- Details
- By The Barman
- Hits: 273
They never rose to household name status but Jeff “Mono Man” Conolly’s bands DMZ and Lyres left an indelible mark on (to use the term he hated) “garage rock”. Conolly died at his Massachusetts home last Friday after a struggle with bladder cancer, aged 69
Raised in Connecticut, Conolly moved to Boston in the mid 1970s and fronted DMZ from 1976, mixing British Invasion melody and punk rock’s urgency with obscure ‘60s garage music.
DMZ attracted the attention of Seymour Stein's legendary Sire Records, joining a roster that included the Ramones, Talking Heads and the Flamin' Groovies before releasing their sole album in 1978 and then breaking up.
With Lyres, the band he formed in 1979, Connolly built that obsession into a distinctive sound driven by Vox Continental organ, reverb-soaked guitars, pounding rhythms and impassioned vocals.
Despite being active for decades, Lyres released only four studio albums. Their reputation rests more on their electrifying live performances, influential singles and EPs, and the enduring impact of their classic debut “On Fyre”. They are all required listening, as is the box set seven-inch compilation on Munster Records, "Lucky 7", from where the obituary photo comes.
- Details
- By The Barman
- Hits: 296
You’ve seen the “Spirits of the Hoey” book, the tribute to Sydney’s iconic Hopetoun Hotel by academics Liz Guiffre and Gregory Ferris, with the photographs of Bryan “Cookie” Cook. Now you can experience the live gig when Petersham Bowling Club hosts “Spirits of The Hoey – A Live Love Letter To The Hopetoun Hotel” on Saturday October 31.
Tickets are expected to sell out long before the event and are on sale here.
Heading the bill is a reformation of Vrag, the band that would morph into Machine Gun Fellatio, with very special guest Christa Hughes on vocals.
- Details
- By The Barman
- Hits: 345
Venue supplied image.
Sydney’s live music scene has suffered another body blow with the news that small bar MoshPit will close its doors in November. In its ninth year and at the end of its lease, the venue’s majority owner Pat Jones delivered the sad news via social media late yesterday,
A nursery for up-and-coming bands and a home to veteran acts alike, the room has hosted thousands of musicians down the years, weathering Covid, a sagging economy, red tape and ever-shifting demographics.
The venue took on lockdowns head-on, staging limited capacity streamed events including Monday Evening Gunk, a tonight show-style venture with The I-94 Bar that spanned two seasons. Co-founder Jill Dures was a driving force in that and MoshPit’s early years.
An institution on King Street in the inner-western suburb of St Peters, tThe ongoing gentrification of the area has forced the owners' hands.
Despite an awkward lay-out that sometimes tested capacity and patron comfort, MoshPit was the CBGB of Sydney where untested acts could have a go. MoshPit’s closure will leave a yawning gap at the small end of the live music market that Sydney will struggle to fill.
- Details
- By The Barman
- Hits: 370
It's stating the obvious to say The Psychotic Turnbuckles are the greatest rock and roll band that ever stepped into the ring: They came, they saw, they conquered and although many have tried, none have ever been able to stand in their way.
And now the Pismo Beach’s Kings of the Combat Zone (and the Californian resort town's first Rock and Roll World Champions) are making more history, with the release of their first vinyl single in 32 years - on I-94 Bar Records.
Sydney's Marrickville Bowling Club is the place to be on Saturday, September 5 for the world exclusive release of “Bad News Travels Fast” b/w “Infected (With You)”, the double A-sided 45rpm Single of The Year. Tickets are on sale here.
In lurid green vinyl with full colour cover and a typically understated sticker insert, it will land on the merch desk like a pallet-load of phone books. Both tracks were originally recorded by other bands (“Bad News” by The Fuzztones and “Infected” by The Miracle Workers) but have been slammed to the canvas, worked over and given the Turnbuckles treatment.
- Details
- By The Barman
- Hits: 498
It’s a Scandi Rock fever dream: The Hellacopters are joining forces with their brothers-in-rock Gluecifier for a March 2017 Australian tour ,
The ‘Copters have been here before but it’s a Down Under debut for Gluecifer, touring on the back of their latest album “Same Drug New High”.
Hellacopters were one of the driving forces of the New Garage Rock scene in the 1990s, forming in ’94 out of the ashes of death metal band Entombed and an on-hiatus Backyard Babies. After releasing such influential albums like “Supershitty To The Max”, “Payin' The Dues” and “Grande Rock”, they disbanded in 2007 and reformed nine years later.
They released their ninth album, “Overdriver”, in 2025.
