The Mezcaltones message: If the hat fits, wear it

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By The Barman

The Barman

03 April 2025

Hits: 96

Big Hat, No Cattle – The Mezcaltones (self released)

Sydney’s Mezcaltones make Tex Mex music for people who’ve never been south of the Albury-Wodonga border. It twangs and pumps in all the right places with surf overtones baked in and a sprinkling of spice over the top.

These four guys and two gals (one of the latter on percussion and Flamenco dancing) in black and matching cowboy hats have been around the block more than once. They’re from the Northern Beaches - a place like the Shire in its insularity, only without functioning public transport -  but conversely, they’ve fronted more Aussie country-blues festivals than Barnaby Joyce on a Resch’s bender, sorry, study tour.  

• big hat no cattle
• the mezcaltones

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The Cruel Sea set their controls for the heart of the Winter sun with theatre tour

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By The Barman

The Barman

31 March 2025

Hits: 825

Reformed The Cruel Sea are heading out on the road on the back of their fabulously soulful summery long-player, "Straight Into The Sun", with an Australian winter tour.

The onetime inner-Sydney instrumental surf band turned spicily eclectic chart-busters are promising two-set shows in theatre venues, visiting five states and the Australian Capital Terrritory. 

Recent runs of selected headlining shows and a national tour supporting Cold Chisel attracted rave reviews. 

This itme out you can expect Tex Perkins and Co to deliver the new album in full and a bracket of classics.

The Cruel Sea
"Straight Into The Sun Tour"
MAY
1 - Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide SA
2 - Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne VIC
3 - Canberra Theatre, Canberra
16 - Anita’s Theatre, Wollongong NSW
18 - The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley QLD
31 - City Recital Hall, Sydney NSW
JUN
5 - The Regal Theatre, Perth WA
7 - Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, Mandurah WA.
Tickets
Tom Wilkinson photo

• australian tour
• the cruel sea
• 2025
• straight into the sun

Thrashville goes against the tide to reveal 25-band line-up

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By The Barman

The Barman

31 March 2025

Hits: 683

_{Flashback to Thrashville 2023.}

Heavy Hunter Valley music festival Thrashville is back on the New South Wales map at the town of Dashville in Lower Belford on Saturday, June 28. The news flies in the face of a wave of festival cancellations, and organisers are going with 25 bands over four stages. 

Heading the first line up announcement are Melbourne punks Private Function, hard core stalwarts King Parrot, raw and powerfully eclectic MUDRAT, hard mosh beasts Volatile Ways, blistering heavy-hitters Frankenbok, Simpsons themed Dr Colossus and rising folk-punk superstar Slim Krusty.

• private function
• 2025
• thrashville
• king parrot

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Sex Pistols are No Fun? Frankly, you have to be joking

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By Stephen Vineberg

Stephen Vineberg

28 March 2025

Hits: 2724

The Sex Pistols - featuring Frank Carter 
Teenage Cancer Trust
Royal Albert Hall, London
24 March 2025 

In short, a fantastic, fun show. Frank Carter is an inspired choice as front man. He brings incredible energy and respect to the songs and, to my mind, vanquishes any concerns of the Sex Pistols being a "karaoke act" without John Lydon. 

I was almost reluctant to see the reformed Sex Pistols. I had seen Generation Sex last summer, with Billy Idol supported by Paul Cook and Steve Jones. That was close to karaoke or perhaps closer to cabaret, as Billy Idol himself looked like a wax figure from a Hammer Horror Film. That day Glenn Matlock had played on the same bill with Blondie. I thought that was as close as I would ever get to seeing the Sex Pistols perform. 

• sex pistols
• glen matlock
• london
• steve jones
• paul cook
• frank carter
• teenage cancer trust

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A bouquet of guitar from Flowers For Jayne

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By Keith Claringbold

Keith Claringbold

23 March 2025

Hits: 1187

It’s Never Easy – Flowers For Jayne (self released)

Sydney’s Flowers For Jayne have created a reputation for delivering “chunky” pop and rock. It’s all down to that crunchy Les Paul being used. The title track of last year’s “In The Keep” was a classic example, with its super catchy chorus, killer guitar tones and first rate production. It was one of my favourites in 2024.

The new FFJ single , “It’s Never Easy”, starts with a more mellow acoustic guitar leading the way but fear not, as the song builds , that familiar guitar crunch is there. It'sanother melodic rocker from the pen of Jayne Lily Murphy, who plays guitar and keyboards, and sings lead and backing vocals, with able assistance from Mary-Anne Cornford on bass and Peter Timmerman on drums.

