Poignant tale of sonic beauty from chaos

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By The Barman

The Barman

24 June 2023

Hits: 2663

Half Deaf, Completely Mad: The Chaotic Genius of Australia’s Most Legendary Producer
By Tony Cohen with John Olson
(Black Ink)

“Unputdownable” is a word and it officially entered the English lexicon in 1947. That’s a full decade before Tony Cohen came into the world, but the descriptor could have been custom-built for “Half Deaf, Completely Mad”, his posthumous autobiography.

This is a tale of hyper-energy and off-the-wall sonic experimentation cleverly disguised as a 230-page paperback. It’s a weaving, sometimes wobbling story told through Cohen’s often bloodshot or pinned eyes, with dry wit and self-deprecation. 

People who worked with the man and saw his excesses first-hand might question his ability to recall fine detail, but in the same manner that Tony would feverishly splice three-inch tape to insert a crucial edit, his co-writer John Olson stitched the bits together.

Not familiar with Tony Cohen’s work? The music he produced was the soundtrack of the life of anyone into Australian underground music in the 1980s and ‘90s. The Boys Next Door, the Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Michael Hutchence, The Johnnys, Beasts of Bourbon, Go-Betweens, Hunters and Collectors, Kim Salmon, Laughing Clowns, The Cruel Sea, The Saints, X, TISM…the list goes on. Flick through your own record collection and get back to me.

• nick cave
• ian rilen
• go-betweens
• tex perkins
• the saints
• the cruel sea
• tony cohen
• tism
• Half Deaf, Completely Mad
• black ink
• John olson
• don walker

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Trash talk is on for young and old and it will all end in tears

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By The Barman

The Barman

23 June 2023

Hits: 2289

A war of wordss has broken out between Brisbane bovver boys Shandy and Pismo Beach-based Intercontinental Tag Team Champions the Psychotic Turnbuckles and it isn't pretty. 

The Turnbuckles make one of their sporadic visits to Australia in July as part of their preparations for an October onslaught on Japan, with gigs at La La La's in Wollongong (July 28) and Marrickville Bowling Club in Sydney (July 29.) Tickets for the respective shows are here and here.

Shandy are undertaking an East Coast tour and will be sharing the undercard at both shows with high-energy Wollongong outfit The Dark Clouds. 

Psychotic Turnbuckles vocalist Jesse The Intruder started the ball rolling with his motivational video about teamwork:

• wollongong
• shandy
• psychotic turnbuckles
• marrickville bowling club
• the dark clouds
• la la la's

Bohemia's last gasp in digital San Francisco

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By JD Misfortune

JD Misfortune

22 June 2023

Hits: 3343

Who Cares Anyway? Post-Punk San Francisco And The End Of The Analog Age 
By Will York (Headpress) 

Will York has done such an exemplary job here, in that it is a deeply entertaining read even if you aren't already intimately familiar with bands like Caroliner, Flipper, Tuxedomoon, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Toiling Midgets, or Pop-O-Pies.

This thoroughly researched and frequently tragic tome is sure to appeal to any music fans who still long for the pre-gentrification era, when creatives could still afford to pay the prohibitively astronomical rent for warehouses and rehearsal spaces in big cities before unscrupulous landlords with big tech money killed off urban Bohemia in this country, with Judge Dredd "stop and frisk" class patrols and a nearly universal lack of accessible egalitarian neighborhoods for working class artists.

York delves deep into the avant garde, Flipper-informed history of Faith No More and Mr Bungle - way back when metal deedler Jim Martin was still partying with high school dude-metal stoner buds Cliff Burton and all through Courtney Love's inflammatory stint as vocalist. This pre-dates the Chuck Mosely era, when "We Care A Lot" crossed over into college radio and MTV airplay, long before when Mike Patton joined the group and they went supernova mainstream in the hyper-polished commercial whiteboy funk era of the band and their defiantly unpop experimental endeavors that followed. 

I find the startlingly dangerous, death taunting, law scorning, ledge dwelling excesses of the Sleepers’ Ricky Williams and Michael Belfer of particular interest, but the heavy book is spilling over with twisted tales of debauchery, comedy, community and collaboration in the post-punk era. Recommended.

 Buy it 

• flipper
• Tuxedomoon
• who cares anyway?
• Post-Punk San Francisco And The End Of The Analog Age 
• caroliner
• Courtney love
• mike patton
• faith no more
• will york
• headpress

These poster boys will be keeping it real on July 1

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By The Barman

The Barman

22 June 2023

Hits: 3567

_{Artists (from left) Glenn Smith, John Foy, Simon Day and Ben Brown are ready to sign and validate your poster collection.}

They’ve literally mapped the history of Sydney underground rock and roll shows on telegraph poles and walls for more than 50 years and now they’re taking a stand against bootleg artworks.

Poster artists Glenn ‘”Glenno” Smith, Ben Brown, John Foy and Simon Day are making themselves available to fans to have their rock posters officially verified in Sydney on Saturday, July 1.

It’s a free service but for an optional extra fee, The Poster Boys will sign and encode your poster confirming its authenticity and value for now, and into the future. It starts at 11am at: 11-13 Burnell Place, Darlinghurst - look for the big red doors.

