Does he still have the magic? Yes he does! In praise of Billy Idol

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By JD Stayfree

JD Stayfree

07 March 2022

Hits: 5990

❝Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their own free will.❞  —Joseph Goebbels 

❝A nation of sheep soon begets a government of wolves.❞ —Edward R. Murrow

❝Laws are created to be followed by the poor. Laws are made by the rich to bring some order to exploitation. The poor are the only law-abiders in history When the poor make laws—the rich will be no more.❞ —Roque Dalton García (1974)

❝The masses have never thirsted after truth. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.❞ —Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931)

❝Governments in capitalist society are but committees of the rich to manage the affairs of the capitalist class.❞ —James Connolly

❝It is impossible for any doomed population to grasp how fragile the decayed financial, social and political system is on the eve of implosion. All the harbingers of collapse are visible: crumbling infrastructure; chronic underemployment and unemployment; the indiscriminate use of lethal force by police; political paralysis and stagnation; an economy built on the scaffolding of debt; nihilistic mass shootings in schools, universities, workplaces, malls, concert venues and movie theaters; opioid overdoses that kill some 64,000 people a year; an epidemic of suicides; unsustainable military expansion; gambling as a desperate tool of economic development and government revenue; the capture of power by a tiny, corrupt clique; censorship; the physical diminishing of public institutions ranging from schools and libraries to courts and medical facilities; the incessant bombardment by electronic hallucinations to divert us from the depressing sight that has become America and keep us trapped in illusions. We suffer the usual pathologies of impending death. I would be happy to be wrong. But I have seen this before. I know the warning signs. All I can say is get ready.❞— Chris Hedges

• generation x
• billy idol
• steve stevens
• the roadside ep

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Silver or Black? Leadfinger deliver solid gold

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By Robert Brokenmouth & Colin Gray

Robert Brokenmouth & Colin Gray

07 March 2022

Hits: 3982

Silver & Black - Leadfinger (Golden Robot)

Yeah, well, I may have been away for a while. Haven't had a lot of time to listen to music. I mean, for a few months, music was that occasional thing in the background - which is not the way to enjoy music. There are (in fact) only two ways: live and in your face, or turned up loud and in your ears. Any other way, the stuff can only hint at a timeless upland of dancing and carrying on like a horny dog at a wedding, rather than the entire emotional brawl.

So turning on Leadfinger's “Silver and Black” is a bit like a starving, dehydrated man tottering into one of those “45 beers on tap” pubs with an Irish heart-clogging cook, accommodation, someone else's credit card and a couple of months to kill.

• wollongong
• stewart cunningham
• friday night heroes
• leadinger
• silver & black

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Dive in for "Flood Zone" and help someone keep their head above water

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By The Barman

The Barman

04 March 2022

Hits: 2945

Venerable Australian label Half a Cow has moved with lightning speed to respond to the floods that have devasted parts of the Australian east coast this week.

One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the digital release of the quickly-assembled, all-Australian “Flood Zone” compilation will go to Queensland and New South Wales victims of the inundation, via the GIVIT platform.

Copies downloaded during Bandcamp Friday will be exempt from Bandcamp charges. It can be purchased here.

Participating acts are The Lovetones, Crow, The Ramalamas, Key Out, The Finalists, Darren Hanlon, Froggy Prinze, Bum Spa, Claire Birchall, Baby Blue, Montana, Tim Guy, Thee Cha Cha Chas, Adele & The Chandeliers, Turnstyle, Lost In The Woods, The Nature Strip, Monnone Alone, Victoria, Stressless, Bambino Koresh, La Huva, Smudge and Falling Joys.

Says label head Nic Dalton: "Thanks to all the acts for helping out! Some songs are old, some songs are new and some have never seen the light of day before."

• bandcamp
• half a cow
• nic dalton
• flood zone

Uncover your own second slice of underground Treasure

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By The Barman

The Barman

02 March 2022

Hits: 3534

The second instalment of “Raining Treasure”, the rather excellent countryfried salute to Sydney underground rock and roll’s heyday by Sydney’s Urban and Western master, John Kennedy, is on its way.

A crowdfunding campaign is in full swing and rewards range from autographed copies with your name on the cover to a show in your own home.  

You can make sure you’re part of the action with John and his band The 68 Comeback Special by going here.

The second in a series, “Raining Treasure Vol 2” will features covers classic ‘70s and ‘80s songs (and obscurities) by The Boys Next Door, The Riptides, The Passengers and  Radio Birdman. How do you say Yeah Hup with a country twang? 

Flaming Hands vocalist Julie Mostyn-Gilbert is a guest on the album and is pictured at the recording session with Kennedy.

