Turnbuckles wind up "40 Years Undefeated Tour" in Brisbane

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By The Barman

The Barman

04 September 2024

Hits: 1105

The I-94 Bar's favourite World Tag Team Champions, Psychotic Turnbuckles, wind up their "40 Years Undefeated Tour" with a Punkfest-promoted show at Black Bear Lodge in Brisbane on Saturday. Supports are The Dangermen, KillPIll and The Busymen and it's an early show with doors at 6.30pm. Tickets are here. 

But there's more! Turnbuckles frontman Jesse The Intruder and whichever other band members can be pried out of the fleshpots of Fortttude Valley will be Judy Jeston's special guests on her Subterranea show on 4ZZZ from 4.30pm AEST on Friday and you can stream it here.

• brisbane
• psychotic turnbuckles
• the dangermen
• the busymen
• killpill
• black bear lodge
• punkfest

Sonic grandeur - and numb bum - in a magnificient setting

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

03 September 2024

Hits: 1314

_{Josh Lord and Ash Wednesday.}

Melbourne Drone Orchestra presents Norla Drone edition 6
Ash Wednesday & Josh Lord
+ David Pittaway
+ Jennifer Lea & Sasha Braganca
+ Blood of a Pomegranate
Norla Dome, The Mission to Seafarers
Docklands, VIC
Sunday, August 25, 2024

So, there's this fantastic venue in Melbourne which I'd never heard of, never mind been to. The Mission to Seafarers.

It's a bloody beautiful building to look at, quite distinctive and engaging. The website says this "recently renovated Flinders St building is architecturally significant and is considered a fine urban example of a merging of the "Arts and Crafts and 'Spanish Mission Revival' architectural styles in Melbourne.

"The enchanting design offers a unique venue for functions and events of all styles and sizes; with full bar facilities, beer garden, a commercial kitchen, and all within the heart of Docklands and a short stroll from the CBD."

• josh lord
• ash wednesday
• the mission to seafarers
• norla drone
• david pittaway
• jennifer lea
• sasha braganca
• blood of a pomegranate

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The Stems cast a spell in Sydney

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By The Barman

The Barman

02 September 2024

Hits: 2316

 
_{Murray Bennett photo.}

The Stems
+ New Christs
Manning Bar, Sydney
Saturday, August 30, 2024
Photos: Tony McNamara unless otherwisde credited.

Shows by The Stems are reverential experiences, And for good reason. The band’s membership is scattered over two coasts of Australia and gigs don’t occur often. When they do, you know they're going to be something worth bottling.

What’s the special sauce? It’s Dom Mariani’s timeless pop songs being delivered by top-shelf players who have a chemistry that can only come from most of them playing together for years.

The foundation is Mariani on guitar and vocals, drummer Dave Shaw and bassist Julian Matthews, with a guitar foil of Ash Naylor (this tour) or Davey Lane, who are both ubiquitous and gifted in equal measures.

As far as recordings go, The Stems have not been prolific, with just two full-length studio albums since 1987, so it’s all about the quality and not the length. Their first LP, “At First Sight Violets Are Blue”, was a fully formed pop classic, and the 2007 “follow-up”, “Heads Up”, was substantial in its own right, although is not as well-known.

• sydney
• new christs
• julian matthews
• manning bar
• dom mariani
• the stems
• ash naylor
• australian tour
• dave shaw

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Re-born Sacred Cowboys spring a surprise show

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By Robert Brokenmouth

Robert Brokenmouth

01 September 2024

Hits: 3092

The Sacred Cowboys
Town Hall Hotel,
North Melbourne
Friday, August 28, 2024
PHOTOS: James Stewart

You may have seen a few videos of this secret warm-up gig on Sacred Cowboys leaderr Garry Gray's Facebook page.  They're great but being there was something else.

See, unlike the two English twonks who recently announced another culture-sucking reformation tour, when we'd all assumed they'd been safely banished to a tiny island in an oasis in a vast desert, the Sacred Cowboys are a kind of poke in the moral and political eye, as well as being the kind of rock band people actually enjoy when it's parked in front of them. 

Despite coming from the same melting-pot that punk initially came from, The Sacred Cowboys could never have been called “punk” with any accuracy. If they resembled anything, it would be a band from the early 1970s stages of Max's or CB's. They have a kind of outsider-taint to them, an aspect both foreign and familiar. Still do have it, you know.

Also, while there was a reason Molly Meldrum dissed the band on “Countdown”, he'd been told to play them, and he had no choice. The truth is that the Sacred Cowboys were their own coiled critter, intent on their own mayhem. That their lyrics were also broadly and potently political added to their attraction. 

