Tuneless racket? This punk and new wave series is Indispensable

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By The Barman

The Barman

07 March 2024

Hits: 5947

Another Tuneless Racket: Punk And New Wave In The Seventies, Volume One: Origins 
Another Tuneless Racket: Punk And New Wave In The Seventies, Volume Two: Punk
Another Tuneless Racket: Punk and New Wave In The Seventies: Volume Three: UK New Wave
Another Tuneless Racket: Punk and New Wave In The Seventies, Volume Five: The American Beat – West
By Steve H Gardner (self published)

The best intentions are often derailed by practicality. After being gifted Volume One of “Another Tuneless Racket”, the plan was to acquire and read the other three back-to-back and then write a review. A fine goal but one that slipped after realising their combined volume came to almost 2,400 pages and life was getting in the way…

After delving deep into the series, it’s clear that the beauty of “Another Tuneless Racket” is that once you get your bearings, you can dive in almost anywhere, pick up on a thread and keep going. As you'll gather from the titles, each volume zeroes in on a time and place in the history of punk and new wave music, and then takes up the story of key acts. The series serves as a roadmap through the twists and turns of punk and new wave across most of the western world. 

It’s meticulously researched but you’d expect that from author Steve Gardner, He’s a lanky Yank from San Diego who grew up on the US East Coast where he went to university before finding himself working in engineering. A music obsessive from an earl;y age, he'd been bitten by the punk rock bug by the time he blew out the candles on his 21^st birthday cake. 

• new wave
• noise for heroes
• steve gardner
• another tuneless racket

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Last word on the MC5 looms as Jaan honours a promise

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By The Barman

The Barman

03 March 2024

Hits: 4238

What should be the definitive history of the MC5 is heading for release in October 2024.

“MC5 - An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band” is being published worldwide by Hachette and is the result of years of work by writers Brad Tolinski, Jaan Uhelszki and the late Ben Edmonds.

A former CREEM magazine staffer, Uhelszki delivered the news in a Facebook post a day ago: 

“In 2015, when my friend and CREEM magazine co-conspirator Ben Edmonds fell ill, he asked me to come to Detroit to help him finish his MC5 book. I thought we could knock it out in three weeks,” she wrote.

“Boy, was I wrong. It took me three weeks just to read through all the interviews he had done with the band members in the 10-15 years after they had broken up. 

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Consider yourself Born To Be Punched if you miss this

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By The Barman

The Barman

03 March 2024

Hits: 4389

Legendary drummer and scene-maker James Baker (Scientists, Victims, Hood Gurus, Beats of Bourbon) has a solo record out this month via US label In The Red, and Melbourne’s Strange World Records will be its exclusive Australian retailer.

“Born To Rock” is a six-song vinyl EP from James Baker and the Groundbreakers and it’s available from Strange World for pre-order here and from In The Red here. 

The EP marks James’ 70^th year on the planet and he and a hand-picked line-up will celebrate at The Duke of George Hotel in Perth on Sunday, March 17. 

The bill is Big Boss Man, Abbe May, Datura4, Luke Dux and Joe Bludge and the show will raise money to assist James in fight against cancer. 

And because he's on doctor's orders, James will be part of the April Australian tour by The Beasts and tickets for that run are available here.

• james baker
• in the red
• the beasts
• born to rock

Live album finds Hitmen and Tek still riding high

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By Ron Brown & The Barman

Ron Brown & The Barman

02 March 2024

Hits: 6787

Tonight We Ride: Official Bootleg Live in Sydney November 13 1991 – Hitmen DTK with special guest Deniz Tek (Vicious Kitten)

Hello I-94 barflies! Ain’t life grand? A new official bootleg recording of the magnificent Hitmen DTK, with special guest Deniz Tek, ripping through a few choice cuts from the Birdman catalogue, How good is that? 

But first, the back story.

