up with Post-Punk.

Record companies were opening cheque books as fast as new labels arrived and there was the buzz of a DIY ethos. More importantly though, the period produced an artistic tidal wave surfed by one-hit wonders and more enduring artists whose music careers have continued for decades.  

Consider the massive diversity of a crop that included Wire, Echo and The Bunnymen, Pere Ubu, The Fall, The Pop Group, XTC, The Cure, The Jam, Siouxie and The Banshees, Joy Division, Talking Heads, Blondie, Psychedelic Furs, Gang of Four. There was also the rise of Ska. There were was no single blueprint or style, just an explosion of creativity.

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• keith claringbold
• vanilla chainsaws
• paul berwick
• vi-nil records
• marc scully
• fowl weather vein
• trench gashes
• paul timmins
• paul simpson
• mark nicholson

Smoked Salmon get Totally Sick!! on new record

Smoked Salmon - the Australian band featuring art school dropout, seminal punk rocker, Scientists, Surrealists and Beasts of Bourbon living legend Kim Salmon - will release a new album "Totally Sick!!" on May 29. The second single, "Fully Sick and Tired" is out now digitally. 

"Totally Sick!!" will be released on limited edition spew green vinyl (100 only), and black vinyl. The single can be purchased individually or as an immediate download track ahead of the album. Order here.

The band describes the new album as "songs for when you’re not feeling so good" but not all about medicine, and the single is a tribute to the great Aussie tradition of "taking a sickie". 

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• kim salmon
• fully sick and tired
• totally sick!!

Damned if you miss this

British punk pioneers, The Damned will bring their legendary live show to Australia and New Zealand in September as part of their 50th anniversary farewell celebrations.

Fresh from an acclaimed 50th anniversary show at Wembley Stadium in London on April 11, The Damned are heading aroudn the world. They'll play host four shows across ANZ including one at the Sydney Opera House. The band played full houses in Australia in March 2024 to rave reviews.

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• australia
• new zealand
• the damned
• final damnation
• 2026 tour

The Breakers, Beathoven compilations land from Grown Up Wrong

Out now on Dave Laing's always great Grown Up Wrong label from Australia: archival albums from bona fide '70s Tasmanian popstars and Beatles freaks Beathoven and long-lost 1979-'80 Sydney powerpop outfit The Breakers.

Beathoven’s “Beathoven at Pascoe Vale High” and The Breakers’ “Night After Night” are out on vinyl now with CD editions due in May. The CDs include numerous extra tracks, and all can be ordered here.

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• kim fowley
• dave laing
• grown up wrong
• beathoven
• the breakers
• Beathoven at Pascoe Vale High
• puberty blues
• the innocents
• night after night

Feast on Blue Ash's posthumous powerpop delight

Dinner At Mr Billy’s – Blue Ash (Peppermint Records)

Summa the magical, mystical Blue Ash powerpop just feels so ‘60s, like some lost tracks from the "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls" or "Easy Rider" soundtracks, or the incidental music from "Love American Style" or some kinda hippie exploitation marketing hoax.

Remember when 7-Up was selling themselves as flower child psychedelic? Blue Ash was around then and woulda been perfect to write their far out, hey man, garage punk jingles. So Good! The guitar playing feels like Strawberry Alarm Clock or 13th Floor Elevators sometimes, and the singer coulda been in "Hair".

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• stiv bators
• dinner at mr billy's
• blue ash
• peppermint records
• frank secich

Black (Flag) Creche? Greg Ginn says The Kids Are Alright

_{Supplied photo.}

The latest iteration of Black Flag hits Australia in May and it’s going to have people talking for many reasons.

Firstly, it’s the first time the band has been fronted by a female singer, Max Zanelly.

Secondly, it’s an all new line-up with 71-year-old founding guitarist Greg Ginn being joined by Zanelly, David Rodriguez (bass), and Bryce Weston (drums), who are all aged in their early 20s.

That means none of Ginn’s band members were alive when the first Black Flag line-up of  Ginn, Keith Morris, bassist Chuck Dukowski and drummer Robo broke up in 1978, and their combined ages don’t add up to that of the band leader.

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• black flag
• australian tour
• greg ginn
• 2026

Taking it to The Limit, Sonny Vincent tours again

New York punk survivor Sonny Vincent has swung back into action after a long lay-off – and how.

Fresh from three shows in Germany to provide live footage for a Danny Garica documentary about him, he’s doing a run of shows in Spain and releasing a second album with his US-Euro band The Limit.

The Limit features Vincent and Pentagram singer Bobby Leibling and will release their second album, “Another Drop”, on July 31. It’s being preceded by a single, “Part Two, Screw You”, featuring Liebling, Vincent (guitar and vocals) Steve Stevens (guitar) and Alex Schwers-(drums). Album pre-orders are open here. 

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• sonny vincent
• the limit
• spain tour
• bobby leibling

Ed Kuepper's exploding all over Australia

Ed Kuepper is marking his 50th year as a recording artist with an Australian tour backed by The Exploding Universe of Ed Kuepper in July and August.

This line-up of The Exploding Universe off End Kuepper will feature the talents of drummer Mark Dawson, bassist Peter Oxley, keyboard player Alister Spence and brass arranger Eamon Dilworth and naturally they will tackle material from right across Ed’s illustrious career.

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• ed kuepper
• australian tour
• 2026
• the expoding universe of ed kuepper

Grab a No Wave Tex-Mex Lunch

New York No Wave Queen, Lydia Lunch, is teaming with Beasts of Bourbon and The Cruel Sea frontman Tex Perkins for three shows under the banner "So Real It Hurts" in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in June.

"So Real It Hurts" shows will be sandwiched between Lydia's already announced "Songs of Suicide & Alan Vega" gigs with Alan Coates of Black Cab in Wellington, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.

Lunch will perform her shockingly real spoken word while Perkins, as Tex Perkins Basic, will perform an electronic soundscape set with laptop, guitar and voice.

Lydia Lunch & Tex Perkins
So Real It Hurts
JUNE
19 - Kew Courthouse, Melbourne
Tickets
20 - Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane
Tickets
27 - Riverside Live at Phive, Parramatta, NSW
Tickets

• tex perkins
• lydia lunch
• so real it hurts