• sacred cowboys
• garry gray
• town hall hotel
• shotkickers

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God Damn, New York! Andy really did Get The Band Back Together

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By The Barman

The Barman

29 August 2024

Hits: 2985

_{New Dictator Keith Roth flanked by (from left) Andy Shernoff, Albert Bouchard and Ross The Boss.}  

As far as reformations go, it was a longshot at best. We speak not of Oasis, but the much more seminal and important Dictators, out of New York City, who all and sundry figured had drawn their last collective breath after some bitter internal fallings-out.

The May 2020 announcement that the Dictators were reassembling - sans longtime frontman Handsome Dick Manitoba) - caught the world unaware. Before the first single, “Let’s Get The Band Back Together”, hit the Interwebs, it seemed similarly implausible that the new line-up was recording.

A new album, the plain language-titled “The Dictators” will be released online and on CD in September, with vinyl to follow in October. Which leads us to ask: How did punk rock’s original misfits and premier proto-punk influences find their way to being a band again?

Co-founder and songwriter Andy Shernoff gives us all the answers, live and on the line thanks to the wonders of Zoom…

• ross the boss
• top ten
• dffd
• blue oyster cult
• scott kempner
• andy shernoff
• handsome dick manitoba
• Daniel rey
• albert bouchard
• keith roth
• the dictators
• jp patterson
• sandy pearlman
• richard meltzer
• manifest destiny
• the dictators go girl crazy
• manitoba's wild kindgom

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Hell Oh! King Brothers bring their death-defying chaos back to Oz

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By Matt Ryan of Munster Times

Matt Ryan of Munster Times

29 August 2024

Hits: 1762

Explosive Japanese band King Brothers are returning to Australian shores for the first time since 2016 this month. A mix of blues and outta control ‘90s garage, King Brothers are an example of a band that take two genres with deep roots and manage to make a sound that sounds original. 

With a reputation for loose and rowdy shows, this run of gigs by the band from Nishinomiya City are a must see.

Lead singer and guitarist Keizo spoke to Matt Ryan via email.

• australian tour
• 2024
• king brothers
• hell oh! oz

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Search for Charlie Owen and you will find heart and soul

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By Edwin Garland

Edwin Garland

25 August 2024

Hits: 3063

“Searching For Charlie Owen”
Charlie Owen
Cam Butler
Pete Ross and the Sapphire
Django Bar, Marrickville
Friday 16 August 2024
WORDS: Edwin Garland
PHOTOS: The Barman

The Camelot Lounge and its smaller cousin Django Bar, really are the most unheralded venues in Sydney’s inner-west. They’re in a great location, directly opposite Sydenham Railway Station, with Django holding about 120 people and the other about 200.

There has been a lot of love and attention to detail put into the fit-out with all sorts of antiques and obscure paintings on hand. Food and bar prices are reasonable, the sound is immaculate and there’s loads of atmosphere and vibe.  In a time when it’s a struggle for venues to keep themselves alive, big kudos to the owners.

• charlie owen
• cam butler
• searching for Charlie owen
• pete ross and the sapphire
• django bar
• camelot lounge

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Forty years on, The Stems are still For Always

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By The Barman

The Barman

22 August 2024

Hits: 2381

 _{Ash Naylor, Dave Shaw. Dom Mariani and Julian Matthews are The Stems in 2024. Craig MacLean photo @shot.by.mac.}

It’s called anticipation. You’re in a band. You’ve re-convened after a very long lay-off. The line-up’s now well-rehearsed, fed and watered, and it’s the lull before the storm that will be the first day of your 40th anniveresary tour. 

Rock and roll is more waiting than playing. Dom Mariani knows it well. He’s on the line from a hotel in Melbourne where The Stems are poised to undertake their first Australian tour this week in five years (thanks COVID) before taking off on a sweep through Spain and Italy.

Oh no. There’s a brief coughing fit. It's from Dom’s end. 

“You all right?”

• dom mariani
• the stems
• australian tour
• 2024

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Pocketwatch ups the ante with Wayne Connolly's help on "Break Out"

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By Edwin Garland

Edwin Garland

21 August 2024

Hits: 1674

Break Out - PocketWatch (self-released)

Pocketwatch burst onto the Sydney scene about two years ago.  With the two youngest members just turning 16, they put on infectious live shows and had attitude. With a range of influences (Power-pop, Britpop and Grunge), these kids were no shoe gazers. The band’s rise has been meteoric on the street-level live circuit and they are now packing out the likes of Marrickville Bowlo.

It's less than year since their debut release, the “It’s Time” EP.  It captured their live sound, pointing to a raw punk ethos served with a side dish of meat and potatoes, no frills production. And it was the right record at the time.

Young bands need to spread their wings and find an empathetic producer who can bring to the table their decades of skills and create a shared vision. Enter Wayne Connolly.

• wayne connolly
• pocketwatch
• Angus Ross
• jamie woodward
• break out
• sam mcinerney

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