Norway-raised Gluecifier also formed in ‘94 and released chart topping records like “Rock like Ridin' The Tiger”, “Tender Is The Savage” and “Basement Apes” before grinding to a halt in 2005, re-animating just two years later.
The Oz tour will take in medium-sized rooms and will sell out. Early bird tifckets are on sale from Thursday here.
Respect The Rock Austraklian Tour
The Hellacopters + Gluecifier
MARCH
17 – Brisbane, The Triffid
18 – Sydney, Manning Bar
19 – Melbourne, The Croxton
20 – Adelaide, Ed Castle
- Details
- By The Barman
- Hits: 692
Supersuckers. Supplied photo.
The Supersuckers and Nashvile Pussy are returning to Australia under the banner “Superpussy” in February 2027 - this time with Nine Pound Hammer in tow. Supersuckers and Nashville will alternately headline and the tour reprises their sold-out Oz run of two years ago. Tickets are on sale here.
Eddie Spaghetti and his pals in The Supersuckers should need no introduction to Australian audiences after repeated visits. The band has churning out their brand of rocking cowpunk since 1988.
Nashiville Pussy are familiar as well: Raised on a diet of Marshall stacks, Gibson guitars, Jack Daniels and weed, Nashville Pussy is the bastard offspring of foul-mouthed, demented, hillbilly, ice-cream man Blaine Cartwright and tractor driving, nude art school model and guitar prodigy, Ruyter Suys.
- Details
- By The Barman
- Hits: 1533
Sunnyboys 2026 in rehearsal for their one-off show. Supplied photo.
Forty-five years since the release of their classic eponymous debut album, Sunnyboys are releasing a 4-LP box set and playing a celebratory reunion show in Brisbane.
To be released via Warner Music Australia, the box set brings together the original Sunnyboys album together with the band's iconic 1980 Phantom Records debut EP and - for the first time on vinyl - the 17-track pre-album demo session and a live performance recorded at Sydney venue. The Governors Pleasure, in February 1981.
The Sunnyboys' one-off performance at Brisbane’s Roma Street Parkland on Friday October 23 will head a massive bill that includes The Clouds, vSpy vSpy and local legend Mick Medew (ex Screaming Tribesmen) fronting The Mick Medew and Ursula 4.
The sharp-eyed will notice from the photo above that Paul Larsen (Celibate Rifles, New Christs, The Aints!) is replacing the retired Bil Bilson on drums for Sunnyboys. Pre-sale tickets are here.
- Details
- By The Barman
- Hits: 580
Former Radio Birdman guitarist Chris Masuak will end a long break from touring as part of a fiery two-band Australian assault on Europe this summer.
Named in honour of Roky Erickson, “The Two Headed Dog Tour” pairs Chris Masuak’s Dog Soldier with high energy Aussie garage rockers The Crisps for shows in Poland, Germany and France in July and August.
The tour will be Masuak’s first since emergency eye surgery cancelled an Australian tour by Dog Soldier in 2025. The band will return to Australia in October. The players involved will need no introduction to European audiences.
- Details
- By The Barman
- Hits: 548
Sweating on the release of the new Stones record "Foreign Tongues"? Hard-Ons stole a march on them today with a foreign tongue effort of their own, releasing a mini-album with bassist Ray Ahn singing in Korean.
“Korean Language Mini Album” (hey, what else would you call it?) features versions of early Hard-Ons classics “Where Did She come From?”, “Raining”, “Just Being With You” and “Suck and Swallow”.
In other words:
그녀는 어디에서 왔을까?
비가 내리고 있어
너와 함께 있는 것만으로도
빨고 삼키고
The A side incorporates the songs, while the B side features artwork by Ray etched into the vinyl. It will be available in four variants - the colours of the Korean flag - blue, red, white and black. You can order a copy here.
