Top Tens for 2025: Adam Vines of Wollongong band The Sugar Beats and Sydney band The Strike-Outs
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- By Adam Vines
- Hits: 788
There's been so many killer bands/releases/shows/etc this year that I've loved which makes it damn hard to narrow it down to 10 highlights. Cos I don't really bother with digital or streaming when it comes to my music addiction, this is the 10 (mostly) physical music things that have kept me coming back for more in 2025 - in no particular order.
Blast Module – “Demo 1” EP
I heard some snippets of these tracks online early this year and they snagged my attention immediately. Their debut EP came out in May and its been on heavy rotation ever since. “Demo 1” is a total high energy synth punk burner from top to bottom. Riffs, hooks and melodies all wrapped up in 8 bit video game goodness. I've managed to catch these guys live a couple of times during the year and they deliver the goods on stage too. Check out their track Helenova for a taste.
Swami John Reis – “Time to Let You Down” LP
Any time the Swami puts out new music I'm on board. It’s ridiculous that this one guy has been at the centre of so many great bands. I'm not complaining - I'm in awe.
The new “solo” album is maybe a touch more punk than the last few records and it completely rocks. Fast and furious downstroke rockers front to back. Its a great pick me up record that’s been on the turntable repeatedly. I havent heard the new Plosivs album yet but I'm sure that'll be getting lotsa spin time, too.
Top Tens for 2025: Author and Molly Fet Circuit and Smallpox Confidential frontman Robert Brokenmouth
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- By Robert Brokenmouth
- Hits: 499
Top Ten Sydney Tunnels and Bridges
What? Tunnels and bridges not rock'n'roll enough for ya? So, sue me.
The Molly Fet Circuit were in Sydney for a couple of gigs recently and I could not believe how much the place has changed; I was here last only a year or so before covid - not sure how long it'd been for musician Shaun C. Duncan (Die Like a God, Council of Elders, Iron Phallus), but quite a bit longer I think.
Our friend Nathan Iowa (Shark Arm) was extremely helpful, driving us hither and yon - to the point where I realised that, without his help, we would've been either frequently lost or forking out hundreds in cab fares. Never mind anything else, we might not have even found the fucking gigs.
2025 Top Tens: Ex-Lime Spiders and Grooveyard member, and solo artist Richard Lawson
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- By Richard Lawson
- Hits: 583
Top Ten Filthy Rock and Roll Songs
1. "Blitzkreig Bop" - Ramones
2. "Shake Appeal" - Iggy and the Stooges
3. "Dirty Robber "- The Sonics
4. "New Rose" - The Damned
5. "Communication Breakdown" - Led Zeppelin
6. "Oh Carol" - Rolling Stones
7. "Revolution" - The Beatles
8. "Lucille" - Little Richard
9. "Eruption" - Van Halen
10. "Let There Be Roc" - AC/DC
Find Richard Lawson here.
The VeeBees take their place on a porcelain throne
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- By The Barman
- Hits: 565
Third In Line For The Throne b/w Yeah Orright – The VeeBees (Evil Twin)
Twenty-five years of The VeeBees? Hard to believe but here’s the proof that they still excel at excess. The A side is a stringing sub two-minute trip of raging guitars and fun. The VeeBees’ engine room has never sounded more powerful.
And the lyrics? They’re about lining up when you really need to lay a cable and (thankfully) have nothing about the succession plans of entitled and terminally boring Royals.
At a tick over three minutes “Yeah Orright” is an odyssey in comparison. The band eases off the throttle and while Its lyrical journey doesn’t go much further than the chorus, the chugging guitars stick like shit to a blanket. That term could apply equally to "Third In Line".
The VeeBees don’t own Yob Rock but they’ve carved out their own little corner, spanning Canberra and Wollongong. More power to their (drinking) arm. As the boys themselves say: "Four blokes, 3 chords, 2 brain cells, 1 carton of beer." 
1/2
A Sydney slamdown for the ages to mark the Festive Season's start
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- By The Barman
- Hits: 165
We're in the home straight in ther run towards the I-94 Bar-promoted annual Xmas show by Pismo Beach's Psychotic Turnbuckles at Marrickville Bowling Club in Sydney this Saturday. Tickets are moving briskly for the Kings of The Combat Zones' match-up against heavyweight hard-rockers The Dark Clouds and fuzzily effervescent The Sugar Beats.
Turnbuckles frontman Jesse The Intruder says he has some special moves in store for the challengers but the headliners seem to be in an unchracteristically magmanious mood, promising all advance ticket buyers a present. We'll believe that when we see it but you can secure your ringside spot right here.
