"Don't Cry No Tears"because Broham is back with a debut album

A rocking Sydney country band with a serious underground heritage, Broham, is back on the boards after a year’s break and will launch their debut album, “Buckle Rash”, with a free show at  The Golden Barley in Enmore on Saturday, February 22. 

The no-support-three-sets show runs from 8-11pm.

“Buckle Rash” is 15 tracs on CD and was produced by Golden Guitar nominee Michael Carpenter at The House Studio, and mastered by Rick O’Neill at Turtle Rock.

Broham is the country vehicle for former Vanilla Chainsaws frontman Simon Chainsaw aka Krysler Broham.

Krysler and his band used the lay-off to good effect, finishing the long-player, working in new drummer Frank Rosetti and pumping out four video singles in 2024, all of which are viewable here.

“Buckle Rash” might have a country heart but its soul belongs to the sounds of inner-city Sydney circa the 1980s, and  one of its prime cuts is a rolled gold cover of the X classic “Don’t Cry No Tears” which you view after the READ MORE fold.

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• simon chainsaw
• broham
• vanilla chainsaws
• buckle rash

Two chances only to catch the jangle pop of The Grooveyard

Members went on to Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, the Lime Spiders, Hell To Pay, the Screaming Tribesmen and The Bambalams, but The Grooveyard was the one that got away in the febrile Sydney inner city scene of the 1980s. Next weekend's I-94 Bar presented reformation shows in Canberra and Sydney are some of the most keenly anticiopated of the year so far and supports have been announced.

Local heroes Il Bruto are on the undercard at Smiths Alternative in Canberra on Friday, February 7 and are an obvious choice with a set list reprising many of the songs that influenced Australia's underground scene, while at Sydney's Marrickville Bowling Club on Saturday, February 8 supports will be powerpop supremos The On and Ons and Van Ruin.

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• lime spiders
• paul kelly
• the on and ons
• marrickville bowling club
• the grooveyard
• van ruin

The D4 add supports to their Oz dates

Kiwi powerhouses The D4 have announced locasl supports for the hit-and-run Australian leg of their reunion tour and with one member living ont he other side of the globe, it might be your last chance to catch them on this side of The Ditch.

There are just three dates in Australia with most of their shows not unexpectedly in their home country.

In Brisbane they'll be joined by Tape/Off and Gentle Ben and His Shimmering Hands (The Brightside, February 13). Mary's Underground is the Sydney venue with Hard-Ons and Finnocuns opening preceedings on February 14. For the February 15 gig at Melbourne's esteemed The Tote, Mach Pelican, Raging Hormones and The Stripp fill out the undercard.

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• hard-ons
• australian
• the d4
• new zealand
• factory theatre
• mach pelican
• the stripp
• gentle ben and his shimmering hands

The Runaways' Cherie Currie on final sweep through Australia

Iconic frontwoman Cherie Currie of The Runaways has announced her second and final Australian tour. The five-date run will be her first since 2016 and takes in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.

One of rock’s true pioneers, Cherie Currie exploded onto the music scene in the 1970s as the unmistakable teenage voice of The Runaways, delivering anthems like “Cherry Bomb” that redefined what it meant to be a young, fearless woman in rock ‘n’ roll. Described as the “lost daughter of Iggy Pop and Bridgette Bardot”, she shattered barriers, inspired generations of female rockers, and cemented her place in music history.

But Cherie Currie is also a style icon, celebrated for her corsets, platform boots, and glam-punk flair.

Currie’s talents have also shone beyond the stage. As an actress, she starred alongside Jodie Foster in the 1980 classic “Foxes”, a film that captured the spirit of youth and rebellion. More recently, her life and career were immortalised in the acclaimed biopic “The Runaways,” starring Dakota Fanning as Cherie and Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett.

For this farewell tour, Cherie Currie promises fans a high-energy setlist packed with Runaways hits, solo favourites, and surprises, celebrating her remarkable journey in rock.

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• runaways
• cherie currie
• australian tour
• 2025

Out of an Igloo and Into The Zone, Mick Medew 's passion for rock and roll continues to burn

 _{The Mick Medew and Ursula 4 livein Brisbane. Lucas Ciechanowski photo.}

The Barman has put out Brisbane duo Mick Medew and Ursula's new record “In the Zone” on I-94 Bar Records. A bit of background (in case you're still sleeping off an Australia Day hangover...

Mick formed The Screaming Tribesmen back in 1981, and while there have been a number of members (including Ron Peno, Murray Shepherd and Mark Kingsmill), it's arguable that they're perhaps best remembered for their lives shows, classic 1983 single "Igloo", and 1987 album "'Bones and Flowers".  Chris "Klondike" Masuak was a member from 1984-1989.

