Vol 4 - Black Bombers (Easy Action)

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By The Barman

The Barman

23 March 2019

Hits: 4525

The only disappointment is that it’s six tracks and not a full album. The title “Vol 4” is an obvious nod to their hometown heroes and is as grimy and hard as the worst parts of Birmingham used to be, pre-gentrification.

Black Bombers are one serious raw power trio. Don’t dwell on the Sabbath heritage because they’re a step removed from their fellow Brummies’ relentless attack. Black Bombers lay down a looser groove and leave more spaces. There’s a multitude of influences at work including Motorhead, the Pink Fairies and Blue Cheer.

• easy-action
• black bombers
• birmingham

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Blessed Is The Boogie - Datura4 (Alive Naturalsound)

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By The Barman

The Barman

21 March 2019

Hits: 5235

It's Album Number Three for the blues-psych-boogie West Australian combo built by Dom Mariani (The Stems, DM3) and mates and it’s like the members sat in a studio and conspired to make everything heavier than what came before. If you want to be technical, they set the pan pots to Full-On Raunch and slammed the faders waaaay up to 11. All while wearing double denim.

While "Demon Blues" and "Hairy Mountain" had their feet stubbornly wedged in the mud of a rain-soaked Sunbury Festival paddock, "Blessed Is The Boogie" dives into the back of a Holden Sandman and posts a "If it's rocking, don't bother knocking" sign on the curtained back window and goes about its business.

• alive naturalsound
• datura4
• dom mariani
• greg hitchcock
• stu loasby
• warren hall
• blessed is the boogie

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We Who Are - The Embrooks (State Records)

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By The Barman

The Barman

19 March 2019

Hits: 3262

There’s a steely edge to “We Who Are” that sets it apart from the pack of ’60-influenced Paisley revivalists and winkle-picker wearing pretenders. It’s apparent in the uncompromisingly serrated fuzz tone of Alessandro Cozzi-Lepri and the economical and direct songs this trio writes.

Most of us have a soft spot for garage rock and ‘60s punk. If you grew up in Australia, it’s probably the US variants (and especially the acid punk end of the genre) that appeals. It fuelled a rash of bands in the ‘80s. You know their names. The Embrooks came late to that particiular party, not forming until 1996, but were no less formidable than their immediate forebears.

If we’re going to talk genre, The Embrooks were masters of freakbeat - the English take on psychedelia, beat pop and Mod - that sprang up in the mid-’60s and fittingly spent time on the Voxx label before calling it a day in 2004. Their reformation for this, their fourth long player, was much anticipated.

• bomp
• freakbeat
• state records
• embrooks
• who we are
• mole
• lois tozer
• Alessandro Cozzi-Lepri
• voxx
• toe rag studios

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A roomful of love amid the loss

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

18 March 2019

Hits: 5200

The Beasts
The Johnnys
The Gov, Adelaide
March 17, 2019
Photos by Alison Lea

It's the last night of the Adelaide Festival and the city centre is abandoned to the tourists, and no doubt some "end of festival" official shindig, doubtless adding anodyne "vibrancy" (one of Adelaide City Council's favourite buzzwords) to the joint.

Meanwhile, Adelaide's finest and most intelligent people are voting with their wallets and pile into the Gov, many having come from miles around. One bloke is here with his wife from Kangaroo Island (more expensive than a trip to Melbourne or Sydney); another bloke flew 300 miles to arrive at 4pm, with a return flight at 8am. There are many happy drunks.

Tonight was the most beautiful gig I've seen in years, if not ever. I cannot remember a more wonderful, cathartic experience.

• beasts of bourbon
• kim salmon
• tex perkins
• the johnnys
• charlie owen
• australian tour
• the beasts
• tony pola
• still here
• boris sujdovic

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If you're hard of hearing, don't show up

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By The Barman

The Barman

18 March 2019

Hits: 3724

Rose Tattoo’s "Never Too Loud", released in 1997 through Repertoire Records in Germany, was a compilation spanning the band's career at the time. Now, 22 years on, the Hard-Ons join Rose Tattoo on their "Still Never Too Loud" tour heading out across Australia in March, April and May.

Thirty-five years since their formation, the Hard-Ons have amassed an unprecedented and never-to-be-paralleled 17 consecutive number-one releases on the Australian alternative charts, making them one of Australia’s most commercially successful independent bands. Their cult following extends into Europe and the UK, and as of 2019, their brand of unapologetic punk rock has never sounded better.

The band are fresh out of the studio having just finished recording their 12th studio album due to be released later this year.

