Top Tens for 2024: Melbourne writer and drummer with The Tommys, Robert Lastdrager

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By Robert Lastdrager

Robert Lastdrager

13 January 2025

Hits: 334

_{The Tommys on tour in a tuk tuk:  Robert Lastdrager, Jonathan Lickliter and Ollie Laurie.}

1. Getting the band back together after 20 years.
Playing numerous Melbourne inner-city bars in 2024 with The Tommys has been a blast.

2. Touring regional VIC and NSW with Cambodian Space Project on their April Oz tour.
A real treat to play beautiful venues like the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine, George Lane and Memo Music Hall in St Kilda to such appreciative crowds.

3. Marrickville Bowlo
We flew into Sydney and out the next day. Played a rowdy loud evening of garage R&R topped off by sinking a flotilla of schooners with old mates I hadn’t seen in 20 years!

• top ten
• robert lastdrager
• cambodian space project
• 2024

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Top Tens for 2024: MIne host at The I-94 Bar, The Barman

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By The Barman

The Barman

14 January 2025

Hits: 762

In no particular order and with the caveat that there are notable omissions because I haven’t heard the Chimers album yet and have only seen parts of the Hard-Ons documentary.  Yes, it’s more than 10 but I plead undiagnosed dyscalculia (i.e. I can’t count). As for the rule of not reviewing I-94 Bar label releases or shows, it's being bent. Slightly. 

The Dictators – The Dictators
It’s hard to come to grips with a Manitoba-less line-up and many of Andy's songs are re-heated versions of old material. Judged on its merits as the work of a new line-up, however, “The Dictators” is a credible comeback album that holds up to repeated listens. We need Ross The Boss' guitar roar and Andy's lyrical smart-arsery now more than ever.

In The Zone – Mick Medew and Ursula
Yes, it’s on the house label and Mine Host generally doesn’t review I-94 Bar shows or releases, but others have.  Great enough to earn Mick and Ursula the Keys to Brisbane City and have digi-single “Punk Grandma” finish Number-Three in the 4ZZZ Hot 100. All hail The Zeds (and 2RRR and 2XX and 3RRR and 3D…) 

• the on and ons
• cosmic psychos
• psychotic turnbuckles
• little murders
• the stems
• the damned
• jupiter 5
• the fadeaways
• the strike-outs
• the saints '73-'78
• the dictators
• pat todd and the rankoutsiders

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Top Tens for 2024: Don Drum of Melbourne label Kasumen Records

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By Don Drum

Don Drum

13 January 2025

Hits: 235

Top gigs

Sacred Cowboys @ St Kilda Bowlo
Visceral, dangerous, enticing and exciting, they still have it and are more forthright about putting it on you!

Sister Paul @ The Belgrave Hotel
Never seen such a convincing two-piece, no need for any more onstage, tough and fun, danceable and rockin', record breaking merch sales too!

Dirty Three @ Forum, Melbourne
it was like seeing them in the '90s all over except they played for three hours. They just make big stages feel like The Old Bar.

• sacred cowboys
• dirty three
• kasumen records
• battlehounds
• Buddhadatta
• superchunk
• don drum
• sister paul

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Top Tens for 2024: Ross Nelson of the Sonic Stew program on Sydney's 2RRR-FM

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By Ross Nelson

Ross Nelson

13 January 2025

Hits: 525

Another year, another stack of great recordings! From all the records that found their way to my ears and turntable throughout 2024 here’s my attempt at ranking some personal highlights. 

Rock & roll is still inspiring and remains the most exciting music on the planet. Here’s proof!

• john dowler
• the dahlmans
• the courettes
• jupiter 5
• vanity project
• lemon twigs
• the prize
• pleasants
• loose lips
• fleur
• 2RRR
• fastbacks

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Flashbacks galore as live album captures a magic Marrickville night for John Kennedy and his band

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By Edwin Garland

Edwin Garland

12 January 2025

Hits: 837

Live at The Marrickville Bowl. - John Kennedy  and the New Originals (I-94 Bar Records)

Lately, I have been thinking about the Australian movie “Death in Brunswick”, a bona fide classic and a brilliant black comedy. It features a kitchen from hell in a decrepit nightclub, populated by the dodgiest of characters. The smell of rat poison and mouse shit, and there’s a cockroach invasion that resembles an army removing food scraps. 

