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By The Barman

The Barman

01 August 2026

Hits: 278

• stanley records
• looch lewis and the press gangsters
• crocodile

Crocodile – Looch Lewis and The Press Gangsters (Stanley Records)

Looch Lewis is one of the underrated talents on the Sydney scene and this song this is a stand-out in his band’s current set. Lilting along on an acoustic bed, Looch’s swelling vocal and Drizabone D’s mandolin are the features as The Press Gangsters take a step back from the rock approach of the previous single, “Jessie”, in a stark, apologetic lament.

The title’s a reference to a long-held Lewis fascination with the reptile in question and an indication that emotions can sometimes leave you open-jawed. (Drummers can connect things like that sometimes.) It’s a digital single, of course, but the limited run CD version features “Crocodile:” in its raw demo form.  

It’s being launched tonight at Sydney’s Golden Barley Hotel in Enmore and it’s free admission.

2/3

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By The Barman

The Barman

05 July 2026

Hits: 466

• asteroid b612
• golden robot
• fallen snow
• easybeats
• st louis

Fallen Slow b/w St Louis – Asteroid B612 (Golden Robot)

There was a swaggering majesty to Asteroid B612 at their best and this single by the current Australian-Spanish configuration goes a long way towards recapturing it. Singer Grant “Bullett” McIver gets a decent shake in the mix these days, and the guitars of John Spittles and Xabi Garre crackle and spark off each other.

Hanging feedback announces “Fallen Slow”, a mid-tempo McIver-Spittles co-write that emphatically trudges its way into your consciousness. Another slice of sustained guitar hangs in the air before a middle eight and there’s some more six-string interplay to take us out.  The B side is a killer take on the Vanda and Young classic that revels in one of McIver’s best vocals ever. handclaps and layers of guitar. The band nails that change just right and we’re off to the races.

Stream it, grab it digitally at Johnny’s Bandcamp where you can also grab the vinyl. Redeye in Sydney also has physical copies if you're in  Australia.

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By The Barman

The Barman

14 June 2026

Hits: 564

• lazy cowgirls
• pat todd
• richard duguay
• Lauren molinare
• pat todd and the rankoutsiders
• the north hollywood phantoms

I Wanna Live Before I Die b/w Let Me Go – The North Hollywood Phantoms (Heavy Medication Records)

Los Angeles supergroup The North Hollywood Phantoms make an immediate impact with their debut single, which is an original on the A side and a Stones cover on the flip. 

Guitarists Loren Molinare (The Dogs, Little Caesar) and Richard Duguay (Personality Crisis, Duff McKagan, The Beautiful Decline) and vocalist Pat Todd (The Lazy Cowgirls, Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders) form the band's core which should tell you most of what you need to know.

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By The Barman

The Barman

08 June 2026

Hits: 1005

• johnny thunders
• david johansen
• pat todd and the rankoutsiders

After The Dolls – Pat Todd and The Rankoutsiders (Heavy Medication)

On which The Greatest Bar Band In The World pays homage to the post-“Too Much Too Soon” solo music of members of the New York Dolls. Put your money down and you get six songs on a 10-inch vinyl EP (or digital files, if you prefer) and it’s rolled gold greatness.

So what’s here? Six songs split into a Johnny Thunders side and a David Johansen side. “Wreckless Crazy” and “The Rope (The Let Go Song)“ are Johansen solo B sides. “Melody” was a single from his self-titled debut. “Dead or Alive” is from the sessions that produced Thunders’ “So Alone” LP while “Short Lives” comes from his sonically underdone “Que Sera, Sera” album. “Disappointed In You” is a poignant tune that was demoed, bootlegged but never properly released when JT was on this mortal coil.

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By The Barman

The Barman

29 April 2026

Hits: 834

• the goodbye johnnys
• attack dogs

Attack Dogs EP – The Goodbye Johnnys (Take The City)

Rock and Roll has no borders: Take The City is a Spanish label and The Goodbye Johnnys are a Swiss band. They play raucous Rock and Roll in the style of The Boys or a less messy version of The Heartbreakers, and have been around the block a a few times with a handful of singles and two albums to their credit.

They're also Zurich's supports-of-choice for touring acts like TV Smith and Ruts DC. This four-track seven-inch EP shows them strutting their stuff to good effect.

“Attack Dogs” is a catchy call to arms and “Losers Crime” is nearly as good. “Get Me” dirties up the rhythm guitar with some nagging, if thin, overdubbed lead. “Too Late” benefits from a sneering vocal and sharp guitar and is the best of the bunch. Good, honest punk rock with no pretensions. 

1/2

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By The Barman

The Barman

28 April 2026

Hits: 730

• sunnyboys
• the saints
• the hovering spooks
• andy says
• creeping jean
• the kinks

Andy Says b/w Creeping Jean – The Hovering Spooks (Dominion Recordings)

This is a fantastic debut release from this Sydney supergroup comprising ex-members of Sunnyboys, Sardine V, Dropbears, Linme Spiders, Wedding Parties Anything, The Saints, Celibate Rifles and the New Christs.

“Andy Says” is a homage to/observation about Andy Warhol (who else?) that bustles along with the self-assuredness that you’d expect, given the band’s pedigree. It’s a superb piece of lyrically sharp pop rock, propelled by neat guitar interplay from Cub Callaway and Richard Burgman, and Phil Hall’s wonderful vocal.

Flip it over for the cover of a Kinks B side given the “Prehistoric Sounds”-era Saints treatment in the outro, with horns and vocal again from Phil Hall. It’s not as wired as the paranoid original but it works regardless.

Stream it or procure a vinyl copy here and apply the supplied banana to the cover art. A word of warning: once you do you won't have a spook's chance of removing it.

1/2