So, yeah, is this old-man rock? Curiously, the Tribesmen, and Mick's current releases with I-94 Bar, seem to find favour with younger folk these days as well. Curious, I decided to ask Mick a few questions.

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• the 31st
• screaming trbesmen
• mick medew and ursula
• punk grandma
• in the zone
• mick medew and ursula 4

The MC5 book verdict? It done kicked 'em out

MC5 – An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band
By Brad Tolinksi, Jann Uhelszki and Ben Edmonds
(Hachette Books)

The MC5 finally made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. Or Hall of Lame, as we like to call it around here. As an institution, it really is a clusterfuck of inconsistency and the Five deserved to be there an eon ago.

You might argue that the band’s history, for the most part, was a contradiction of missed, ignored or mis-handled opportunities – and you’d be right. This much-anticipated tome is proof positive – if it were needed – of that.

Decent books about the Five are hard to find. The late Wayne Kramer had a go and succeeded to a degree (although parts smelt of revisionism). Bass player Michael Davis released his own equally harrowing autobiography, posthumously, that filled some gaps. Both books were single viewpoints, however. “MC5 – An Oral Biography…” is a shot at the big picture and fills a vacuum.

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• fred smith
• mc5
• wayne kramer
• sonic
• dennis thompson
• michael davis
• Brad Tolinski
• Ben Edmonds
• MC5 – An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band
• Jann Uhelszki
• Hachette Books

The On and Ons urge you to Come On In because the powerpop water is fine

Come On In – The On and Ons (Jem Recordings)

It’s only January but “Come On In” is already a contender for 2025's Record of The Year.

Granted, it’s not a “new” album as such - more a compilation of the band’s best songs from The On and Ons’ five previous releases with three new tracks appended - but don’t let that stop you. Odds-on that it’s going to smoke any other rocking pop you’ll hear in 2025.

“Come On In” is the American debut release for the Sydney band on Jem, an imprint established on 1970 and since revived by one of its founders, Marty Scott. It’s also home to the likes of power-pop king Paul Collins, The Grip Weeds and Richard Barone.

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• clyde bramley
• the on and ons
• screaming tribesmen
• hoodoo gurus
• glenn morris
• brian morris
• john hoey
• come on in
• jem recordings

When historical accuracy is A Complete Unknown

"A Complete Unknown"
Directed by James Mangold
Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks

New York City was Ground Zero for many of the significant 20th Century cultural upheavals, notable events and musical movements that exploded over the course of a few decades.

The late '40s brought on The Beat Generation of William Burroughs and Gregory Corso. The smoky jazz clubs spawned Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and later John Coltrane who were smashing down the walls down and redefining music, in particular jazz.

A bit over two decades later, Max's Kansas City and CBGB gave rise to Patti Smith, Blondie, Ramones and Television, off the back of The Factory scene with the Velvet Underground.

It was late 1950's that birthed a folk movement in small coffee shops in and around New York City's East Village, with characters like Rambling Jack Elliott and Pete Seeger. Accoustic folk music, with its roots with The Carter Family and acoustic blues from the cottonfields and The Dustbowl, took root with intellectuals and hip kids from inner-city university campuses. The songs became anthems for the labour movement and civil rights activists - In particular the music of Woody Guthrie.

The USA was exploding with a new sense of wildness and free thinking embodied in new art movements. It was also a time when classic older bluesman like Son House and John lee Hooker, ignored and working hand-to-mouth shit jobs, were discovered by a new hip, young and white audience.

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Guitar Wolf bring Jet Rock 'n' Roll back to Australian audiences

Tokyo's incredible Guitar Wolf are returning to Australia on a five-state tour in March and April 2025.



Since forming in 1987 and releasing their first album on Memphis's legendary Goner Records in 1993, Guitar Wolf have taken their wild and dangerous sound to the world, working with labels like Matador and Third Man in the process.

Guitar Wolf have released 12 albums and are signed to a major label at home in Japan. They first toured Australia in the late '90s, when mainman Seiji (pictured right) rode onto the stage of a packed Tote Hotel on the back of a borrowed motorcycle.



Inspired by the ultra-violent records of '50s guitar wielding maniac Link Wray as well as motorcycles, Ramones, Johnny Thunders, the Cramps and Joan Jett,

Seiji has called their sound "Jet Rock'n'Roll". He explained in a 2012 interview: "I love jet plane. I love noisy music, too. So...there were records...many records...every record have no big sounds. So...easy to listen. I hate that! So! I add jet sounds. Bwaaaahng! Explosion!"

Guitar Wolf are icons. They have their own branded motorcycle jacket, the 613 GW (made by Schott NYC of New York, who made the iconic 613 Perfecto jacket worn by the Ramones) and are movie stars, starring in the 1999 low budget sci-fi horror movie "Wild Zero".

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• australian tour
• guitar wolf
• 2025
• seiji