the meanies

Thirty years of The Meanies? Who woulda thunk? The last show of theirs’ I attended probably lasted 30 minutes. While the celebratory tour winds its way around Australia, boutique label Fantastic Mess has dropped this heavyweight Méaniee à Trois on us in a run of 300.

The A side keeps you guessing where it’s going with odd tempo changes. It's a fine slice of freakbeat that works its way into your head and up to a freak-out before skidding to a halt. It’s a long way removed from The Meanies’ early buzzsaw blasts and there are shades of Sun God Replica (Link’s other band) on a sunny day here.

_{The Meanies. Nick Ramage photo.} 

The Meanies
The Vains
Cull - The Band 
Jive, Adelaide
Thursday, 14 April 2022

You can't fault this sort of gig. First, it was one of those where folks you'd not seen in ages (I hadn't seen Nick in something like 25 years, for example0 and it was the eve of the first day where we can mostly ditch masks, QR codes and “social” distancing.Needless to say, most of us ain't 22 anymore so a lot of us were increasingly (and occasionally entertainingly - like the chap who tried to set up his own circular mosh pit) quite successfully drunk.

On the stage were three bands which instantly grab your attention, hold it despite your need to go for a wee or get more Coopers Pale, and keep you hanging on till the end of their set. 

Bad Bad Barrel of Monkeys - The Meanies b/w Goodbye Man - Glenn Richards + House of Bassinet - Snout (Fantastic Mess Records)

Just a stab in the dark here, but it’s likely that anything on a short-run seven-inch single by Melbourne institution, The Meanies, will sell out faster than toilet paper during a second wave of Coronavirus. So the parable at the outset is: Don’t snooze unless you want to lose. 

This is the latest in a run of limited edition singles by The Meanies. The good news for fans is that it’s available today. The bad news is that it’s only one song, with the B side devoted to songs by related acts Glenn Richards (of Augie March) and Snout. Two guests on the flip is how the series runs so it shouldn't be a disappointment. 

“Bad Bad Barrel of Monkeys” is catchier than the aforementioned Coronavirus with simple lyrics, a hooky refrain and a snaking guitar line. It’s instantly likeable. The B side plays at 33rpm and shudders into life with “Goodbye Man”, a steamy psych rocker preceded by a curious snatch of studio babbling. Glennn Richards plays everything. Snout’s “House of Bassinet” is swampy yet percussive pop and just as good, with subtle instrumentation and a rightfully credited whistling line. Buy it here.

_{Those Meanies boys.}

_{Those Dicklord girls.}

As Covid lockdowns continue to wreak more havoc than Wally Meanie at a wine tasting, The Meanies have to rejig a whole bunch more dates of their “Better Late Than Never Desperate Measures Tour”. which was meant to start last month! The run now kicks off in regional Victoria in a couple of weeks, and then breaks until October, when it picks up in Adelaide,  and continues through November. What hasn't changed is that DickLord is the main support on all shows, bar Geelong.

The Meanies
"Better Late Than Never Desperate Measures Tour"
All shows with Dicklord except *
JULY
16 - Barwon Club, Geelong* + Poppin Mommas + Eyeroll
23 - The Eastern, Ballarat + The Dawdlers 
24 - Railway Hotel Macedon + Persecution Blues 
OCT
16 - Jive, Adelaide + Cull The Band 
22 - The Tote, Melb + Persecution Blues + Cheeky Geezers 
23 - The Tote, Melb + Super American Eagle + Sidesplitter 
NOV
12 - The Zoo, Brisbane
17 - The Basement, Canberra + Charlotte & the Harlots   
18 - Lansdowne, Sydney  + Blitz Babiez - 
19  - Narrabeen RSL + Tshitaki 
20 - Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle + I Hate People  
21 - La La La's, Wollongong + Ape Rib

1. Dion Lunadon “Beyond Everything” Album
This is the second solo album by ex-D4 member Dion Lunadon. I actually discovered his first album via a reviewon this very site and loved it instantly. If anything this one is even better - a really cool mix of super raw Stooges-y guitars, moody synths, atmospheric interludes and balls-out garage rock.

2. Love Gang "Meanstreak" Single
This band's debut album “Dead Man's Game” was one of my favourites of 2019 so I was stoked to get this tasty morsel from their follow up due in January 2023 on the excellent Heavy Psych Sounds label. It’s a roaring greasy blues proto metal number that absolutely pummels the listener. Kind of sounds like Budgiemeets Motorheadand all the awesomeness that would entail.