leaps and bounds

_{Penny with her Japanese band the Silver Bells at her "Tokyo" album launch at Melbourne Museum. Pic by Gary Hallenan}

Album: “What Would I Know”, Brian Henry Hooper (Bang! Records)
This posthumous album release is startling in its beauty, rawness and poignancy. Songs about romantic and filial love and songs about death are delivered in Brian’s signature kicking against the pricks style.

Mick Harvey's production appears to form a bridge between the states of life and death. This leaves the listener unsure whether our bard has in fact crossed the River Styx to Hades; while the instruments, like bellows, breathe life into a raging fire. Are they all bellowing from the Underworld or are their feet still firmly planted in the land of the living?

Like Orpheus, the musician, poet and prophet (armed with an electric golden lyre and a distortion pedal) performing in front of Hades, God of the Underworld (clad in a black leather jacket), in the hope of retrieving his ill-fated bride Eurydice, Brian Henry Hooper sings songs to make gods weep.

Television Addicts beware: Melbourne’s noteworthy Leaps and Bounds Music Festival is bringing The Television Addicts to town to play the songs of Perth punk trailblazers, The Victims, at the Tote on Friday, July 17.

The Victims were only active from 1977-79 in the most isolated csapital city in the world (that'd be Perth) but left a lasting impression. The members were Dave Flick (aka Dave Faulkner) on guitar and vocals, James Baker (drums) and Rudolph V (Dave Cardwell) on bass. Faulkner and Baker went on to the Hoodoo Gurus. Baker also made a name with the Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon and the Dubrovniks .

In 1977, The Victims released their debut single, "Television Addict” with only 1000 copies pressed. The following year they released a five track EP entitled "The Victims" (also known as "No Thanks to the Human Turd"). Original copies of both will cost you big bucks on eBay.

Reconstituted in 2015 with Faulker and Baker ringing-in huge fan Ray Ahn (Hard-Ons, Nunchukka Superfly) on bass, they’ve played shows in Perth, Sydney and Brisbane. Now it’s Melbpourne’s turn. Blink and you’ll miss them.

FRIDAY 17TH JULY
THE TELEVISION ADDICTS
FIRE ESCAPE GOATS
HITS (Brisbane)
POWER
at The Tote Hotel, Johnston St, Collingwood.  Doors 8.30pm.
Tickets on sale now from www.Oztix