The video for “It’s Never Easy” will be launched here on March 28.  The single will be launched on Sunday March 30 at the Gasoline Pony in Sydney and event details are here.

• flowers for jayne
• it's never easy

It's the end of the world as we know it and Guttercats feel fine

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By The Barman

The Barman

23 March 2025

Hits: 970

Rise & Fall of the Last Civilization – Guttercats (Wishing Well Records/Lucinda Records)

Scratch the surface of the underground rock and roll globe and there’s a whole lot of goodness lurking deep underneath with its roots in myriad and unexpected places. France’s enduring and esoteric Guttercats are a case in point, and this is Album Number Six.

French rock and roll cops a lot of flak  – some of it deservedly so. The place is rampant in high culture and the low brow stuff like rock and roll frequently gets trampled on. Deep down, the French do love refinement. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so it doesn’t pay to judge every book by its Tri-colour cover.

• guttercats
• lucinda records
• wishing well records
• rise & fall of the last civilization

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Hey Sydney: You're a city built on Rock Action so why does Dead Moon get no traction?

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By Dave Laing

Dave Laing

22 March 2025

Hits: 1601

Ahead of the premiere Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney screenings of “20 YEARS IN THE CRYPT: EMBEDDED ON TOUR WITH DEAD MOON” I ask:

"WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T EVERYBODY WHO WAS PART OF SYDNEY'S '80S GARAGE SCENE GO HOG-WILD FOR DEAD MOON, THE BAND LED THROUGHOUT THE '90S BY FRED COLE OF THE LOLLIPOP SHOPPE???"

That's the question. It's been on my mind for 30+ years.. 

Does anyone have an answer?

More than any city in the world I reckon, Sydney's music scene from the end of the '70s through a good chunk of the '80s, was heavily into '60s American punk/garage rock, and the “Pebbles” series of compilations in particular.

The likes of the Lime Spiders and the Wet Taxis (and numerous others) tapped that material to the point that Kim Salmon in the Scientists' Sydney days used to complain about all the “Pebbles covers bands”. 

Maybe it's because by the end of the '80s that scene in Sydney was kinda dead. I dunno. But when Dead Moon appeared with their first album in 1989, they should have been a Sydney garage-rocker's wet dream.

• dead moon
• dave laing
• 20 years in the crypt: embedded on tour with dead moon
• fred cole
• lollipop shoppe

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Sold out shows as 5.6.7.8's swoop in with Best Of album

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By The Barman

The Barman

16 March 2025

Hits: 1128

Tokyo's rockin' all-girl retro riot The 5.6.7.8's have released a new 'Best of' LP on local label Cheersquad for their Australian tour starting this week, with Sydney and two Melbourne shows already solfd out.

The house fuill sign went uop on Sydney's Thursday show (with Psychotic Turnbuckles and Cheetah Beat) and it's the same story with Melbourne shows at The Tote (March 25) and The Last Chance (March 26).  Gigs in Brisbane, Beechworth and Hobart are selling fast.

• australian tour
• 2025
• 5.6.7.8's

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Rudd and Gaze classic pairing hits the road for select dates

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By The Barman

The Barman

15 March 2025

Hits: 2336

It’s a pairing for the ages: Master guitarist Tim Gaze (Tamam Shud, Khavas Jute) and Mike Rudd (Ariel, Spectrum) are doing a special run of shows in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales in May.

Rudd is best known for his work with Spectrum and that undeniably classic Australian song “I'll Be Gone”. He went on to front another metamorphosis of Spectrum in Indelible Murtceps and also Ariel, who found chart success with “Jamaican Farewell”.

These days, Mike plays as a duo with George Butrumlis and tackles songs that, for one reason or another, don't get played in the group setting. Outrageous songs like “Excuse Me Just One Moment” from Murtceps' “Warts Up your Nose” album and “Confessions of a Psychopathic Cowpoke” from Ariel's “A Strange Fantastic Dream” album, a song that was famously banned from airplay.

Opening the evening will be Tim Gaze who will take audiences on a trip re-visiting moments of his journey where he has regularly been referred to as one of Australia’s finest and inspiring guitarists.

These shows are proudly presented by SoundPressing.

Mike Rudd + Tim Gaze
MAY
2 - The Citadel, Murwillumbah, NSW
Tickets
3 - The Junk Bar, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets
4 - Banshees Bar, Ipswich, QLD
Tickets

• tamam shud
• tim gaze
• mike rudd
• spectrum
• ariel
• khavas jute