Now, I once worked one night as a kitchen hand at the notorious Kardomah Café (aka "The Dark Coma") when I was living in Kings Cross. The kitchen was not as horrifying as the one as in the movie, but I did feel like the Sam Neil character, channeling Dostoyevsky as I chopped onions, prepared soggy fries and tried to cut over-ripe tomatoes to sit forlornly atop nondescript cheeseburgers. 

• i-94 bar records
• matt galvin
• john kennedy
• murray cook
• peter timmerman
• phil hall
• live at the marrickville bowl

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Top Tens for 2024: Our Man in Adelaide, Robert Brokenmouth, "vocalist" for Smallpox Confidential and The Molly Fet Circuit

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

12 January 2025

Hits: 757

A bit like last year, this one was pretty rotten.  Anyway, here's a short list of bands I saw that I rate very highly.

If you have the chance, the opportunity ... don't be wedging your sweaty dewflaps to the couch and watch the cricket or footy or some TV series fuck up their “story arc” (ie, find more reasons to extend the season - will it ever, ever end?) ... but do what I couldn't do this year... 

• top ten
• robert brokenmouth
• 2024

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"Strange but right": Hugo Race on "100 Years"

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

12 January 2025

Hits: 439

_{Sara Alice Ceccarelli photo.}

He's as well known in Australia for fronting '80s Melbourne blues rockers The Wreckery as he is in Eruope for his work with The True Spirit, Fatalists and Dirtmusic, and onetime Bad Seeds guitarist Hugo Race is a man who never stands still. His latest album is a moody collaboration with Michaelangelo Russo called "100 Years" that's as sweeping in its musical vision as it is deeply rooted in the blues. 

After immersing himself in "100 Years, Robert Brokenmouth was prompted to seek an audience with Hugo and ask him some probing questions. Their wide-ranging chat is here.

• hugo race
• the wreckery
• michaelangelo russo
• 100 years

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The Crisps pad up for three shows and a quick single

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By The Barman

The Barman

11 January 2025

Hits: 606

Their membership is spread over the globe but that's not stopping portable party The Crisps returning for a quick surprise run of New South Wales shows later this month.

The Crisps reformed in 2023 for an Australian east Coast tour after a 20-something year lay-off and released a self-titled killer EP on Vi-Nil Records. Guitarist Dave Thomas' return from his adopted home of Germany has made a quick second reformation possible.

The Crisps are bassist Graham Hood (The Johnnys), vocalist-drummer Stuart Wilson (New Christs, Lime Spiders, Chris Masuak's Dog Soldier), Dave Thomas (Doomfoxx) and guitarist Chris Nacard (Orange County).

The Crisps play Sydney shows at Manly Boat Shed (January 24) with DISGRACELand and The MoshPit Bar (January 25 from 2-6pm) with The Research and Sugar Beats before heading north to Woy Woy's Link and Pin Cafe with The Dunhill Blues and The FNCs on January 26 from 11am-5pm. A digital single "Hey Jack" is due to be released next week.

• moshpit
• link and pin
• the crisps
• 2025

Dom and James team as The James Baker Beat for superb 45

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By The Barman

The Barman

11 January 2025

Hits: 432

Perth music luminaries, James Baker (Hoodoo Gurus, Beasts of Bourbon, Scientists, Victims, Dubrovniks) and Dom Mariani (The Stems, DM3, Datura4) have come together to release single under the moniker The James Baker Beat.

"Friday Night Friend" and "She Said (Bad Weekend)", out now and both penned by James and Dom are classic garage punk and pop fare which recall the rock and roll sounds and tradition of both the early Scientists and Stems.

The release of the single coincides with the second of two benefit shows  at Lyrics Undergrouind in Perth tonight to assist James in his fight with liver cancer.

From one of the most influential punk anthems (The Victims – "Television Addict") ; to the pre-swamp pop n’roll leanings (The Scientists – "Frantic Romantic"/"Last Night") ; to the tall-tale future of the term Australian Super Group (The Beasts of Bourbon – "The Axemans Jazz") to the Hoodoo Gurus and The Dubrovniks, James Baker has no peers when it comes to a rock n roll curriculum vitae.

• james baker
• hoodoo gurus
• dom mariani
• the stems
• the victims
• james baker beat
• friday night friend
• she said (bad weekend)

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