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the clash

  •  RUST garry campbellGarry Campbell in full flight. 

    WORDS: Ed Garland
    PHOTOS: Jules

    I am the first to admit I got it wrong about Sydney band RUST.  

    You these hear stupid comments around the scene (by those who claim to be “in the know“) that RUST is a right-wing Oi band.  As time’s gone on, the penny has slowly dropped.

    First,  I watched the band put in a blistering set at The Metro in Sydney support of Stiff Little Fingers and they impressed me .

    A couple of years later, pre-Covid, I caught them at Time and Tide in Dee Why in one wild punk night. They struck me as a solid Oi cross-over punk band, but maybe but not my thing.  

  • Another collection of Joe Strummermaterial hits the market on March 26, this time from major label BMG. “ASSEMBLY” follows 2018’s “Joe Strummer 001” and showcases what the label calls “carefully curated singles, fan favourites, and archival rarities from the Strummer solo catalogue”.

    The selection includes “Coma Girl,” “Johnny Appleseed,” and “Yalla Yalla” (with The Mescaleros) to his iconic rendition of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” and soundtrack contributions like “Love Kills” (from the 1986 film, “Sid and Nancy”.)

    The 16-track compilation features three previously unreleased versions of classic Clashtracks, including the never-before-heard “Junco Partner (Acoustic)” and electrifying live performances of “Rudie Can’t Fail” and “I Fought The Law”, the latter two recorded by Joe Strummer and the Mescalerosat London’s Brixton Academy on November 24, 2001. The collection includes exclusive liner notes by lifelong Strummer fan, Jakob Dylan.

  • rosewoodRosewood – Kevin K and The Bowery Kats (Vicious Kitten)

    Around these parts, a new Kevin Kalbum feels just like an old pair of slippers. The sound is lived in, equal parts Johnny Thunders, Stones and the New York Dolls,and the lyrical themes (usually loss, drugs and swimming against the tide) sit just right. Familiarity does not breed contempt. 

    Some folks say Kevin K is in the thrall of Thunders and there’s an awful lot of JT in his guitar squall and vocal drawl. That being the case, admiration stops just short of mimicry. The more enlightened think he’s giving a nod to (as opposed to being on the nod with) an enigmatic influence.