The Aints, the powerhouse vehicle of singer-guitarist Ed Kuepper, bassist Peter Oxley, drummer Paul Larsen and keyboardist Alister Spence, will encore in Sydney and Melbourne in March, ahead of new recordings with producer Phil Punch.

The band will be joined by the three-piece brass section to play material by Kuepper’s adolescent band The Saints (’73-78).

Underground legends feedtime are on the undercard in Sydney (The Manning Bar on March 9) and Melbourne psychedelic five-piece Sand Pebbles will complete the line-up in the southern capital (Thornbury Theatre, March 23).

Tickets for Sydney and Melbourne are on-sale now. 

_{Dictators NYC. From left: Ross The Boss, Dean Rispler, JP Thunderbolt Patterson, Handsome Dick Maniroba and Daniel Rey.}  

The band formerly known as Dictators NYC is no more. Singer Handsome Dick Manitoba has announced via social media that the band - recently re-branded Manitoba NYC - has gone its separate ways after its just-completed European tour.

Members Manitoba, guitarist Ross The Boss and drummer JP Thunderbolt Patterson were the “last men standing” from the long-running Dictators, following an at times acriminious falling-out with bassist-songwriter and foundation member, Andy Shernoff. 

There are a few footnotes to the recent run of super-successful Australian shows by Ed Kuepper and his revitalised line-up of The Aints. 

After selling-out or going close wherever they went, The Aints reaped rave reviews (like this and this) and Ed has confirmed the band will record an album in 2018, "The Church of Simultaneous Existence". We can also look forward to more live shows. 

The tour also provided a chance for Ed to be reunited with an orignal copy of the "(I'm) Stranded" single on the band's own Fatal Records label from September 1976. 

A longtime fan who wishes to remain anonymous secured the impossibly rare 45 in an auction and had a relative present it to Ed at The Aints' first Sydney show - as our Judy Kuepper photo at right attests.

Halfway around the world, onetime Saints bandmate Chris Bailey (who lives in Europe) was presented with another copy, again courtesy of the generous benefactor.

Of course, this year marks 40 laps around the sun since The Saints released their earth-shaking debut single to an unsuspecting world. 

And if you haven't had enough Saints already, Kuepper is presenting music from the first three albums in an electric trio, with the Nonsemble strings arranged by Robert Davidson, at Lefty's Music Hall in Brisbane on December 8. Tickets here.

Australia has produced a number of fine powerpop bands over the years. One of the first – the very first according to US bible Bomp! Magazine – was Adelaide’s Young Modern. One of the most successful has been Even.

The link between both bands will be underlined by a special show in Melbourne on December 9, where Young Modern will team with Even's Ashley Naylor and one of his other bands, The Triad.

Young Modern will be celebrating 40 years, while Naylor and The Triad will salute mutual influence The Byrds.


Young Modern debuted in Adelaide – supporting Radio Birdman – in 1977. The band was formed by singer John Dowler, a seminal figure who's been talking about Big Star since the '70s.

Five years into their reformation and you could be forgiven for thinking the Sunnyboys revival was on the wane. Wrong. 

With two Sydney shows selling out in just four days, setting a sales record at Sunshine Coast venue The Shed by selling a third of capacity in the first eight hours and eclipsing their previous best first-week sales in Melbourne, Sunnyboys are the hottest alternative ticket of the Australian summer. 

Due to overwhelming demand Sunnyboys are pleased to announce three new shows.