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jeffrey wegener

  • belle trio soaring

    Belle Phoenix with Jeffery Wegener and Ken Gormly
    + Fabels
    Thursday, 4 September 2025
    Lazy Thinking, Dulwich Hill, NSW

    WORDS: Ed Garland
    PICTURES: Keith Claringbold

    With her elfin appearance and cat’s eyes, Belle Phoenix, is part musical performer and part Factory girl, and surely would fitted into Andy Warhol’s Bohemian scene of 1966. Her sweet vocal has held her in good stead as a backing singer on other people’s albums, but she’s steadily built an impressive body of work with her own material.

    Belle Phoenix’s music would work as a soundtracks to European movies (indeed, she did live in Europe for a time with Finland a home base.) It has hints of the spoken word spirit that pervaded the San Francisco of 1958 when alcohol-fuelled beat poetry nights were all the rage, long before anyone had an inkling of the Summer of Love that was lay ahead.  Yet, Belle can also sing like the angels and produce pure soprano bliss amidst her swamp darkness.

  • edwin 2025I thought this was quiet year but, looking back at It, there were many more than 10 gems that stand out for me. So it’s a round-up - with only a slight concession to numbers.

    I do see myself as a hermit compared to most people who go to gigs every week and constantly buy albums. But 2025 was a bustling and explosive year for me with some real highlights.  

    “South by South West” in Sydney was chaotic, a lottery dip and well worth a look for some superb bands. From Chinese metal art house to the best indie pop this side of Half a Cow Records, I recommend checking it out next year.

    For personal musical highlights,  I was honoured to be part of Ernie Oppenheimer’s post- punk album, “The Institutionalist”.  Playing a gig at Geoff Datson’s hootenanny with someone I believe in one is one of the best blues-swamp guitar players, Bones of The Deadly Hume, was a hoot. There will eventually be a YouTube clip.  

    Finally, there was a little doco that I was involved with about the photography of Bryan Cook. There will a book out early next year, “Spirits of the Hopetoun” will feature his photos with some magnificent research and interviews by Dr Greg Ferris and Dr Liz Giuffre.

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The Living Eye


Right eye

NYE Masquerade: The State Of Re-emergence
The Double Happiness
+ The Heydaisies
+ The Mick Medew & Ursula 4
(Screaming Tribesmen set)
+ Purple Adventures
+ Cross Town Collective
+ The Worm Turns
+ iLdil
+ The Randomizzzed Experience
+ DJ Patience Hodgson
The Cave Inn, Wollongabba, QLD
- Dec 31
Tickets  

Tumbleed & The New Christs 
JAN
16 - The Marlin, Ulladulla, NSW
+ Cool Jumper
17 - Avalon Beach RSL,
Avalon, NSW 

Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes
Service Station Chcken Tour
JAN
17 – MoshPit Bar, Sydney, NSW
+ Bahne Super-Flex + Sam Shinazzi
18 – The Junkyard, Maitland, NSW
+ Tim Easton (USA)
20 – The Tamworth Hotel, Tamsworth, NSW
“The Tops Day Out” festival
30 – Link & Pin, Woy Woy, NSW
+ The Dunhill Blues
31 – The Oak Tighes Hill,Newcastle, NSW
+ Crank Williams and Patsy Decline
FEB
27 – The Main Bar, Ballarat, VIC
28 – Union Hotel, Brunswick, VIC
MAR
1 – Bendigo Hotel, Brunswick, VIC

The Gnomes
Dive! Dive! Dive!
Rock ‘n’ Roll Dive Bar Tour
JAN
16 - The Lansdowne, Sydney
+ Marilyn Maria + Aria Nova
17 - Dicey's, Wollongong
+ Kryver + Jordan Kenny + Harold & The Bishops
18 - Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
w/ Viagra Boys
23 - The Gem, Collingwood (8pm)
+ W.O.M.B.A.T. + Sargent Baker
30 - Last Chance Rock'n'roll Bar, Melbourne (8pm)
+ Winsky + Riviera
31 - Trash Cult, Bendigo (7pm)
+ Clydesdale
FEB
14 - Shotkickers, Thornbury (8pm)
+ Public House + Special Guests
20 - The Tote Front Bar, Collingwood (6pm)
+ Champ Ruby
21 - Kindred Bandroom, Footscray (8pm)
+ Stimpies + special guests

TsuShiMaMiRe (JP)
Australian Tour
FEB
19 - Shotkickers, Melbourne, VIC
20 – Trash Cult, Bendigo, VIC
22– Young St Tavern, Frankston, VIC
27 - Shadows, Canberra, ACT
28 – Moshpit, Sydney, NSW

The Jackets (CH)
Australian Tour
FEB
25 – Shotkickers, Thornbury, VIC
26 - Vineyard, St Kilda, VIC
27 – Marrickville Bowlo, Sydney, NSW
28 - The Bendi, Collingwood, VIC
MAR
1 -– Trash Cult, Bendigo, VIC
2  – The Last Chance, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets

Cosmic Psychos
"I Really Like Beer Tour"
JAN
1 — Edge Hill Tavern, Cairns, QLD
2 — Dalrymple Hotel, Townsville, QLD
3 — Magnums, Airlie Beach, QLD
4 — Metropolitan Hotel, Mackay, QLD
7  — Harvey Road Tavern, Gladstone, QLD
8  — Grand Hotel, Childers, QLD
9 — Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, Gold Coast, QLD
10 — Seaview Tavern, Woolgoolga, NSW
11 — Bellingen Brewery, Bellingen, NSW
14  — Moonshiners Honky Tonk Bar, Tamworth, NSW
15 — Finnian's Tavern, Port Macquarie, NSW
16 — Avalon RSL, Avalon, NSW
17 — The Marlin, Ulladulla, NSW
18 — Beer Deluxe, Albury NSW
22 — Tanswells Hotel, Beechworth, VIC
23 — Sooki Lounge, Belgrave, VIC
24 — Westonport Hotel, San Remo, VIC
25 — Social Club, Balnarring, VIC
26  — Volta, Ballarat, VIC
29  — Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool, VIC
30 — Torquay Hotel, Torquay, VIC
31  — Riverview Hotel, Tarwin Lower, VIC
FEB
12  — Royal Oak, Launceston, TAS
13 — Forth Pub, Devonport, TAS
14  — Altar, Hobart, TAS

 

 

 

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You guys should really do some research on these guys’ backgrounds. Speaking of tattoos, did Gary sh...
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