_{Glenn Morris of The On and Ons.}

The On and Ons
(aka Clyde Bramley's 70th Birthday Bash)
+ The Hovering Spooks
Marrickville Bowling Club, NSW
Sunday, September 15, 2024

Sunday afternoons at the Bowlo have become a Sydney institution for live music goers of a certain vintage. This one had the added attraction of being a celebration of On and Ons bassist and all-round nice guy Clyde Bramley’s 70th birthday, so there was ample reason for the big crowd in evidence.

First up, The Hovering Spooks and the bands that their members haven’t played in can be accommodated on the big end of a pin. These Spooks bill themselves as psych but that label’s about as imprecise as they come these days. How about pre-proto-punk dressed-down glam?

_{Josh Lord and Ash Wednesday.}

Melbourne Drone Orchestra presents Norla Drone edition 6
Ash Wednesday & Josh Lord
+ David Pittaway
+ Jennifer Lea & Sasha Braganca
+ Blood of a Pomegranate
Norla Dome, The Mission to Seafarers
Docklands, VIC
Sunday, August 25, 2024

So, there's this fantastic venue in Melbourne which I'd never heard of, never mind been to. The Mission to Seafarers.

It's a bloody beautiful building to look at, quite distinctive and engaging. The website says this "recently renovated Flinders St building is architecturally significant and is considered a fine urban example of a merging of the "Arts and Crafts and 'Spanish Mission Revival' architectural styles in Melbourne.

"The enchanting design offers a unique venue for functions and events of all styles and sizes; with full bar facilities, beer garden, a commercial kitchen, and all within the heart of Docklands and a short stroll from the CBD."

 
_{Murray Bennett photo.}

The Stems
+ New Christs
Manning Bar, Sydney
Saturday, August 30, 2024
Photos: Tony McNamara unless otherwisde credited.

Shows by The Stems are reverential experiences, And for good reason. The band’s membership is scattered over two coasts of Australia and gigs don’t occur often. When they do, you know they're going to be something worth bottling.

What’s the special sauce? It’s Dom Mariani’s timeless pop songs being delivered by top-shelf players who have a chemistry that can only come from most of them playing together for years.

The foundation is Mariani on guitar and vocals, drummer Dave Shaw and bassist Julian Matthews, with a guitar foil of Ash Naylor (this tour) or Davey Lane, who are both ubiquitous and gifted in equal measures.

As far as recordings go, The Stems have not been prolific, with just two full-length studio albums since 1987, so it’s all about the quality and not the length. Their first LP, “At First Sight Violets Are Blue”, was a fully formed pop classic, and the 2007 “follow-up”, “Heads Up”, was substantial in its own right, although is not as well-known.

The Sacred Cowboys
Town Hall Hotel,
North Melbourne
Friday, August 28, 2024
PHOTOS: James Stewart

You may have seen a few videos of this secret warm-up gig on Sacred Cowboys leaderr Garry Gray's Facebook page.  They're great but being there was something else.

See, unlike the two English twonks who recently announced another culture-sucking reformation tour, when we'd all assumed they'd been safely banished to a tiny island in an oasis in a vast desert, the Sacred Cowboys are a kind of poke in the moral and political eye, as well as being the kind of rock band people actually enjoy when it's parked in front of them. 

Despite coming from the same melting-pot that punk initially came from, The Sacred Cowboys could never have been called “punk” with any accuracy. If they resembled anything, it would be a band from the early 1970s stages of Max's or CB's. They have a kind of outsider-taint to them, an aspect both foreign and familiar. Still do have it, you know.

Also, while there was a reason Molly Meldrum dissed the band on “Countdown”, he'd been told to play them, and he had no choice. The truth is that the Sacred Cowboys were their own coiled critter, intent on their own mayhem. That their lyrics were also broadly and potently political added to their attraction. 

“Searching For Charlie Owen”
Charlie Owen
Cam Butler
Pete Ross and the Sapphire
Django Bar, Marrickville
Friday 16 August 2024
WORDS: Edwin Garland
PHOTOS: The Barman

The Camelot Lounge and its smaller cousin Django Bar, really are the most unheralded venues in Sydney’s inner-west. They’re in a great location, directly opposite Sydenham Railway Station, with Django holding about 120 people and the other about 200.

There has been a lot of love and attention to detail put into the fit-out with all sorts of antiques and obscure paintings on hand. Food and bar prices are reasonable, the sound is immaculate and there’s loads of atmosphere and vibe.  In a time when it’s a struggle for venues to keep themselves alive, big kudos to the owners.

Grace Cummings and Band
Metro Social Club, Sydney
Saturday, August 3 2024
Photos: Sandra Kingston

Grace Cummings is a once-in-generation Australian artist.

It is two years since I first caught her at the Great Club in Marrickville in Sydney’s inner-west, with less than a hundred others on a cold Thursday night.

It was a show by a remarkable artist with swagger and brutally heart wrenching songs that left us in awe.

Accompanied by a band with attitude, she took her vocals from a whisper to paint-stripping level, leaving the hairs on your arms standing up.   

Her remarkable album “Storm Queen” has been on my turntable regularly since, but her records don’t fully capture the live experience.