Jack Howard's Epic brass bookended by solo Steve Lucas and Penny Ikinger shows

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By The Barman

The Barman

29 May 2018

Hits: 5111

It’s renowned as one of Melbourne’s most spectacular rock and roll shows and it hits Sydney’s Factory Theatre at Marrickville on Saturday. Epic Brass is the brainchild of Hunters and Collectors horns man Jack Howard and employs a stellar cast of underground stars to showcase the songs of the Saints, X, Laughing Clowns, Painters and Dockers, the Hunnas and Midnight Oil.

Former Sydneysiders Ron Peno (Died Pretty), Steve Lucas (X), Penny Ikinger (Wet Taxis) will join Jack Howard and Fiona Lee Maynard, with John Archer (Hunters and Collectors) on bass and Ash Davies on drums. Tickets here.

If you’re of a resident of Sydney’s Inner-Western Delta, you won’t have far to catch two sideshows before and after Saturday. Steve Lucas plays a free solo show at the Golden Barley at Enmore from 8pm on Thursday night with Penny Ikinger backing up at the same venue at 7pm on Sunday, also gratis.

• penny ikinger
• steve lucas
• jack howard
• the saints
• hunters and collectors
• midnight oil
• epic brass
• golden barley

Brilliant Disaster & I Know My Way In The Dark - Paul K and The Killer Elite (Beacon Hill Records)

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By Gen'ral Labor, seasoned loser of the year

Gen'ral Labor, seasoned loser of the year

29 May 2018

Hits: 3545

OUTLAW BLUES AND ENDLESS GRACE....

If you're feeling unloved and forgotten, frightened and voiceless, alienated and misunderstood, in these brutally dark times of Trump, surveillance, controlled media, Gestapo cops and endless war, get these CD's. They will comfort you immensely. "Brilliant Disaster" is sort of an EP but also perhaps, the best LP I've heard since Ian Hunter's ‘90s masterpiece, "Rant".

The way you know every slick American music rag has been hijacked by the corporate state to promote war and Wall Street, bigotry and consumerism, is they keep putting war criminals, former wrestlers, and vacant lap dancers on the cover instead of the Cohenesque, Paul K… Maybe he ain't that famous, but his songs have had immeasurable emotional impact on most everyone they have been properly introduced to.

• paul k & the killer elite
• brilliant disaster
• i know my way in the dark
• beacon hill records

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Get a Hard-On for vinyl at these shows

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By The Barman

The Barman

28 May 2018

Hits: 4654

The Hard-Ons are vinyl fans. They believe, like many others who are a bit greyer, that vinyl records that were released before the digital age tell fascinating stories about the song/artist/record label, that streaming and MP3s can’t quite relay.

The band is playing two shows this month that celebrate vinyl. The big news is that the first 120 punters to arrive at the June 1 show at the Chippendale Hotel in Sydney and the June 2 gig at the Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle will receive a discretely brown paper-bagged seven-inch single from the personal collection of the band members

Says Ray Ahn: “There are 240 random records culled from our personal collections and the like. Some are GREAT. Some are good. Some are OK. Some are pretty shithouse. All are from another time and place, there will be records from 50’s, 60’s, 70’s 80’s. In addition, three mega-rare Hard-Ons records that are probably worth a fair amount from the HARD-ONS’ archive will be up for grabs to six lucky punters.”

The band promises loads of Hard-Ons seven-inch records will be on sale at the merch table as well, including some long deleted rarities.

FRI 1 JUNE: CHIPPO HOTEL with WHITE DOG + HELLEBORES
SAT 2 JUNE: CAMBRIDGE Hotel NEWCASTLE + Human Failure + Obat Batuk

And later this month, the Hard-Ons hit Europe again:

Hard-Ons in Europe
JUNE
France
20 - TBA
21 – La Rochelle 
22 - Clisson, Hellfest
24 - Orleans, Blue Devil
Germany
25 - Essen, Don't Panic
26 - Osnabrück, Bastard Club
27 - Hamburg, Port Klang
28 - Berlin, music & peace
Finland
29 – Tampere

• hard-ons
• ray ahn
• vinyl
• europe tour

RIP Andy MacQueen (Exploding White Mice, Pro-Tools)

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By The Barman

The Barman

27 May 2018

Hits: 27488

Exploding White Mice and Pro-Tools bassist Andy MacQueen has unexpectedly passed away. 

A fixture on the Adelaide live scene, it's understood Andy had complained of abdominal pains recently. Bandmates were understandably too upset to comment further but Jeff Stephens from the Mice posted this on his own Facebook page at 9.30 tonight:

All of us here in Exploding White Mice are utterly shocked and heartbroken at the passing of our dearly beloved Andy. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and to everyone who knew him. We love you Andy.

The Exploding White Mice reformed last year, playing two shows in their home town of Adelaide and making another appearance at the River Rocks festival in Geelong, Victoria. It’s understood plans were underway to tour more extensively. 

