2023

Iconic punk rock pioneers, Black Flag, will tour Australia for the first time in a decade in December, playing two sets a night.

Four shows have been announced and Black Flag will reprise its 1984 album, “My War”, in full over the course of one of them. 

Black Flag is built around founding guitarist Greg Ginn and vocalist/pro skateboarder Mike Vallely,and are joined by Joseph Noval on bass, and Isaias Gil on drums,

Ironically, Vallely stepped up to the mic and assumed the job in Perth on the final show of the band’s fractuous 2013 Australian tour after Ginn sacked then incumbent Ron Reyes onstage.

One of the harbingers of the Southern Californian punk scene since forming in Hermosa Beach in 1976, Black Flag has had a string of frontmen including Keith Morris and Henry Rollins. 

Tickets are on sale here.

Black Flag December 2023 Australian Tour
DEC 

7 - GOLD COAST, Mo’s Desert Clubhouse
8 - BRISBANE, Mansfield Tavern
9 - SYDNEY, Factory Theatre
10 - MELBOUURNE, Corner Hotel

_{Kim Scott.}  

Formed in Adelaide in the early 1980s and based on the core membership of brothers John (guitar) and Kim Scott (bass), The Mark of Cain was always something of an enigma in the Adelaide, and Australian independent music scene. 

The Mark of Cain took its initial musical cues from English post-punk bands like Joy Division and Gang of Four; the band’s muscular sound was complimented by a existentialist lyrical bent, inspired by John Scott’s interest in the writing of Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Herman Hesse, spliced with figurative militaristic imagery. 

The fact that the Scott brothers, both qualified engineers, held down day jobs in the Department of Defence added to The Mark of Cain’s mystique. 

Sydney's garage trash favourites The Dunhill Blues have got plans. They involve a new vinyl EP and what's shaping as a "no sleep till we're sober" French and Spanish tour. 

The band heads off next week and their new EP "I Got Plans" is available for pre-order here through local labels Outta Space and Evil Tone.

"It's a fairly wild recording; it should have been an album but we lost our nerve. Mkey Young pulled it together in the mastering," says The Dunnies' Adam Brozowski. 

"We are really happy with it and we're gonna re-record the other 20 or so songs when we get back."

The band is picking up the EPs while in Europe so if you want to hear it now, you'll have to stream it. 

For tour dates and the film clip, click MORE.

Six years after his last visit to Australia, former Radio Birdman guitarist Chris “Klondike” Masuak is returning with his hand-picked local band, Dog Soldier, for a select run of East Coast shows.

Masuak and Dog Soldier will play a three week tour with shows in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT.

Masuak’s musical history reads like a muscle car ride through the mean streets of Australia’s rock and roll underground.

The Canadian-born prodigy achieved notoriety as teenage guitarist for Australia’s legendary Radio Birdman, and then waged a War Against The Jive with the country’s hardest working rock and roll band, The Hitmen.

Next came a stint with the original live version of the New Christs, followed by international prominence with the chart-busting Screaming Tribesmen.

A member of the ARIA Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Masuak has an impressive back catalogue of rock, pop and blues releases under his own name and fronting the Viveiro Wave Riders. He is now based in Galicia in northern Spain.

Dog Soldier comprises bassist Tony Bambach (Aberration, Green Spiders, ex-Lime Spiders) and drummer Stu Wilson (Aberration, Leadfinger, ex-The Rivers, ex-New Christs,ex-Lime Spiders).

Their tour will re-trace Klondike’s storied career, drawing on material from his key bands - with a few surprises thrown in.  

I-94 Bar Records & Promotions presents
Chris Masuak & Dog Soldier 2023 Australian Tour
MAY
19 - House of Music & Booze, St Peters, NSW + Starcrazy + The Dark Clouds + PocketwatchTickets
21 - Link and Pin, Woy Woy + The Silver Dragons (1.30pm)Tickets
26 - Northcote Social Club + River of Snakes + Electric PurrsTickets
27 - Barwon Club Hotel, Geelong + Baby 8 + Sacramento SweatersTickets
28 - Smiths Alternative, Canberra + Il Bruto (7pm)Tickets
JUN
2 -Stag and Hunter, Newcastle + Joeys Coop + East Coast LowTickets
3 - Federal Hotel, Bellingen + Nikki Websters
4 - Vinnies, Gold Coast + The Square Tugs + Mick Medew & UrsulaTickets

The irresistible kinetic energy of Jett Rock and Roll exponents Guitar Wolf is heading to Australia and New Zealand in April and May.  It will be the first visit by the Tokyo band since 2017. 

Guitar Wolf has released 13 studio albums plus a live album, numerous singles, and a retrospective compilation, "Golden Black".

Band members have also been featured in two B-grade science fiction horror films: "Wild Zero" and "Sore Losers".

Scorching guitar, piercing vocals and a relentless stage act have endeared  Guitar Wolf to audiences around the world.  

