The Barman on a Banyo and Brisbane talent scouting trip with Stu McLaughlin (The Mick Medew & Ursula 4) and Kylie Lovejoy of The Glycereens.
TEN BEST ALBUMS OF 2025 (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)*
Badlanding – East Coast Low (Crankinhaus)
A step up to world class from this evergreen Newcastle crew. The horn section and Rob Younger’s production are secret sauces but don’t forget Michael Cornish’s killer vocal.
Trauma Magnet – Van Ruin (Crankinhaus)
People make a big deal about credentials but the past history of members does not always make a good record. This is an exception. No laurels are being rested on here. Al Creed’s guitar and Phil Van Rooyen’s songs rule.
10 More – MC50 (earMUSIC)
This slipped out with little fanfare at the end of 2025. Even better than the live bonus MC50 disc that came with the anaemic faux “MC5” album “Heavy Lifting”. Paraphrasing SonnyVincent: Rock on, (late) Brother Wayne.
Service Station Chicken - Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes (Stanley Records)
Call it alt.country or Americana. Whatever you like, It has overtones of Sydney circa-mid 1980s And it's purty good.
Chris Masuak’s Dog Soldier – Chris Masuak’s Dog Soldier (I-94 Bar Records)
What do you think I’m gonna say? Just buy it before the rescheduled Oz tour in October so we can afford petrol.
Apple of Life - Dom Mariani (Alive Naturalsound)
Dom does it again. Pure class powerpop with a country tinge. It's here.
Out In The Street – Angel Face (Slovenly Recordings)
Japanese glam-pop with a gritty punk edge. Find it here and other palces.
Long March Through the Jazz Age – The Saints (Fire Records)
Harks back to mid-‘80s Saints without that era’s production excesses. A remarkable postscript.
Shout It On The Mountain – Neverland Ranch Davidians (Heavy Medication)
Too abrassive and strung-out to ignore. Chase it down.
The Sugar Beats – The Sugar Beats (Vi-Nil Records)
Fuzzy goodness with lashings of pop brilliance. Take your medicine.
Revenge – Plastic Section (Chaputa Records)
What part of “reverb is their religion” was hard to understand? Raw like sushi. Order it here.
TEN HONOURABLE MENTIONS, RANDOMISED
Death Crossed The Street – Reverend Beat-Man & Milan Slick (Voodoo Rhythm)
“Lyrically, it’s as rudimentary as an Italian driving test, but if you came here seeking deep insights into the human condition, you deserve to be shot with a ball of your own shit and condemned to be buried in a crypt with a still breathing Bono”.
Roads…Stars – Asteroid B612 (Golden Robot)
Guitar lines flowing like lava and a locked in engine room. What’s not to love?
FÄHM – FÄHM (Hiss & Crackle Records)
Retro blues rock from the Wallsend swamp. Captain Beefheart wears a Newcastle Knights jersey and an umlat.
Introducing…- The Gnomes (Dog Meat Records)
Is Dog Meat. Is good. These Frankston, Victoria, beat boys are bound for glory.
The Big Shake Up! Vol 2 – The Dunhill Blues (Evil Tone/Outta Space)
Lots of line-ups and not a lot of re-invention or innovation, but why change what you do when it’s good. This is the band’s best yet.
I Really Like Beer – Cosmic Psychos (Subway Records)
Was gonna review this before Xmas but got too pissed.
Mr Sunshine – The Autumn Hearts (self released)
Killer pop made by old guys.
Come On In – The On and Ons (Jem Recordings)
Killer powerpop made by more old guys. A Best Of with some new gems.
The Hives Forever Forever the Hives – The Hives (PIAS Recordings)
Killer garage rawk from ageing guys with more energy than young kids.
Straight into The Sun – The Cruel Sea (Universal)
Like they never went away.
EIGHT LIVE SHOWS THAT I LOVED
The Hives @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney
The Saints ’74-’78, Kim Salmon and The Surrealists @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney
The New Christs, The On and Ons @ Marrickville Bowling Club, NSW
The Stems, The Rhinehearts @ Sydney Crowbar
The Beasts, The Johnnys, Richie Weed, The Unsound @ The Factory Theatre, Marrickville, NSW
Asteroid B612, The Escarpment, The Exile Co and The Crankees @Marrickville Bowlo
The Mick Medew & Ursula 4 @ The Cave Inn, Brisbane on NYE
Spitting Chips, Jupiter 5, The Sugar Beats @ Marrickville Bowling Club, NSW
The Fadeaways, Jupiter 5, The Cheetah Beat, The Dull City Destroyers @ Marrickville Bowling Club, NSW
Fuck The Neighbours @ MoshPit and Sydney Crowbar (THAT’S TWO SHOWS)
YEAR OF THE ROCK AND ROLL BOOK
Every year should be Year of the Rock and Roll Book but a few made 2025 special.
John Foy’s “Craic As It Happened” must be read in tandem with his earlier lavish, coffee table-sized “Snacks Crack Pop!” tome if you want the full Red Eye label story. Of course I read the second one first. Indispensable, both.
Bob Short’s “Night Comes Down”. It's a two-for-the-price of-one deal. It's two yarns about punk/goth music in Sydney and London being spun in parallel. Bob’s heart is nowhere near as dark as his writing and the cautionary tales are told masterfully. How did he get out alive? You’ll have to buy the book to find out.
While you're at it, just buy Steve Gardner’s “Another Tuneless Racket: Punk and New Wave in the Seventies, Volume Four: The American Beat – East” and disappear. The author's wit is drier than a Coober Pedy summer and there are riveting facts at every turn.
Sydneysider MJ Cornwall’s “Headonism” (with veteran pianist Peter Head) sets a mark for Kerouac-style story-telling with an Aussie twist. A fine follow-up to "Proby and Me". Buy here.
