Following a run of sold out shows in Melbourne, Frankston's fab four The Gnomes have announced the six-date “Dive! Dive! Dive! Rock'n'Roll Dive Bar Tour” across Victoria and New South Wales throughout January and February,.

The NSW gigs include a support spot to Viagra Boys at the Hordern Pavilion. The band has a string of regional Victorian shows coming up, including two with Hockey Dad, and they have been included in recent line-up announcements by Frankston's Waterfront Festival (7 February) and Flippin' The Bird (28 February) as well as Golden Plains (8 March).

2025 TOP 10 THINGS OF A ROCK & ROLL NATURE -  BY FOX

1. TRANSISTORS - “EVERYTHING WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN” LP
My favourite album of the year was by this Kiwi trio I've never heard before. Turns out it is a reunion album of sorts, with the band being previously active in the late 00s / early 2010s. It’s up tempo punk / power pop with great melodies played with intent and aggression. The unexpected bonus to this discovery was my mate Troy accessing his internal Dewey Decimal System and gifting me a test pressing of their 2007 debut album “Shortwave” plucked from his vast wax museum. It’s also killer!

1. "20 Years in the Crypt - Embedded on tour with Dead Moon" (documentary)

2. Fanny - "The Right to Rock" (documentary)

3. Karen Dalton - "In My Own Time" (documentary)

4, "Without Getting Killed or Caught" (Guy Clark documentary)

5. Margo Price - "Hard Headed Woman" (digital album)

6. Neko Case - "Neon Grey Midnight Green" (digital album)

7. Die Spitz - "Something to Consume" (digital album)

8. The Prize - "In the Red" (digital album)

9. The Mezcaltones "Big Hat, No Cattle" Album Launch at Marrickville Bowling Club, Sydney

10. Toody Cole and her band - PBS FM "Studio 5 Live"

RIP James Baker, Clem Burke, Sly Stone, Rex Bell, Steve Cropper, Ace Frehley, Garth Hudson, Todd Snider, David Johansen, Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Cliff, Raul Malo

Alex Green photo. 

Ginger Butcher, Baker and the Candlestick Maker

10. Nunchukka Superfly - “If You Go Down, I Go Down Too” LP Launch. Marrickville Bowlo, 29th August 
We had the pleasure of seeing Ray and Blackie quite a bit this year. Live and on the big screen. The only artist we got to absorb more than these two champs were our Rock n Rock Bloodbrothers The Strike-Outs.

Legendary Japanese–Australian punk trio Mach Pelican are returning with their first new release in nearly two decades in January. Local label Cheersquad is releasing a vinyl single, “Remember It?” b/w “Summer Sun”.

Recorded by Paul Maybury (Rocket Science) at the renowned Secret Location Sound Recorders in Melbourne, the tracks are said to capture everything fans love about Mach Pelican: high-speed energy, pop-soaked melodies, and those unmistakably catchy hooks.

The single will be released on January 30 in three limited vinyl variants — translucent red, translucent blue and classic black — in runs of 100 copies each, plus a worldwide digital release.

Pre-orders are open here.

Mach Pelican have been gigging, mostly in and around Melbourne, and will host a single launch party on Saturday, January 31 at The Last Chance Rock & Roll Bar in their adopted home city, Special guests will be Loose Lips and Elvis II.

Swiss psych-garage punk trio The Jackets are finally bringing their long-awaited Australian tour to life in February and March..

Hailing from Bern, Switzerland, The Jackets are known for their ferocious blend of fuzz-soaked garage rock, raw punk energy and warped psychedelia. Frontwoman Jackie Brutsche commands the stage with a fearless, high-voltage live performance, while the band’s no-frills approach has earned them cult status across Europe, the UK, Japan and the USA

The Jackets have released five full-length albums and three vinyl singles, collaborating with labels such as Voodoo Rhythm Records (Switzerland), Chaputa! Records (Portugal), and Soundflat Records (Germany). Along the way, they’ve worked with influential musicians and producers like Reverend Beat-Man (The Monsters), King Khan (The Shrines/KK & BBQ), and Jim Diamond (White Stripes/Dirtbombs).

Another Japanese rock band is landing in Australia. This time it’s TsuShiMaMiRe making their Down Under debut, hitting Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney in February.

Known worldwide for their explosive live performances, razor-sharp musicianship and fearless genre-blending sound, TsuShiMaMiRe have spent more than two decades carving out a fiercely loyal cult following across Japan, North America and Europe.

In no particular order heres my Top Ten highlights of 2025

Hard-Ons
There’s just no stopping the Hard-Ons.   I was fortunate enough to play three gigs in three days with them recently and they just don’t stop. A band who’s been around this long could be excused for dialing it in from time to time but they never do. They’re still putting out music of a consistently high standard (their collab with Jerry A recently being up with their best) and their live shows never disappoint.  And they still manage to be top blokes.

 Service Station Chicken - Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes (Stanley Records)

Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes make country music for people who don’t like country music. That’s a truism, not a slur.

The point is that the players’ background in underground Oz rock and roll, circa late 1980s rolling into the ‘90s, is apparent in their playing. You play enough sticky carpet dives where patrons demand to be impressed and you become a harder player. At least that's how it was before streaming. These Roadside Ashes have a work ethic honed over some years.