It's been a home to Powder Monkeys, The Cheater Slicks, Bored! and more recently the Lipstick Killers so when Aussie label Dog Meat discovers your band, you're in esteemed company.

That’s the enviable spot Melbourne's young Bayside Beat sensations The Gnomes have found themselves in as they gear up for the label to release their debut record. The Gnomes have unveiled their debut video, for new single "Flippin' Stomp".

They ripped through a powerful set at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre to celebrate 35 years of their classic “Black Milk” album a month ago and The Beasts are bringing the celebration to Sydney’s Factory Theatre on Friday, December 12 for a one-night-only show.

Joining The Beasts on the night will be  The Johnnys, with additional special guests to be announced. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday October 9 at www.factorytheatre.com.au

Expect The Beasts to dive back into the raw energy and cult-classics of tracks like "Cool Fire", "Words From a Woman to Her Man", "Black Milk", and "Let’s Get Funky", alongside other early-era favourites that shaped their signature swamp rock sound.

This show is a chance to pay respects to two of their own: the late James Baker and Spencer P. Jones, whose legacy continues to echo through every note. 

Formed in Sydney in 1983, The Beasts of Bourbon — now The Beasts — have long been a raw, loud, and vital part of Australian rock.

All The Covers (And More) – Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs (Heavy Medication/Ghost Highway/Take The City)

Cover songs may be the realm of both the rogue exploiting the stupid and the jobbing musician. They're not one and the same and sometimes you can’t begrudge someone for making a dollar. But covers also serve a practical purpose - especially for bands starting out.

Covers give players and their audiences something familiar to cut their teeth on before original compositions take over. They're a reference point that indicates where a band is coming from. And in the olden (pre-Internet) days, they educated the unitiated about music they may not have heard.

Unemployment Blues b/w Junkie/Imagainary Hitman - The Hideous (Bootleg Booze)

Some will say it’s sacrilegious to say it but The Hellacopters sometimes sounded like a guitar solo in search of a band. Stockholm’s The Hideous draw all the obvious comparisons to those Scandi rock elder statesmen with their fondness for the wah-wah pedal, but do the  high-energy business with much less fuss.

They’re young and raw and this looks like their debut release, coming from esteemed Swedish label Bootleg Booze.

Revered Sydney powerpop combo The On and Ons will be previewing songs from Album Number Seven at their old stamping ground, Marrickville Bowling Club, on Saturday, November 8. Tickets are selling here.

The as yet untitled album is due on US label JEM Records in early 2026. JEM issued “Come On in””, a part retrospective-part new release that re-introduced The On and Ons to the North American market. The band had put out a single with American label Get Hip.

_{Phoebe Powell photo.}

The wonderfully rocking and highly mobile based duo, Thee Cha Cha Chas, is returning home to Australia from Europe  to present their debut LP “Temple Of Mirth”, playing 13 shows across NSW and Victoria. 

The Cha Cha Chas have spent the past year playing across Europe, where “Temple Of Mirth” has been met with genuine enthusiasm. 

Mystery band The Dull City Destroyers have joined Jupiter 5 and Cheetah Beat on the undercard to Japan's garage rock kings The Fadeaways for their only Sydney show at Marrickville Bowling Club on Thursday, November 13. The gig will sell out so don't delay. Tickets are here. 

FRI 14 NOV - PFR Lounge
SAT 15 NOV - River Rock Festival
SAT 15 NOV - Hald Baked Festival

The Australian tour is off but you can get yourself a slice of the Chris Masuak's Dog Soldier action by pre-purchasing the new album on I-94 Bar Records. "Chris Masuak's Dog Soldier" will be on CD or digital and your copy wil be with you before it lands in retail. Go here to find out more.