urban fringe compound

Ernie O’s 2023 Top 10

10. River of Snakes live at Northcote Social Club (supporting Chris Masuak & Dog Soldier) on 26 May. It takes a lot to make my jaw drop, but this tight and gritty 3-piece achieved it flawlessly and with ease. Raul (Magic Dirt) on guitar and vocals, Elissa (The Loveless, RnRHS) on bass and vocals and Dave (Grindhouse, Drifter) on drums wove a tapestry of love, loss and lust that draws you in and leaves you wanting more. Check out their goodies here!

9. Stu Wilson – As Yet Untitled Mini-Album. Still a work in progress, but (Loose Pills, Aberration, New Christs, The Crisps and more) has gone next level with his solo material, taking advantage of his Stu Stu Studio to lay down some tracks that wouldn’t sound out of place on a 1980’s Citadel release. We’re having a lot of fun with this! Check out a teaser here.

 Some of the best material to come out of Ernie O’s Urban Fringe Compound over 2024, in no particular order (as these are my friends and clients, it doesn’t pay to play favourites):

Mick Medew and Ursula – In The Zone CD (I-94 Bar Records)
Mick and Ursula’s material has certainly “matured” with this release, with Ursula taking over vocal and co-writing duties on some of the more post punk styled songs ("Punk Grandma", "Invisible Woman"), while Mick’s melodic songwriting style shines on tracks like "In The Zone" and "Surfing On The Waves". This album is getting some great reviews online and from Australian independent radio stations. Available fromBandcamp. Get it!

John Kennedy and the New Originals – Live at the Marrickville Bowl (I-94 Bar Records)
John put together a stellar outfit withPete Timmerman, Phil Hall, Murray Cook andMatt Galvin, andRichard Ball captured it live to 1’s and 0’s before Phil mixed it to sound like we’re actually in the room with the band. A totally live recording with no overdubs and only some pauses removed to keep it flowing, John has curated some of the best songs from his extensive stable, and a couple of old chestnuts (includingEastern Dark’s "Julie Is A Junkie" and "Hand of Law" byRadio Birdman). Stellar! Get ithere.