2025 Top Tens: Garry Gray of the Sacred Cowboys
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- By Garry Gray
- Hits: 607
Julian Wu photo
The Barman has sent out the call for Top Tens. I have ditched my Imperial Wardrobe to deliver a stripped-down Metallic KO Top 10. Lean on words and mean on content – old, new, stolen, and blue – five live and five vinyl – here we go for the tip of the iceberg of my musical stuff of 2025. Time won’t permit my top 500.
2025 Top Tens: Peter "Blackie" Black of Hard-Ons and Nunchukka Superfly
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- By Peter Black
- Hits: 896
This is seriously in no order - just random awesome things in a pretty bloody awesome year
1. Davey Lane - Finally, A Party Record
Excellent pop! Not scared to touch Yacht and Soft rock either
2. Rubber Necker - Bad Behavior album and one of their gigs at the Duke in Enmore
The show as wild "somehow held together" post rock. Whoooo!
3. Cammy Cautious and the Wrestlers
Only saw em once and CAN NOT FORGET IT!! Took me head clean off
4. Some awesome aussie books Radio Birdman - "Retaliate First" by Murray Englehart and "Orstralia A Punk History" by Tristan Clark. Loved 'em .. got John Foy's book next up.
2025 Top Tens: King of Pop Dave Graney
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- By Dave Graney
- Hits: 1285
"The stars, baby, the stars": Tex Perkins with Dave Graney at The Beasts' "Black Milk" show in Melbourne. Amber Schmidt photo
Dave Graney Top 12 for 2025
1. Dave Graney and the Soft n Sexy Sound 30th Anniversary Sound tour.
This was so enjoyable for me. So great to play the music and crack the codes to the album. Extremely challenging to perform it and to present it to people. Very tense to start it each time we did it on the 21 date tour. It had peaks and it flowed. It started from silence and ended on a long fadeout.
Do you like FÄHM? Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do
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- By The Barman
- Hits: 763
A – FÄHM (Hiss and Crackle Records)
The Blues never goes out of style, it just gets bent out of shape. This quintet from Wallsend, a suburb of Australia steel city Newcastle, applies its own stylistic panel beating and the result is a satisfyingly swampy pastiche.
Assembling members from local bands Howlin’ Rats, The Not Nots, The Outliers and Paper Thin, FÄHM (pronounced “Fam”), mixes up the medicine in some weird and wonderful ways. The bio cites influences like feedtime, Scientists, X and Beasts of Bourbon. The latter is obvious but for mine it’s the “Safe As Milk” era Captain Beefheart whose shadow looms largest.
- Triple treat as Sonny Vincent returns to stages in Europe
- Trust us on this: Another Tunless Racket 4 is music to your ears
- Red Kross return for Oz tour with Hard-Ons
- The Big D gets his Soft 'n' Sexy Sound on at The Gov
- Good Golly, Miss Molly! Adelaide duo plans to short-circuit Sydney
- Masuak's Dog Soldier charts its own course on new album
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Gig Ads
The Living Eye
"Black Milk Anniversary Show"
The Beasts
+ guest singers
Rob Younger, Richie Weed
& Hellen Rose
+ The Johnnys
+ Richie Weed
+ Unsound
Factory Theatre, Marrickville, NSW
- 12 Dec
Tickets
I-94 Bar presents
"Psychotic Turnbuckles
Festive Spectacular"
Psychotic Turnbuckles
+ The Dark Clouds
+ The Sugar Beats
Marrickville Bowlo. NSW
- Dec 13
Tickets
Cosmic Psychos
"I Really Like Beer Tour"
JAN
1 — Edge Hill Tavern, Cairns, QLD
2 — Dalrymple Hotel, Townsville, QLD
3 — Magnums, Airlie Beach, QLD
4 — Metropolitan Hotel, Mackay, QLD
7 — Harvey Road Tavern, Gladstone, QLD
8 — Grand Hotel, Childers, QLD
9 — Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, Gold Coast, QLD
10 — Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga, NSW
11 — Bellingen Brewery, Bellingen, NSW
14 — Moonshiners Honky Tonk Bar, Tamworth, NSW
15 — Finnian's Tavern, Port Macquarie, NSW
16 — Avalon RSL, Avalon, NSW
17 — The Marlin, Ulladulla, NSW
18 — Beer Deluxe, Albury NSW
22 — Tanswells Hotel, Beechworth, VIC
23 — Sooki Lounge, Belgrave, VIC
24 — Westonport Hotel, San Remo, VIC
25 — Social Club, Balnarring, VIC
26 — Volta, Ballarat, VIC
29 — Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool, VIC
30 — Torquay Hotel, Torquay, VIC
31 — Riverview Hotel, Tarwin Lower, VIC
FEB
12 — Royal Oak, Launceston, TAS
13 — Forth Pub, Devonport, TAS
14 — Altar, Hobart, TAS
Send us stuff to review
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Get in touch: barman@i94bar.com
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