• radio birdman
• flaming hands
• john kennedy
• monday evening gunk
• 68 comeback special
• raining treasure vol 1
• raining treasure vol 2
• midlife crisis
• julie mostyn-gilbert

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Wine and cola or pizza and beer? Johnny Casino cooks up a lavish box set

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By The Barman

The Barman

01 March 2022

Hits: 3051

Perennial I-94 Bar favourite Johnny Casino has a limited edition of seven-inch singles out under the apt name “5x7 - The Days of Wine and Cola”. 

The physical boxset is in a run of 200 copies only and is available on Bandcamp here or through European labels Folc (Spain) and Beast (France). The digital edition is out on all platforms through Golden Robot Records.

Now living in Spain, the man once known as John A Spittles is the founding member and songwriter of the great Australian rock 'n' roll band Asteroid B612, Philadelphia PA's Johnny Casino's Easy Action, the rotating line-up that is Johnny Casino and the Secrets (featuring the who's who of Australian rock 'n' roll), The Egos, The Lord Street Sound, and Carrie Phillis and the Downtown 3.

Casino is a musicila journeyman always looking for new challenges whether it’s a riff to plunder, a melody to celebrate or a moment to capture, so let's allow Johnny describe the concept of the release:

• beast records
• johnny casino
• box set
• folc records
• asteroid b12
• golden robot
• 5 x 7 days of wine and cola
• the secrets

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"I'm Sorry Sir, Those Support Spots Have Been Taken"

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By The Barman

The Barman

01 March 2022

Hits: 3597

_{Mark Fraser photo.}

The Hard-Ons have announced the supports for their “I'm Sorry Sir, That Riff's Been Taken” Australian tour - their first with their new line-up which features new singer Tim Rogers.The tour comes on the back of the band's first ever ARIA Top 5 album, and takes in all East Coast capitals and key regional hubs.

The tour was pre-empted by NSW warm-up shows at The Link & Link in Woy Woy (December) and Frankies Pizza by The Slice in Sydney (February), billed under the name Clandestine Sausage, attracting rabid fan attention.   

The list of supports includes strong locals as well as a couple of bands with a shared history on the Alternative Charts in the '90s – namely Smudge in Sydney and The Meanies in Melbourne. Sydney's C.O.F.F.I.N. are main support for tour closer at the Corner in Melbourne. 

For full dates, click More.

• hard-ons
• tour
• meanies
• australian
• smudge
• tim rogers
• i'm sorry sir but that riff's been taken

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Lock up your bar fridges, Sydney: The Johnnys are back

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By The Barman

The Barman

27 February 2022

Hits: 3052

Excuse us for being excited but cowpunk kings The Johnnys play their first Sydney show since February 2019 at Sydney's Marrickville Bowling Club this Saturday night with the two-headed raunch machine that is White Knuckle Fever and country-rockiers Broham (including former Vanilla Chainsaws frontman Simon Chainsaw.) It's an I-94 Bar show and tickets are here.

• marrickville
• the johnnys
• broham
• white knuckle fever

Second album brings refreshing change for veterans Joeys Coop

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By The Barman & John Ventura

The Barman & John Ventura

26 February 2022

Hits: 4414

Lachlan Valley Dirt  – Joeys Coop (Citadel)

Following John Ventura’s pre-release review of the album that appears below is almost redundant, but let’s have a shot now that the record has undergone repeated listening.

It would be lazy to say that if you grew up with the underground sounds of Australia in the 1980s then you need “Lachlan Valley Dirt”. Of course you do -  but the appeal deserves to be much broader.

This is a world-class “grown up rock” record – and that label is both a term of endearment and a reflection on the absolute dross that passes for most popular music these days.

• died pretty
• joeys coop
• powerglide
• brett myers
• mark roxburgh
• lloyd gyi
• ME 262
• moshpit
• lachlan valley dirt

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Heads-up for Stooges obsessives: Easy Action to bring A Fire of Life

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By The Barman

The Barman

23 February 2022

Hits: 5760

What may be the final word in posthumous Stooges recordings for the foreseeable future is looming on UK label Easy Action and it’s a doozy.

Firstly, “A Fire of Life” is a double CD or LP collection compiling 2006 and 2003 live recording by the Pop-Asheton-Asheton-Watt line-up in Sydney and New Orleans respectively, coupled with high quality basement demos of tracks that would appear on “The Weirdness” and an in-store appearance. 

It will be rounded off with 11 tracks from the legendary stripped back appearance at Newbury Comics in Cambridge MA in 2003 by Iggy and the Ashetons (with Scott on cardboard boxes!)  

You can hear “Dirt” from the Sydney Big Day Out here and here is “Little Doll” from the basement. Pre-order here where you can read the full tracklist.

But that’s not all. 

• iggy
• iggy pop
• iggy & the stooges
• iggy and the stooges
• a fire of life
• theatre of cruelty
• graham ling

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