top ten

_{Patrick couldn't make the photo session so he sent Halfrid.} 

1. Spencer P Jones tribute night, Tote Hotel, 16 April.
Everything I’d hoped from that gig, and more. Foggy Notion, James McCann, Digger and the Pussycats and the Escape Committee led by the incomparable, indefatigable Helen Cattanach. The opening three song salvo – “Terrorise Your Friends”, “What’s Got Into Him” and “Your Pretty Face is Going to Waukeegan” – with Sly Faulkner on vocals and The Last Gasp horns, was as powerful a start to a set that I can remember. So much love in the air. Spencer would’ve loved it.

Top Ten in no particular order

1. Iggy Pop – Every Loser
After the WTF-was-that-all-about of 2019’s “Free”, Iggy is back doing what Iggy does best – fronting a small combo and letting it rip.

We get a taste of most of Iggy’s personas, including the punk god to the dodgy philosopher to the Sinatra-influenced sleazebag. Standout tracks, well, pretty much all of them, but “Strung Out Johnny” turned into an earworm that went for weeks.

At 76, he still shows that he’s got plenty to offer and plenty to say and this would be a fitting record for him to go out on. Compare it to the doggerel the Stones put out recently. Sir Michael sounds like he’s singing through a vocoder FFS. 

Top Tens for 2023: Mark Fraser of Vi-Nil Records and Redbackrock Surf & Snow Clothing. Former partner in Link & Pin Cafe, Woy Wo

Fave releases:

DMA’S – “How Many Dreams”
A virtual hit factory from go to woe. Melodies. Feelgood. Pretty much perfect. 

HARD ONS – “Ripper 23”
Clever cover art. Clever songs. Pop-etched perennial punk from here to Punchbowl.

LION ISLAND – “Pilot Termination Kiosk”
Infectious and dangerously catchy indie rock with an A plus report card. 

COUSIN BETTY – “Self Titled”
Hard and fast, some softer moments that build and explode, some quirky side-tracks, and plenty of sheer aural insaniity. This thing is a beast. 

OWEN GUNS – “Monks in Sexyland” 
Beautiful irreverence that never ever holds back. That’s The Owen Guns. This eight-slab smacker is a doozie! 

Is it that time of year again? The Top Ten music things?

Well, I've barely seen 10 bands, or heard anything like a cross-section of music this year to be honest about any sort of top ten in music. 

So, I thought, what else is there? Ten top heroes from Doctors Without Borders? Ten top stupid religions? Ten top pointless and cruel conflicts?

So, what's my other thing? Books. Ten top books I've read this year? Hmmm... Kim Stanley Robinson, Richmal Crompton, Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie and a ton of Conan books and Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith ... and a pile of Bomber Command books. Uh-huh. Top ten Conan books? Top ten 1930s scifi? Perhaps not.

... or ten top books on the topic I'm burrowing into again...

_{The Barman on tour in Japan at Mr Death's Crampstore with The Grand Wizard of the Psychotic Turnbuckles.}  

Top Ten Albums and Other Things In No Particular Order (with a qualifier that I never review gigs promted by the Bar but, fuck that, it’s my Top Ten.)

Ten Albums
1. Dark Country – Sonic Garage (self released)
This turned up on the eve of an overseas trip so a full review from yours truly isn’t among the glowing tributes already posted. A step up on the debut (which was pretty good in its own right) with lots of weaving guitars and classy keyboard textures. Sydney Old Man Rock and Roll. Just buy it.

2. Hackney Diamonds – The Rolling Stones (Rolling Stones Records)
You might have wanted to hate it. Lead “single” “Angry” was so-so but turned out to be one of the parts of a sum that’s much better than it could have been. There's a formula here but it's not a negative when it's in the hands of its inventors. Trust your own ears: It sounds contemporary but this is still The Stones being the Stones, even without Charlie.

Bob Short's incredibly accurate Top Ten predictions for 2025 (and beyond).

1. When Trump reduces military aid to the Ukraine, Putin will essentially be gifted the disputed Eastern territories. The three wise monkeys of Russia, North Korea and the USA will have a delightful tea party whilst watching the executions of their political enemies. Lewis Carroll will arise from the grave, vindicated by the realisation his major works were true and accurate.

2. Trump will deport so many agricultural workers that American supermarket shelves will empty and the United States economy will slump. No-one will be able to afford the tariffs on overseas food. The poor will look suspiciously towards their pets.

3. Across the pond, as the economy, good manners, social services and the art of staying calm collapse, the UK will quietly sink into the Atlantic and no-one will notice. It may have happened already. (Has anyone looked?). If anyone does notice, a variety of suckholes and knuckle draggers (particularly those who resemble potatoes) will petition to make Gina Reinhardt Queen of Australia. She will unilaterally declare it so and poison all the drinking holes.

1. THE MUNKS and THE STALLERS @THE MOSH PIT, SYDNEY
Opening act The Stallers pumped out a high-energy set , a mix of obscure garage covers and originals. Loved it , good guys , great players led by head gunslinger DARREN FALCONSTEIN who plays in many other bands like BAHNE SUPER-FLEX.  All the way from Ulladulla  THE MUNKS pumped out the Raw ROCKNROLL, a sense of humour , showmanship and quality playing. Probably my favourite Semi - local band I've seen in a long time. 

2. The JOHNNYS, @THE OLD BOATSHED, MANLY
I saw THE JOHNNYS  many times in the ‘80s, one time at Selinas supporting the HOODOO GURUS and THE JOHNNYS blew them away. It's  ow 2024 , 40 years later. SPENCER, unfortunately, isn't there but HOODY, SLIM and BILLY still blasting the stuff that hooked me as a teenager. 

3. The DAMNED @ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY
Some bands get old and bitter, these guys don't. The more I listen to THE DAMNED the more I appreciate and love them.  Punk, Goth, Pop - call them what you want, I call them  awesome. RAT SCABIES was a highlight,  I didn't realise how good a drummer he was.....possibly second only to CLEM BURKE.

 Ten musical things I dug in 2024.

• The Hard-Ons got to celebrate 40 years of ravaging the stage. Still as high-energy and still as true-to-form, brutally honest as ever. And a brand new doco to boot. Go see it. It’s great. Oh, and next year marks 40 years since the release of their debut EP, “Surfin’ On My Face” (ED: On Mark’s label Vi-Nil Records). Just sayin’!

• Middle Kids released an album that was completely hitsville from go to woah. Their previous releases all had a couple of great standout tracks, but “Faith Crisis Part 1” is their ultimate opus. Infectious indie pop that sits on the edge of mainstream and subsequently shits all over half of the commercial shit that has been released this year. 

• Elestial are a band that hails from Newcastle in Australia, and their nicely structured dream-pop is a beautiful shot of razored honey.  I was lucky enough to have them do a chunk of the INDIE SOUNDS launch tour throughout July, and they nailed every show. A nicer bunch you couldn’t meet. 

• Chamberlane are an indie pop punk band out of the Sunshine Coast. They jumped onto a last minute slot on the INDIE SOUNDS tour to help us out, and despite being hungover to the max from a festival the day before, they kicked the shit out of it. They’ve just finished a bit of an east coast tour and I was lucky to have them on board as part of the recent Vi-Nil Records showcase at The Recky Pacific Palms. Fun at a furious rate! 

 Here's a Top Nine of righteous soul, blues, funk and jazz classics from Scott Morgan (The Rationals, Sonic's Rendezvous Band, The Hydromatics, The Solution, Scott Morgan Band and many more) preceded with one of his own.