• ben brown
• john foy
• redeye
• Glenno Smith
• Simon Day

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Golem Dance Cult deliver an explosive artefact

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By JD Misfortune

JD Misfortune

20 June 2023

Hits: 1470

Legend Of The Bleeding Heart – Golem Dance Cult (Flying Rats)

Employing both organic instruments and all the latest digital technology, this Suicide-like duo have known each other since their teen years and have been collaborating off and on since then. Charles Why shares vocal duties along with production, bass, guitar, etc., while brooding and mysterious frontman Laur cuts a profile like a dashing cross between Peter Murphy and Ian Curtis. I dig their new album, thoroughly. 

With membership drawn from Belgrave, Victoria (Australia) and Besancon (France), Golem Dance Cult has poetic lyrics that are super visual collages informed by ancient horror films, low budget sci-fi, vampires, Bowie, Frankenstein's monster, a haute couture eye for detail and ‘70's superstar celebrity glam rock pomp and circumstance. 

• golem dance cult
• Charles why
• Legend Of The Bleeding Heart

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Beyond The Fringe: Ex-Lime Spider and The Most member Richard Lawson

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By The Barman

The Barman

19 June 2023

Hits: 4474

News that a long-lost five-track release by Sydney band The Most was making its way onto streaming platforms has made the ears of veterans of Australia's 1980s underground scene prick up. The Most were among many terrific acts in a crowded inner-city Sydney scene, and a band that spawned future members of the Lime Spiders and The Cruel Sea.  

Originally issued as a cassette in very limited quantities by fanzine "48 Crash", the "Another Day" EP is now available online, so we tracked down The Most drummer RICHARD LAWSON to extract some historical details. THE BARMAN did the interrogating. 

• hitmen
• steve lorkin
• 48 crash
• tony bambach
• the professors
• gerard corben
• the cruel sea
• the most
• Richard lawson
• Phil thornton
• line spiders
• another day
• grooveyard
• greg owen

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Kuepper's Exploding World takes classic re-issues on the road

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By The Barman

The Barman

19 June 2023

Hits: 2145

Saints and Laughing Clowns elder statesman Ed Kuepper is backing an extensive re-issue campaign of his solo back catalogue with a series of Australian shows under the moniker, “The Exploding World of Ed Kuepper".

Kuepper will be joined by the all;-star band of Mark Dawson on drums, ex-Sunnyboys bassist Peter Oxley,  pianist Alister Spence and brass maestro Eamon Dilworth for a run through seven states and territories. 

The Exploding Universe will tackle the best of “Electrical Storm” and “Honey Steel’s Gold”, the iconic Kuepper solo records being re-issued in re-mastered form in all formats right now by Remote Control label. All shows are fully seated and on sale now.

• saints
• ed kuepper
• laughing clowns
• exploding world of ed kuepper
• electrical storm
• honey steels gold

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The Most rise four decades later

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By The Barman

The Barman

15 June 2023

Hits: 2584

Long-lost inner-Sydney pop-psych band The Most - whose members went on to major acts like the Lime Spiders and The Cruel Sea – is rising from the grave, digitally.  

The early '80s band is remastering and releasing the EP “Another Day” this  month. It will be available on all platforms later this month.

A staple of Sydney’s thriving inner-city scene, they supported such bands as Sunnyboys, The Church and Machinations and were finalists in the 1982 Battle of the Bands at the Strawberry Hills Hotel - eventually won by The Lime Spiders. 

The Most recorded “Another Day” in 1982 and it was the first foray into the studio. Nevertheless, the recordings have a maturity about them, and Steve Lorkin from “48 Crash” fanzine was impressed enbough to issue it on cassette in ‘83. 

Driven by the song-writing talents of vocalist Phil Thornton, the songs show influences as diverse as David Bowie,Lou Reed and the Rolling Stones. 

Other members of The Most were Richard Lawson (drums and vocals), Ged Corben (lead guitar), Tony Bambach(bass) and Greg Owens (guitar). 

• steve lorkin
• tony bambach
• ged corben
• the most
• Richard lawson
• Phil thornton
• greg owens

Loki's not so sweet dreams are made of this

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By Patrick Emery

Patrick Emery

14 June 2023

Hits: 2877

 _{Jurgis Maleckas photo.}

“The concept was taking the business model of The Eurythmics,” laughs Loki Lockwood, studio engineer, producer, Spooky Records label owner and, more recently, auteur behind the electro-noir-goth studio project Velatine.

“Because I’d been in so many bands that had fallen apart, the less people involved, the better! I didn’t want to be the singer or the focus. So with The Eurythmics, they were sort of the ideal: they’d come from being in a band, they’d fallen apart and then as a duo they developed this thing.”

Lockwood says he’d been “fucking around with electronic music since about 1986”. Australian electronic music pioneer OllieOlsen, music director on 1986 cult classic movie "Dogs in Space" in which Lockwood featured as guitarist in Marie Hoy’s band, suggested some artists for him to listen to further his knowledge of the genre.

• spooky records
• loki lockwood
• brat farrar
• velatine
• no god
• Maggie alley

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