Angry Anderson’s Rose Tattoo recruits, considered some of the best in the business, comprise legendary bass player extraordinaire Mark Evans of AC/DC fame, iconic guitarist Bob Spencer of The Angels & Skyhooks, as well as unbelievably talented maestro of rock mayhem, Dai Pritchard.

Rose Tattoo hit the high seas on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise out of Miami in late February and headed straight into the recording studios in March.

STILL NEVER TOO LOUD
Friday 29th March 2019 - Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
Saturday 30th March 2019 - Waves, Wollongong NSW 
Friday 5th April 2019 - Shoppingtown Hotel, Doncaster VIC 
Saturday 6th April 2019 - Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights VIC 
Friday 12th April 2019 - The Gov, Adelaide SA 
Saturday 13th April 2019 - Capitol, Perth WA 
Friday 26th April 2019 - The Triffid, Brisbane QLD 
Saturday 27th April 2019 - Coolangatta Hotel, Coolangatta QLD 
Friday 3rd May 2019 - Diggers, Ettalong NSW 
Saturday 4th May 2019 - Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW 
Tickets from rosetattoo.com.au
 

• hard-ons
• live
• rose tattoo
• australian tour
• still never too loud
• angry anderson

Smoke, mirrors and substance

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By The Barman

The Barman

17 March 2019

Hits: 3694

The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Gov, Adelaide
March 15, 2019
Alison Lea photos 

Late the following afternoon I received a message to the effect that I was off to see the Jesus and Mary Chain that night. My photographer, engrossed with preparations for a seven-year-old's birthday, told me where to take myself. I called Peter, I called Bob. Both busy. I called a different photographer and we presented ourselves at the rather wonderful Gov, where I eventually hope to be buried.

• jesus and the mary chain
• jim reid

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Intoxicating Mick Harvey and friends

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

17 March 2019

Hits: 4716

Mick Harvey:
"Intoxicated Man. Presenting the Songs of Serge Gainsbourg"
Elder Hall, Adelaide
March 14,  2019
Mandy Tzaras photos

Verdict in a nutshell: Brilliant. You shoulda been there. Get the CDs instead.

It's a strange place, Adelaide. A reputation for bizarre and secretive murder blends with a town which happily dozes for most of the year, abruptly jerks to life as summer hits with the subtlety of a jackhammer, and keeps the long-suffering residents on their toes: the steady stream of utter twatheads who emerge from beneath sordid rocks, blinking into the light of the civilised world for the first time; the ubiquitous meth-heads roaming the streets and communing with the sky; the endless and confusing roadworks; endlessly over-running building works; a hospital which doesn't seem to work very well (though it does provide an excellent example of how to make a place unpleasant for the customers with, presumably, the intent of discouraging their attendance for all but the most involuntary admission) ...

These are all everyday local wonders, and frankly we should charge admission. The Festival, The Fringe, the stupid car race, the writers week, WOMAD and so on and so on and so on, all serve to ensure large numbers of normal South Australians keep their distance. 

• bad seeds
• JP Shilo
• the birthday party
• mick harvey
• boys next door
• intoxicated man
• serge gainsborough

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The Hot Sweets – Hello and Goodbye (self released)

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By Colin Gray

Colin Gray

14 March 2019

Hits: 4005

"Hello and Goodbye" is the debut album for The Hot Sweets, a short-lived Wollongong band that folded a couple of years ago. I’m here to tell you, there’s a lot to like about The Hot Sweets, particularly if melodic garage-rock/power pop be your thing.

Yet that catch-all tag is only the tip of the iceberg. To better define The Hot Sweets sound you need to add in the following descriptors – likeable female vocals, melodic sensibilities, hard hitting riffs, infectious choruses and underscoring it all – pop hooks. For as I’ve written a zillion times, no matter what type of sound you are after, if a song don’t have a hook – it ain’t worth the paper it’s written on.

• carrie phillis
• booby traps
• asteroid b612
• brother brick
• hot sweets
• stewart cunningham
• reggie screen
• craig jackson
• hello and goodbye

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Jesus and The Mary Chain's perfect pop set to the aesthetics of noise

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By Bob Short

Bob Short

10 March 2019

Hits: 5542

_{Credit: @majortielve}

It's easy to forget just how good the Jesus and Mary Chain actually are; how many drop dead classic songs they have recorded. Then, on a Thursday night at the Sydney Opera House (no less), they ram a shit ton of their greatest hits down our throats and they still leave out a huge chunk of back catalogue just to spite you.

They make it look easy. But being this damn good is not easy.

• live
• sydney
• australian tour
• jesus and the mary chain
• opera house

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