Frontman Seiji puts it this way:

_{Pat and Lety Beers.}

Combining elements of 60s garage, funk, soul and old time rock ‘n; roll showmanship, San Diego’s The Schizophonics are one of the "hardest working" bands you’ll see. And I mean "hard working"  in reference to when they hit the stage.

Singer/guitarist Pat Beers comes across like a mix between Jerry Lee Lewis and an eight-year-old kid on too much red cordial; the man never stops. While some singers take five to get a breath, Pat keeps the party going with some amazing onstage moves that would score high in any Olympic gymnastics competition.

While the bass often switches, Pat and drummer/wife Lety Beers are the core and soul of the group. The two of them, along with their beautiful dog Beanie, spoke to me via the zoom machine on the eve of their return to Oz.

Chris Klondike Masuak will hit the road in France in November, armed with a band that has an impeccable underground rock pedigree.

Junkyard Dog boasts Masuak (Radio Birdman, Hitmen, Screaming Tribesmen) on guitar and vocals, guitarists Laurent Ciron (Dogs, Hydromatics, Cinders, Belleville Cats) and Gregory J Bowen (The Outside),  bassist Bruno Perrin (TV Men, Gunners and Trotskids) and drummer Gooloo (Holy Curse).

In a time when real rock and roll is struggling to retain a foothold in Europe, that sort of heritage is going to be hard to beat. Check with local venues for times and tickets. There’s a Facebook event here.

Chris Masuak & Junkyard Dog
French Tour
NOV
22 – Paris (tba)
23 – Breville/Mer @ Les Valseuses
24 – Vannes @ Le Barailleur
25 – St Brieuc @ Le Fût Chantant
26 – Rennes @ La Trinquette

Chris Masuak and Dog Soldier
The Silver Dragons
Link and Pin Café, Woy Woy
Sunday, 21 May 2023

We still want to cling to memories of our youth and for some it’s easier than others. Some say this music thing is an affliction. Others joke that it’s a curse and others consider it fun.

When we were teenagers or aged in our early 20s and seeing bands I don’t think we would have imagined that some of us would still would still be doing so 40 years later. In fact, I used see the musos on stage aged in their late 20s and think they were really old farts.

Well here I am on a Sunday afternoon, on the noisy express to Newcastle full of screaming kids and even louder adults bellowing, as the train weaves snake-like past the Hawkesbury River, on my way to another afternoon gig at the Link and Pin in Woy Woy. Heading to see Chris Masuak and one of his rare Australian tours these days.

The Link and Pin is venue of another time: an oasis that exudes an old-time vibe as you walk in. It’s like you stepped into a place not quite rural and certainly not inner-city despite its rock posters and wall full of underground records. The beer garden is rustic and packed as the drinks flow. I have never have not had a good time there.

Cosmic Psychos guitarist Mad Macka has announced a run of shows with him double-billed with legendary Los Angeles figure Pat Todd.

Pat Todd is best known as front man for hugely influential rock'n'roll-punk band The Lazy Cowgirls from the early '80s to the early '00s, and more recently for his great high energy rock'n'roll band Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders.

San Diego's dynamite trio The Schizophonics is returning to Australia and New Zealand after pre-COVID visits in 2019 and ’20.

Returning on the back of their latest LP, "Hoof It", The Schizophonics are husband and wife duo, singer/guitarist Pat Beers and drummer Lety Beers, and have built a formidable reputation around the world as an explosive live act.

Tapping the same wellspring that fuelled The MC5, James Brown, Iggy Pop, Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix and The Sonics,this electrifying outfit has released three albums since 2009.

Joining the Schizophonics for most Australian shows are The Unknowns,who hail from South East Queensland and share members and a record label with The Chats.

The Unknowns are set to release their second album "East Coast Low" on Bargain Bin Records around the time of this tour. Combining '70s style punk and power pop in a manner not dissimilar to the classic first three Ramones albums, The Unknowns' music is timelessly exciting and fun for all ages! 

Schizophonics
Australian-NZ Tour
MAR
Australia
1 – La La La’s, Wollongong, NSW
+ The Unknowns
2 – Crowbar, Sydney, NSW
+ The Unknowns
3 – Drifters Wharf, Gosford, NSW
4 - Tent Pole Festival, Mt Duneed, VIC
8 – Northcote Social Club, VIC
+ The Unknowns
9 – Hotel Westwood, VIC
+ The Unknowns
11 – King Lear’s, Brisbane, QLD
+ The Unknowns
12 – Vinnie’s Dive Bar, Gold Coast
+ The Unknowns
Tickets here
New Zealand
15 - Space Academy, Christchurch
16 - Valhalla, Wellington
19- - ONEONESIX, Whangarei
+ Neon Serpent
22 - Whammy Backroom, Auckland
+ Ratso
23 - The Green Room, Thames
+ Neon Serpent
25 - Piha Bowling Club, Piha
+ Neon Serpent
Tickets here

Iconic punks The Damned are returning to Australia and New Zealand for a series of highly anticipated shows in June.