Hitmen DTK were fresh back from recording the underrated album “Moronic Inferno” in the USA. They hit the road to promote said record in Sydney, Australia, for a handful of gigs.  

• bootleg
• hitmen
• deniz tek
• chris masuak
• vicious kitten
• hitmen dtk
• johnny kannis
• tonight we ride

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Historic Hitmen DTK with Deniz Tek live show to be released this week

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By The Barman

The Barman

27 February 2024

Hits: 3663

Canberra label Vicious Kitten is releasing a previously unheard 1991 live album by Hitmen DTK with special guest Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman this week.

“Tonight We Ride: Official Bootleg Live in Sydney November 13 1991” is a warts and all recording from a Sydney show at lost venue Toucan Tango. Tek guested to promote the “Moronic Inferno” album by Hitmen DTK that he’d participated on.

• radio birdman
• deniz tek
• chris masuak
• vicious kitten
• hitmen dtk
• tonight we ride

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Hellacopters members take us inside "Grande Rock" re-birth

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By The Barman

The Barman

26 February 2024

Hits: 2437

Swedish high energy rock 'n' roll legends The Hellacopters have released a documentary called "Let's Talk Grande Rock Revisited" to accompany the re-tooled (as in remixed and remastered) double album “Grande Rock Revisited”. 

The doco, directed by Emil Klinta, shows original members Nicke, Robert, Boba and Dregen talking about the idea behind the revisited version of their classic record Grande Rock from 1999, and why they decided to release this new version as a double album.

"Grande Rock” hasn't been available to purchase on vinyl for more than 20 years. This new edition is available as 2LP, 2CD and digital edition all of which contain both the remastered original album as well as a revisited and remixed version with additional guitars by Dregen, plus additional percussion and piano and new backing vocal tracks. 

Just like the original release back in 1999, the vinyl edition exclusively features the Venom cover "Angel Dust" as a bonus track. It’s available via the Nuclear Blast label.

• hellacopters
• revisited
• grande rock

Smalltown Crush

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By The Barman

The Barman

24 February 2024

Hits: 3535

 Crush On You – Smalltown Tigers (Area Pirata)

You like guitars, all-girl bands and anthems? Smalltown Tigers are The Donnas without major hype or The Runaways with songs. That’s 99 percent of what you need to know, right there. What’s not to like about the debut album by this Italian rock trio?

Italian bands? I’ve heard some shitty ones. Likes lot of Europe, rock and roll struggles to retain a grip on audiences in Italy, and the cookie cutter approach abounds, not to mention some uninspired DIY production. Many Italian bands don’t and can’t rock.  

• ramones
• runaways
• crush on you
• smalltown tigers
• the donnas
• area pirata

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Bin there, done that, but boy it sure sounds fine

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By The Barman

The Barman

20 February 2024

Hits: 2928

Trashcan Sunrise – Thee Windom Earles (Earlesworld)
The packet says: “Trash Garage. Sleaze Surf. Greasy Rockabilly” and sure ‘nuff it ain’t no lie. 

Two guitars, drums and bass and keys; it’s not a departure from the familiar for veteran garage freaks, but Thee Windom Earles do it so damn well and with a shitload of energy. This is a band that has obviously earned its “Thee” in a myriad of parties, pubs, dungeons and booze-soaked boltholes. 

• manchester
• trashcan sunrise
• thee windom earles

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Radios appear one more time after Sydney sell-outs

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By The Barman

The Barman

09 February 2024

Hits: 2572

Is it really the last yeah hup? Radio Birdman has added a third and final hometown show to the June-July "Birdman 5-O" farewell tour after two dates at Sydney's Manning Bar sold out.

In a statement today, the band said: 

"Due to overwhelming demand, there will be one extra Sydney concert on Sunday 7 July to accommodate those who were unable to get tickets to the previously scheduled Sydney concerts. The RB50 tour has been limited to just eight dates due to personal factors.

• radio birdman
• australian tour
• birdman 5-O

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