- Touch Them They're Sick: Mudhoney to hit Australia and NZ
- Get a slice of King Salami & His Cumberland Three as they mark 20 years
- Kuepper notches 50 not out by announcing super duper trio of re-issues
- Joeys Coop signal third album with "In The Pines":
- FEAR cancels Oz tour
- Sydney braces for the return of the New Christs
Send us stuff to review
PO Box 334
Oatley NSW
2223 Australia
Get in touch: barman@i94bar.com
The Living Eye
Indie Sounds of the Harbour City Vol 2
Launch Tour
AUG
7 - Diamond Dogs, Dapto, NSW
8 - Wings & Tins, Dee Why, NSW
Heavy Medication Records, Savage Magic Records
& I-94 Bar Records present
"Two Headed Dog Euro Tour"
Chris Masuak's Dog Soldier
+ The Crisps
AUGUST
6 – Toulouse - L'autan Bar (FR)
(with Big T & The Nuts)
7 – Montpellier - Secret Place (FR)
(with Big T & The Nuts)
8 - Marseille - L'Intermediare Live
9 – Sete - Guinguette Thau'thèmes (FR)
Smoked Salmon
Totally Sick!! Tour
AUG
6 - La La La's, Wollongong, NSW
7 - Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham , NSW
8 - Link & Pin, Woy Woy, NSW
9 - The Oak Tighes Hill, Newcastle, NSW
(free)
14 - Tanswells, Beechworth, VIC
(free)
15 - Smiths Alternative, Canberra, ACT
21 - Republic Bar, Hobart, TAS
22 - Royal Oak, Launceston, TAS
28 - Junk Bar, Brisbane, QLD
29 - Blah Bar, Lismore, NSW
30 - Cabarita Beach Club, Cabarita, NSW (free)
SEP
4 - Young St Tavern, Frankston, VIC
Joeys Coop
AUG
22 - Union Hotel, Newtown, NSW
+ The On and Ons
28 - Smiths Alternative, Canberra
+ Sanctimonious Fux
30 - Link & Pin, Woy Woy, NSW
SEP
13 - Marrickville Bowlo, NSW
+ Swaggerland
18 - Tap Room, Castlemaine, VIC
19 - Painted Lady, Ballarat, VIC
+ Cold Irons Bound + Neutron Flow
20 - Union Hotel, Brunswick, VIC
NOV
28 - Blah Bar, Lismore, NSW
29 - Junk Bar, Brisbane, QLD (arvo)
I-94 Bar Records presents
Psychotic Turnbuckles
Vinyl Single Launch
+ Spittin' Chips
+ The No Such Things
Marrickville Bowlo, NSW
- Sept 5
Tickets
New Christs
SEP
11 - Last Chance. North Melbourne, VIC
+ Penny Ikinger’s Marbles
12 -Last Chance, North Melbourne, VIC
+ Moler
19 - Heritage Hotel, Bulli, NSW
NOV
21 - The Brightside, Brisbane, QLD
+ Suicide Country Hour
+ The Mick Medew & Ursula 4
Huxton Creepers
12 Days To Paris Tour
AUG
7 - Sooki Lounge, Belgrave, VIC
+ Icecream Hands
8 - Croxton Bandroom, Thornbury, VIC
+ Icecream Hands
14 - Marrickville Bowling Club, NSW
+ The Johnnys
15 - Marrickville Bowling Club, NSW
+ The Johnnys
16 - Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle, NSW
(afternoon show)
+ The Johnnys
21 - Norton Music Factory,
Caloundra, QLD
+ The Johnnys
22 - Crowbar Brisbane, QLD
+ The Johnnys
+ Mick Medew and Ursula
23 - Wallaby Hotel, Mudgeeraba, QLD
(afternoon show)
+ The Johnnys
The Damned
Final Damnation 50
SEP
8 - AUCKLAND, Powerstation
10 - SYDNEY, The Opera House
11 - BRISBANE, The Tivoli
13 - MELBOURNE, The Forum
Tickets
The Exploding Universe of Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper 50 Years Retrospective
RESCHEDULED
OCT
29 - Avoca Theatre, NSW
30 - Canberra, The Street Theatre, ACT
31 - Wombarra Bowlo, NSW
NOV
4 - Adelaide, The Gov, SA
5 - Melbourne, National Theatre, VIC
6 – Geelong, Barwon Heads Hotel, VIC
7 - Sydney, Factory Theatre, NSW
(matinee & evening shows)
13 - Fremantle, Freo Social, WA
15 - Brisbane, Princess Theatre, QLD
Tickets
Public Image Ltd
Australia and NZ
JAN
20 - Auckland, Powerstation
22 - Brisbane, The Tivoli
23 - Sydney, Enmore Theatre
24 - Melbourne, The Forum
26 – Adelaide, The Gov
28 - Perth, The Astor
Respect The Rock Australian Tour
The Hellacopters + Gluecifier
MARCH
17 – Brisbane, The Triffid
18 – Sydney, Manning Bar
19 – Melbourne, The Croxton
20 – Adelaide, Ed Castle
Tickets
Fresh Reviews
-
This Lipstick Killers rock opera is one Strange Flash
26 July 2026
-
Ghosts in the machine
20 July 2026
-
Copulaters will give you a boning
08 July 2026
-
Album Number Three hits the mark for Joeys Coop
04 July 2026
-
The Strike-Outs load the bases with electricity
28 June 2026