The I-94 Bar - Real Rock Action from Sydney, Australia, via The Bowery and The Motor City

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The Stanleys - The Stanleys (Off The Hip)

Details: By The Barman; 28 October 2017; Hits: 4784

the stanleys lp Let’s resist the cliched temptation to wax lyrical about something something mysterious in the water content in Perth, Australia, producing peerless pop-rock music. It’s been done to death and Swan Lager was more likely the culprit.

The Stanleys (or the two principals) hail from that most isolated of state capital cities but make music that could have come from anywhere on the globe where there’s a love of harmonies, big guitars and sharp hooks.

Here’s a band that, for once, has done things the other way round. Meaning, they’ve played hundreds of shows since 2011 but have only released their debut album now. This is not the done thing in these times of manufactured pop and inspid TV talent shows.

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4.7k views

New Feeling - The Favourites (Reckless Records)

Details: By The Barman; 28 October 2017; Hits: 4257

new feeling Sounding every bit like a band born out of time, The Favourites have released their debut album - 40 years after they expired.

Throw your mind back to 1977-79 (pretend, if you weren’t born) and think about the music de jour in the UK. Punk? Ska? New Wave? It sure wasn’t Power Pop. What was around used the descriptor New Wave and was at the mercy of the notoriously fickle UK music media. So-called provincial bands (not based in London) had their work cut out.

The Favourites grew out of two Nottingham bands, the DTs and Plummet Airlines, the latter signed to Stiff Records. Their two-and-a-bit-year existence was peppered by recording sessions and live work, and they shared stages with Squeeze, The Rich Kids and The Only Ones.

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4.2k views

Electric Trails From Nowhere - The Golden Rail (Off The Hip)

Details: By The Barman; 27 October 2017; Hits: 6026

Here’s the thing with pop music - at least for me and probably for many of you, too. First impressions count for a lot; I'm impatient. And the initial take-out from a spin of “Electric Trails From Nowhere” was how grown up the music sounded.

For two reasons. As the bio says, “Electric Trails” is the output of a 30-year songwriting partnership between Ian Freeman and Jeff Baker, the Melbourne-via-Perth principal members of The Golden Rail. The other factor is that The Golden Rail sounds like none of the music that passes for “contemporary pop” in 2017.

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6k views

Sunnyboys surging towards sell-outs

Details: By The Barman; 27 October 2017; Hits: 5407

sunnies bw

A heads-up that the Sunnyboys' February 2018 Australian tour is selling like wildfire with one Sydney gig (February 10) at Marrickville's Factory Theatre sold out in 36 hours, and tickets for a just-added extra date (February 9) now 85 percent gone.

Is it a surprise? No.

The fact is that the second all-oringal member incarnation of the Sunnyboys has now lasted longer than the band did in its first life.

The time around, without the pressure of recording schedules and the demand for chart hits and with a mutual love and respect for the music they made, Sunnyboys can just do what they do best; play live.

Joining the fun will be Sydney surf-punks The Celibate Rifles, who have carved out their own indelible history in the Australian music scene over a 35+ year period. The Rifles will join Sunnyboys for their first show on the Sunshine Coast since 1982; the Sunnyboys' first Brisbane performance since 2015, and most other dates.

Melbourne fun-punks Painters & Dockers, will join the rejuvenated Sunnyboys for a massive Melbourne Zoo performance.

FEEL PRESENTS

SUNNYBOYS SUMMER 2018

special guests: The Celibate Rifles and Painters & Dockers.

Thursday 25th January 2018

Brisbane, The Tivoli