Beastly line-up makes for a Sacred night in Sydney

Sacred Cowboys
+ Belle Phoenix Band with Jeffery Wegener
+ Pete Ross and The Sapphire
Marrickville Bowling Club, Sydney
Saturday 18 April, 2026

WORDS: Ed Garland
IMAGES: The Barman

Tonight was one of the strongest bills for some time at the Marrickville Bowlo with the common thread that all three bands are on the legendary record label Beast Records.

Beast is an ultra-cool French imprint that has always gone for the musical underbelly, putting out soulful stuff with swagger and a sense of the street. And more importantly bands with great songs – acts like HITS, Kim Salmon, Six Foot Hick, Spencer P Jones and numerous others, The label is also part of the iconic Binic Festival where tonight's headliners Sacred Cowboys are playing later this year.

It’s been 20 months since I saw tonight’s opening act, Pete Ross and The Sapphire, when they supported Charlie Owen at the Camelot Lounge in Sydney. What I took away from  that night was that they were a class band of great players, with incredible songs and Pete Ross’s soulful voice.

More than a year-and-a-half on, they could still be the most underrated act on the Sydney circuit, but they remain unpretentious and humble. Tonight, they were playing as a three piece and you might say it was “The Sapphire going Nirvana”. They were certainly more direct and more rocking.

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• sacred cowboys
• garry gray
• marrickville bowling club
• belle phoenix
• mark ferrie
• pete ross and the sapphire
• jeffrey wegener

The Crisps take it up a notch ahead of album and Euro tour with Chris Masuak

Inner-west Sydney rock and roll outfit The Crisps have "upped the ante" by releasing  a blistering new single, "Take It up a Notch" (get it?) and it's available now on Bandcamp.

Known for their sharp pop sensibility and high-energy shows, The Crisps are releasing the single as a taster for an album, “Four On The Floor” in July to coincide with a European tour.

The shows in Germany, Poland and France will be double-headers with the Australian version of Chris Masuak’s Dog Soldier.

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• stuart wilson
• heavy medication
• chris masuak's dog soldier

You need Fowl Weather Vein to know which way the wind blows

Fowl Weather Vein – Fowl Weather Vein (Vi-Nil Records)

The years 1978-82  produced the greatest explosion of music in the last century. Only the mid to late 1960s rivals it. Some called it New Wave, others came up with Post-Punk.

Record companies were opening cheque books as fast as new labels arrived and there was the buzz of a DIY ethos. More importantly though, the period produced an artistic tidal wave surfed by one-hit wonders and more enduring artists whose music careers have continued for decades.  

Consider the massive diversity of a crop that included Wire, Echo and The Bunnymen, Pere Ubu, The Fall, The Pop Group, XTC, The Cure, The Jam, Siouxie and The Banshees, Joy Division, Talking Heads, Blondie, Psychedelic Furs, Gang of Four. There was also the rise of Ska. There were was no single blueprint or style, just an explosion of creativity.

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• keith claringbold
• vanilla chainsaws
• paul berwick
• vi-nil records
• marc scully
• fowl weather vein
• trench gashes
• paul timmins
• paul simpson
• mark nicholson

Smoked Salmon get Totally Sick!! on new record

Smoked Salmon - the Australian band featuring art school dropout, seminal punk rocker, Scientists, Surrealists and Beasts of Bourbon living legend Kim Salmon - will release a new album "Totally Sick!!" on May 29. The second single, "Fully Sick and Tired" is out now digitally. 

"Totally Sick!!" will be released on limited edition spew green vinyl (100 only), and black vinyl. The single can be purchased individually or as an immediate download track ahead of the album. Order here.

The band describes the new album as "songs for when you’re not feeling so good" but not all about medicine, and the single is a tribute to the great Aussie tradition of "taking a sickie". 

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• kim salmon
• fully sick and tired
• totally sick!!

Damned if you miss this

British punk pioneers, The Damned will bring their legendary live show to Australia and New Zealand in September as part of their 50th anniversary farewell celebrations.

Fresh from an acclaimed 50th anniversary show at Wembley Stadium in London on April 11, The Damned are heading aroudn the world. They'll play host four shows across ANZ including one at the Sydney Opera House. The band played full houses in Australia in March 2024 to rave reviews.

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• australia
• new zealand
• the damned
• final damnation
• 2026 tour

The Breakers, Beathoven compilations land from Grown Up Wrong

Out now on Dave Laing's always great Grown Up Wrong label from Australia: archival albums from bona fide '70s Tasmanian popstars and Beatles freaks Beathoven and long-lost 1979-'80 Sydney powerpop outfit The Breakers.

Beathoven’s “Beathoven at Pascoe Vale High” and The Breakers’ “Night After Night” are out on vinyl now with CD editions due in May. The CDs include numerous extra tracks, and all can be ordered here.

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• kim fowley
• dave laing
• grown up wrong
• beathoven
• the breakers
• Beathoven at Pascoe Vale High
• puberty blues
• the innocents
• night after night

Feast on Blue Ash's posthumous powerpop delight

Dinner At Mr Billy’s – Blue Ash (Peppermint Records)

Summa the magical, mystical Blue Ash powerpop just feels so ‘60s, like some lost tracks from the "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls" or "Easy Rider" soundtracks, or the incidental music from "Love American Style" or some kinda hippie exploitation marketing hoax.

Remember when 7-Up was selling themselves as flower child psychedelic? Blue Ash was around then and woulda been perfect to write their far out, hey man, garage punk jingles. So Good! The guitar playing feels like Strawberry Alarm Clock or 13th Floor Elevators sometimes, and the singer coulda been in "Hair".

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• stiv bators
• dinner at mr billy's
• blue ash
• peppermint records
• frank secich

Black (Flag) Creche? Greg Ginn says The Kids Are Alright

_{Supplied photo.}

The latest iteration of Black Flag hits Australia in May and it’s going to have people talking for many reasons.

Firstly, it’s the first time the band has been fronted by a female singer, Max Zanelly.

Secondly, it’s an all new line-up with 71-year-old founding guitarist Greg Ginn being joined by Zanelly, David Rodriguez (bass), and Bryce Weston (drums), who are all aged in their early 20s.

That means none of Ginn’s band members were alive when the first Black Flag line-up of  Ginn, Keith Morris, bassist Chuck Dukowski and drummer Robo broke up in 1978, and their combined ages don’t add up to that of the band leader.

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• black flag
• australian tour
• greg ginn
• 2026

Taking it to The Limit, Sonny Vincent tours again

New York punk survivor Sonny Vincent has swung back into action after a long lay-off – and how.

Fresh from three shows in Germany to provide live footage for a Danny Garica documentary about him, he’s doing a run of shows in Spain and releasing a second album with his US-Euro band The Limit.

The Limit features Vincent and Pentagram singer Bobby Leibling and will release their second album, “Another Drop”, on July 31. It’s being preceded by a single, “Part Two, Screw You”, featuring Liebling, Vincent (guitar and vocals) Steve Stevens (guitar) and Alex Schwers-(drums). Album pre-orders are open here. 

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• sonny vincent
• the limit
• spain tour
• bobby leibling