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By Al Creed

Al Creed

26 December 2025

Hits: 957

• top ten
• rob younger
• big al creed
• east coast low
• drugs in sport
• civic
• lachlan x morris
• van ruin
• 2025
• the autumn hearts
• melvic centre
• split system
• bleak squad

_{Lisa Gough Photography}

1. LACHLAN X MORRIS – “ILLUSIONAIRES”
If you don’t know about Novocastrian pop genius, Lachlan X Morris’s work, then you need to get off your ass and give his latest album, “Illusionaires”, a spin and subsequent purchase. 

In my mind, Lachlan is one of those artists that you wonder, “how is this guy not world renowned and a household name?” He also surrounds himself with a cast of superb musicians whose abilities are equally the perfect vehicle for driving his musical offings into your worn-out earholes, making them feel fresh and resonant.

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By Keith Claringbold

Keith Claringbold

22 December 2025

Hits: 1348

• keith claringbold
• the stems
• the beasts
• x
• schizophonics
• the wraylettes
• barry adamson
• top tens
• the fadeaways
• 2025
• jo meares
• fahm
• fowl weather vein

GIGS 

The Schizophonics at the Factory Floor in Sydney
And no, Craig, I can’t name three songs and it doesn’t matter one iota.

The Fadeaways at Marrickville Bowlo, Sydney
Great fun.

Barry Adamson-Factory Theatre, Sydney.
It was a looooooong time since I last saw Barry, playing bass for Magazine in 1980. He was great then and is great now.

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By Mike Foxall

Mike Foxall

22 December 2025

Hits: 1385

• hard-ons
• mike foxall
• pleasants
• the art of fox

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!

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By Simon Li

Simon Li

22 December 2025

Hits: 624

• 2025
• balkan grill

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

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By TheDean

TheDean

22 December 2025

Hits: 1666

• sewergrooves
• nunchukka superfly
• the dark clouds
• the hangmen
• top tens
• the strike-outs
• 2025

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.

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By Sean The Bastard

Sean The Bastard

20 December 2025

Hits: 1585

• hard-ons
• top ten
• the owen guns
• drugs in sport
• zeke
• sean the bastard
• sean st leone
• the sugar beats

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.

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By Mark Roxburgh

Mark Roxburgh

17 December 2025

Hits: 1434

• top ten
• joeys coop
• mark roxburgh
• spotify
• 2025

I missed the 2024 deadline for a Top 10 because I struggled to recall 10 things musically that gave me a lift. I came up with five and gave up. I saw a bunch of live stuff that really gave me the shits so that doesn’t count. Says more about me than the music scene.

Although I could put together a list of 10 excellent music things this year, I thought I’d take a different tack and go all academic on you because the thing that has been most on my mind this year is all the bands hating on Spotify and jumping off it. Partly because of its piss poor payment to, and chronic exploitation of, musicians.

Spotify isn’t alone in this. Although at the bottom end of pay per streams they are in stellar company with YouTube Music, Apple, Amazon and Deezer. But the main reasons artists are boycotting Spotify is because of Daniel Ek’s investment in Helsing, a German AI drone defence company. Purportedly established to boost the defence of European Democracies in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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By Ursula Collie Medew

Ursula Collie Medew

16 December 2025

Hits: 2595

• dr bombay
• lovejoy
• boondall boys
• screaming trbesmen
• mick medew and ursula
• 4zzz
• mick medew and ursula 4

-three 
_{The. moment "Punk Grandma" placed number in the 4ZZZ Hot 100}

1. “Punk Grandma” being voted number 3 in the 2024 4ZZZ Hot 100!

The countdown was held in The Triffid and our song was in the running. It was great fun for Mick and me to hang out with fellow local musicians and friends!!

2. Playing live
Mick Medew and Ursula will have played 16 times this year, 14 times as the four-piece and twice as the duo. Shows for the 4 were in Newcastle, Sydney, Gold Coast (supporting The Johnnys), The Triffid (supporting The Painters and Dockers where Jeremy Oxley got up and sang “Happy Man” with them), a 30^th birthday in Goodna, twice at Banshees in Ipswich, instore at Sonic Sherpa, at the Lovejoy reunion at The Junk Bar, two gigs with The Boondall Boys, and our single launch at The Cave Inn (where we had a pizza named after the band for November).

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By Colin Gray

Colin Gray

14 December 2025

Hits: 2038

• peter simpson
• vicious kitten
• anne mccue
• chris masuak's dog solider
• smoked salmon
• girl monstar
• colin gray
• hollywood brats
• the naked lunch

_{Colin Gray (right) with Kim Salmon.}

It’s been another productive year at Vicious Kitten Records with new album releases by Kevin K & The Bowery Kats, Pillbox NYC and (next month) the new album by Melbourne outfit Girl Monstar, who have reformed and recorded a new album after a 30 year hiatus!

Before I get to my top 10, I want to acknowledge the efforts of two cats who are responsible for the incredible sound and artwork on the Vicious Kitten releases – being sound wiz Ernie O at his Urban Fringe Compound, and the best graphic artist in the biz, Mark Rubenstein. I cannot recommend these two guys enough. If you need creative design/art for your project in 2026, Mark is your man. In terms of rock ‘n’ roll highpoints for the year just gone, it’s challenging to narrow it down to 10, but here goes……..

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