The Mighty Mark E. Smith: a reflection...

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

28 February 2018

Hits: 8155

_{Photo of Mark E Smith: Irish Times}

It has been brought to my attention that, in my last article on The Fall, I got a lyric wrong; it's not “this is the three hours”, but “this is the three 'r's.

As Jimi once said, “s’cuse me while I kiss this guy”. 

Mis-hearing lyrics is one of the joys of music. Having too much information too easily available can destroy the mystique. It took ages to work out Pete Shelley's line “who do you think you're trying to arouse/ Get your hand out of my trousers” by playing the disc over and over (uh, back in the 70s), and that was kind of the point. 

• the fall
• mark e smith
• barracudas
• michael canning
• hex induction hour
• the mighty fall

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Front End Loader hits the road for release of seventh album

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By The Barman

The Barman

28 February 2018

Hits: 4814

They call themselves “Australia’s foremost proponents of Post Adult Complaint Rock” and they’re touring their new album with an extensive run of national dates.

Sydney’s Front End Loader have been a constant on the Australian music scene since 1991 and “Neutral Evil” is their seventh album. It’s described by by the band as “terrible music by terrible people about terrible things” and if it’s half as entertaining as the blurb promoting their tour, it’ll be a winner:

• australian
• front end loader
• australian tour
• neutral evil

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A two-night Date With Some Mesmerisers

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By The Barman

The Barman

26 February 2018

Hits: 8594

_{Brian Mann and Mick Medew trading licks in Thirroul. Shona Ross photo.}

Gonna break that rule about not reviewing I-94 Bar gigs, as the second of this two-night engagement was badged thus. If you can’t write about things you like, what’s the point? It’s the ethos of why we do this e-zine thing.



So let’s be up front and say that Mick Medew is a good mate and his band, The Mesmerisers, are lovely people. In customary evangelical spirit, I’m unashamedly going to tell you that if you love rock and roll then you have to see them - in their native Brisbane or on one of their few forays outside of Queensland. 

The first leg of this two-night weekend stand was a support to the mighty Sunnyboys, opening a bill shared with the mercurial Ups & Downs. The venue was the magic Anita’s Theatre in Thirroul, an hour-and-a-bit south of Sydney. The second was a Sydney show at the increasingly familiar stamping ground of Marrickville Bowling Club. The Mesmerisers are making the road trip a family affair with partners and two offspring in tow.

• Medew
• mesmerisers
• Mick
• brisbane
• loose pills
• sunnyboys
• dark clouds
• screaming tribesmen
• marrickville bowling club
• ups and downs
• ive
• lois andrews
• micael charles
• brian mann
• thirroul

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Symbol/Signal - Lost Talk (Spooky Records)

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

26 February 2018

Hits: 5092

Holy fucking god. WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT IS THIS?

Relentless, deafening, well-structured jabbing, poking scratching rock'n'roll. It's bestial. It's feral. “Symbol/Signal” is not remotely predictable. And it's not so much “these young people have something to say” as 

“THIS FUCKING WON'T FUCKING WAIT!” 

(Cue: multiple series of detonations). 

• melbourne
• spooky records
• lost talk
• symbol/signal

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Dirty Lies 7” - News (Buttercup Records)

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By The Barman

The Barman

24 February 2018

Hits: 5612

If you were a member of a band who was about to drop off the twig and wanted somebody to preserve your contribution to music for posterity, you’d want the job done by Scotti and John from Buttercup Records. 

The boutique vinyl-only label from Victoria, Australia, packages music like nobody else. The latest effort is a seven-inch re-issue of News, the Melbourne band formerly known as Babeez, who neatly straddled the punk rock and art camps of the late ‘70s. It pairs the 1978 “Dirty Lies” b/w “Chop Chop Chop” single with the previously unreleased “H Division Bash” and a scorching live “Mainline Honey” as a 33rpm EP.

• melbourne
• buttercup records
• babeez
• news

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Three ways to get your kicks, boofheads

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By The Barman

The Barman

22 February 2018

Hits: 3260

They don't make old fashioned multi-act tours like they used to. That's one reason why the bands behind an East Coast Australian mini-tour deserve your support.

"3-Way-Toss" pits The Meatbeaters (Adelaide), The Vee-Bees (Canberra) and FAT (Brisbane) at each other's throats in a three-way, no-holds-barred slam-down. A toss of the coin will determine playing order. It's going to be fast and loud.

These are old-fashioned, street-level, blue-collar rock and roll bands. Subtelty is not their long suit. As the bands themselves say: "By boofheads, for boofheads, direct from the shallow end of the gene pool straight to you!" 

Three dates only. March 2 (Marrickville Bowling Club in Sydney), March 3 (The Phoenix in Canberra) and March 4 (RAD in Wollongong.) 

They'll be joined by supports RUST (Sydney), Dickie Birds (Canberra) and 99 Scapegoats and C.O.F.F.I.N. (Wollongong - check out the latter's Radio Birdman cover) so it's wall-to-wall Rock Action.

Do you have what it takes? 

• live
• the meatbeaters
• the vee-bees
• FAT band

Bad Girl b/w Communication Breakdown - Seedy Jeezus (Blown Music)

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

21 February 2018

Hits: 4041

This is just great. 

Just 150 were pressed - there were two types of cover available - one to commemorate a gig, with a faux '70s bootleg cover. There was the standard disc and sleeve edition, and bugger all of a deluxe edition. There's a handful of copies of the "standard" left.  You deffo need this in your collection.

The deluxe edition is, as always with Seedy product, is a bit like dipping into Santa's sack (though not quite so seasonal). First, the vinyl came in different colours.  There's this great poster, "a parody of a '72 Japan tour poster"; a Japanese Obi (that's one of those titling things that go around the left edge. 

• single
• seedy jeezus
• bad girl
• communication breakdown

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Full Support of the Board – The Toss (self released)

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By Ronald Brown

Ronald Brown

19 February 2018

Hits: 4964

Elbows flying, kicking goals and full of humour, The Toss have been around for 10 years, five studio albums and two live records. “Full Support of The Board” is their sixth effort.

This is a record for Australian Football lovers everywhere; it’s full of wit and riffs. There are anthems on this, just waiting for a good drunken session of singing along.

• the toss
• full support of the board
• tony toss

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Waltzing Matilda: Love Has Gone Away - Lou Reed (Easy Action)

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By The Barman

The Barman

17 February 2018

Hits: 5599

If you don’t love Lou’s “Street Hassle” you’re deaf or a miscreant. Or both. 

Like most Reed albums, it’s flawed. The sound is muddy. Lou was fixated with a process called binaural recording at that stage and unless you’re blessed with binaural ears, the result is sonically awkward. The occasional song, too, is misguided (I’m looking at you, “I Wanna Be Black”.) 

It’s Lou stripped of glam make-up and back on the mean streets. Edgy as fuck. Grimy and grim, speckled with self-loathing, it tells stories like only Reed can. It’s one of his greatest works in a confused and often confusing catalogue. 

“Waltzing Matilda” is the album of the 1978 US tour to promote said album and it’s a live radio broadcast, spread over two CDs. Allowing for its origins - those radio tapes are usually compressed to the shit - it packs an aural wallop. Reed’s band is first class. 

• lou reed

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