Forged in the hot fire of first wave, The Damned are the greatest surviving British punk band, still firing on all cylinders. They are often regarded alongside The Clash and Sex Pistols as a seminal force in driving the genre’s popularity.

 _{Ravin Divito photo}

Portland outfit Jenny Don’t and the Spurs have been recording and playing for the last 10 years and show no signs of slowing down. A supergroup combining members of Don’t, Wipers and Pierced Arrows, the Spurs combine the fast energy of garage and punk, with the attitude of outlaw country. If Patsy Cline started a band with some ratbags hanging around CBGB, it would sound like this.

We spoke with singer/guitarist Jenny Connors and her husband, and also Spurs bass player Kelly Halliburton from their Portland home just before they land in Australia for their second Spurs tour. 

Iconic British punk and new wave rockers, The Stranglers, have announced they’ll be touring Australia, playing shows across five cities in April 2023.

First forming in 1974, the band's no bullshit attitude saw the band blaze an experimental trail, from Art Rock to Goth to New Wave Pop, inspiring a wave of prog rock guitar players and confrontational vocalists to find their roots in The Stranglers’ unabashed confidence. 

1. In February, we played a gig at the now closed Platform 5 in Clayfield, Brisbane. This venue was always good to us and we were very sorry to see it go.

2. In March, we used our frequent flyer points to head to Melbourne to launch our 2022 album, “Love Is Calling”. (ED: WHAT NO RECORD COMPANY TAB?)Dave Graney and Clare Moore invited us to open for them at The Night Cat in Fitzroy. What an honour! And what a great turn-out. We then played on the southside at The Lyrebird Lounge with special guest Penny Ikinger. Thanks to Suzi and all our Melbourne (and even Tasmanian) friends and fans who made this trip so special for us. We'll be back!

_{Photo by Alex from The Underground Stage.} 

I've decided to go with my Top 10 Concerts of 2023 since there were so many great ones! In chronological order...
  

_{Mark Roxburgh fronting Joeys Coop. Murray Bennett photo}

In no particular order a bunch of music and music related things that have grabbed my attention. Some of it is shit and some of it I’m ambivalent about but all of it has fed my passion for music.

A.I. and music @ Skynet
I was researching AI and design about five years ago and saw that much of what designers did would soon disappear and design would split into two camps – bespoke design “crafted” by people or mass-produced design generated using AI via the prompts written by people. I suspect music will follow a similar path. 

People will still write and play songs the old fashion way and it will probably be a bit of a niche / bespoke activity. A lot of mediocre mass-produced music will be generated using AI via the prompts written by people. We’ll probably hear more of it in things like corporate videos or ad jingles and the ubiquitous Tik Tok videos to begin with but I suspect it will eventually dominate the popular music landscape. The precursor to this is of course sampling. 

The advent of sampling has led to a huge growth in genres of music that is not written so much as it is cut and pasted together. Honing one’s prompt craft to get a song out of AI is the next logical step. The soundtrack of Skynet. Meantime I’ll still write and sing songs no one will listen to apart from 15 blokes of a certain age in a dodgy bar somewhere.

1. Collingwood- having done these Top Tens at the Bar for a few years now, I had to make a best team category, just so I could get my beloved Pies in. Now we won the flag, no need. The Magpies take their rightful spot as the best of the best of 2023.
   
   
2. Test Cricket- great series of cricket from the Aussies in India and England, and a ripper series between England and New Zealand, as well as the Kiwi’s against Pakistan. And while some controversy dominated the headlines (Johnny, what were you smoking?), at least people are talking Test cricket again.

Top 10 Things of 2023
as designated by Fox

This was an absolute banner year for Australian rock & roll which made me feel very proud of my country which was a nice change of pace from feeling ashamed by it, which also happened this year. Anyway, - here comes a list!!

Morons Morons - High Tension Situation LP
Before delving into our domestic successes let’s hear it for this demented Polish outfit and their barnburner of an album. It’s energetic pedal to the metal punk rock with a healthy dose of The Damned DNA. Puts it’s foot on your throat and does not let up. Glorious band name, logo and album cover too.

Stepmother - Planet Brutalicon LP
The latest project from U.S expat Graham Clise of Annihilation Time and Lecherous Gaze fame. I first saw him with the latter in Sydney about eight years ago and was blown away by his guitar playing. It was pure classic rock but played with an energy and intensity that felt like I was watching Leslie West or Mick Ronson after a quick trip in the old Time Machine.  Though I shouldn’t get hung up on ye olden days comparisons - It rules that this kinda music is being made in 2024 and it should be celebrated. This album is driving Detroit-flavoured pub rock and has been a constant on my turntable since it landed.