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the dubrovniks

  • peter simpson portraitPeter Simpson, former member of The Dubrovniks and The Spectre’s Revenge,has stepped back into the spotlight with a new single, “Letter to London”.

    Described as “a piece of ragged rock/pop”, “Letter to London” ruminates on a long-distance relationship that has run its course.  Simpson plays guitar and sings, bass is by Marco Galand Dom Simpson plays drums.

    It’s been a long, stop-and-start journey for Simpson, who was a keyboardist in Perth pop band Teeny Weenys when he relocated to Sydney in 1980. The band broke up despite Double Jay airplay and Simpson performed in various groups before switching to guitar and fronting The Spectre’s Revenge.

    Playing an eclectic style of rock that drew on everything from surf instrumentals to acoustic ballads to a kind of punk jazz. The band’s only official release, 1985’s “No Moon at Midnight “b/w “(I wanna be like) Maynard G Krebbs”, reached number one on the alternative charts in Sydney and Melbourne.

    In the meantime, various other Perth expatriates had gathered in Sydney in bands such as The Scientists and Hoodoo Gurus. In 1987, Simpson got together with some ex-members of these bands to form The Dubrovniks.

    A couple of hit indie singles and an ARIA-award-nominated debut album made The Dubrovniks bigger than anyone had anticipated, and they were soon touring Europe, recording a second album, and even breaking into the mainstream Top 40.

     

  • james baker rip

    The term “legend” is readily applied in rock and roll it but it belonged to James Baker. Drummer, at various times, for the Hoodoo Gurus, Scientists, The Victims, Beasts of Bourbon, The Dubrovniks and The Beasts, James succumbed to cancer at home in Perth last night, aged 71.

    Tributes have been flying around the Interwebs all day and two of the best come from Melbourne and Sydney. They bear repetition here.