• exploding white mice
• andy mcqueen

Queen of Soul PP Arnold and her ace band give us all a lesson

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By Steve Lorkin

Steve Lorkin

27 May 2018

Hits: 6277

A PP Arnold show is more than a “gig“, it really is a live performance music history of somebody who has had an extraordinary career as a vocalist since 1964.

Word of the amazing shows in Melbourne had reached Sydney and slowly but surely the room started to fill up (including a front seated section for some of her more mature age fans.)

Whoever assembled her backing band should be congratulated.Thy comprised three-quarters of You Am I who IMHFO don’t get nearly enough credit for being the great musicians they are (Andy Kent should be singled out for really nailing the bass parts), with James Black (the bloke from Rockwiz) and vocalist Talei Wolfgramm joining them.

• live
• australian
• you am i
• small faces
• pp arnold
• ike and tina turner
• ikettes

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Tuckerbox - Aberration (Crankinhaus Records)

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By Ron Brown & The Barman

Ron Brown & The Barman

27 May 2018

Hits: 4999

Aberration are one of those bands who you have probably heard of word of mouth. Did you ever see them live back in the ‘80s? No recordings survive so you just have to believe they where good if you didn’t see them kicking around Sydney in 1983-87.

Aberration were playing high-energy British metal/punk until as the liner notes to this album “Tuckerbox” attest, destructive forces took their toll. The band split with little to show for their wild live reputation.

Fast forward 35 years. “Tuckerbox” is the first release for Aberration, one member of which survives in Alan Creed. It‘s newly-recorded and 10 tracks of sheer raw power.

• aberration
• al creed
• stuart wilson
• tony bambach
• tuckerbox
• crankinhaus records

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Polaris Oblique - Seedy Jeezus (Blown Music)

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By Robert Brokenmouth & Patrick Emery

Robert Brokenmouth & Patrick Emery

26 May 2018

Hits: 3683

Melbourne band sell out. Again.

Seedy Jeezus: "Polaris Oblique". Rhetorical question: how do three hairy men make so much bloody racket? And why is it so damn good?

Patrick Emery's given this one four bottles in the review below, but you know what? bugger him with an awkward object, it's five or more easy. Thwack this on the car stereo and you'll be making sharp turns and mounting sidewalks in no time. 'Polaris Oblique' is big, heavy, and soaks like alcohol into a villain's hanky.

The Seedies know their shit, they know their rock'n'roll; Lex Waterreus (gesundheit) (he's the talented swine with the voluminous guitar and the brilliant artwork) sounds like Plant on a good day, and one must assume he has the whacking great dong to match.

• seedy jezus
• polaris obluque
• Lex Waterreus
• blown music

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April 4th, 1978 – Sonic’s Rendezvous Band (Easy Action)

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By The Barman

The Barman

24 May 2018

Hits: 5606

This recording is where it all started for recent Sonic’s Rendezvous Band fans. Originally issued in 1998 as “Sweet Nothing”, it was the first non-bootleg, live recording that stood up, sonically speaking, and both the CD and LP pressings sold out quickly.

A second disc of live and tweaked studio stuff (“City Slang”) surfaced a year later and we’ve been fairly spoiled with a flow of material since then.

“Sweet Nothing” was an ear-opener in all senses of the term. No longer did you need to listen to “Strikes Like Lightning” or any of the other lamentably poor quality boots and ponder why nobody in Detroit in the mid-‘70s owned a boombox with a decent microphone.

The steady stream of releases peaked with Easy Action’s lavish 2006 “Sonic’s Rendezvous Band” box set, a six-disc CD collection that included rehearsals, other live recordings and a spruced-up version of this show. Now, this vinyl release has arrived as part of the annual Record Store Day hoopla.

• sonics rendezvous band
• fred smith
• fred sonic smith
• gary rasmussen
• scott asheton
• rock action
• scott morgan
• april 4th 1978

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Power to burn on the LP version of "disasterpiece"

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By Staff writers

Staff writers

22 May 2018

Hits: 4003

It’s said every great CD release deserves to come out on vinyl and the folks at Buttercup Records have been listening.

They’ve obliged by making Melbourne band Powerline Sneakers’ wonderful “disasterpiece” album, originally issued by Kasumuen Records on CD only, available on wax.

“disasterpiece” was one of The Barman’s choices in his 2017 Top Ten and it was easy to hear why. Gritty, hooky and raucous tunes from veteran survivors of bands like Powder Monkeys, Splatterheads and Ripe, it’s spent lots of time in the CD player and is reviewed here.

Limited to 300 hand-numbered copies on vinyl, it’s the usual bang-up Buttercup job - three colour variants, spectacular new artwork by Glenn Smith, double-sided insert and download card. Follow this link to order a copy before they're gone. 

• buttercup records
• powerline sneakers
• disasterpiece