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By The Barman

The Barman

24 February 2026

Hits: 590

• rich hope
• Planned Obsolescence Recording & Novelty Inc
• kive at the anza club

Live At The ANZA Club - Rich Hope (Planned Obsolescence Recording & Novelty Inc)

There was a time when you could walk into a designated rock and roll club in most sizeable North American  cities and try your luck, knowing that you might just stumble on a band that would make it the best night of your month.

It may still be the case in musical hotbeds like Austin and Nashville. No idea because it’s been such a loooong time between long-haul trans-Pacific flights. But that's the scenario that Canadian rocker Rich Hope tried to replicate on “Live At The ANZA Club”.

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By The Barman

The Barman

24 February 2026

Hits: 643

• the damned
• lords of the new church
• brian james
• Kicks and Diabolik Licks

Kicks and Diabolik Licks – Brian James (Easy Action)

As his last will and testament, “Kicks and Diabolik Licks” is Brian James as most fans of The Damned have never heard him.

It’s rock and roll, mostly, stripped right back in places with a dollop of jazz, and most of it is a few steps removed from the punk rock foundation that he helped build and the dark storm that was The Lords of The New Church.

Brian James passed in March 2025 after protracted health issues. Not before he’d re-joined Captain Sensible, Dave Vanian and Rat Scabies for Damned shows and a one-off with a reconstituted Lords with Michael Monroe subbing for the long departed Stiv Bators.

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By The Barman

The Barman

15 February 2026

Hits: 902

• the dahlmanns
• life in reverse
• the yum yums
• andre dahlmann
• line dahlmann

Life in Reverse – The Dahlmanns (Fabcom Records/Waterslide Records)

Two full-length albums in 16 years doesn’t sound like the hallmark of a productive band, but appearances are deceptive and The Dahlmanns aren’t typical.

Revolving around the axis of husband-and-wife founders Andre (guitar) and Line Dahlmann (vocals), this Norwegian outfit is best described as a “singles band”, with no less than 16 releases in that format or as extended plays (that’s EPs for the dummies). 

The Dahlmanns aren’t exactly unknown among discerning music fans. They’ve featured on TV and movie soundtracks in their homeland, and have collaborated with the likes of Andy Shernoff (The Dictators), Chips Kiesbye (Sator), Francis McDonald (Teenage Fanclub) and Amy Rigby. Much of trhe back catalogue is here.

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By The Barman

The Barman

07 February 2026

Hits: 1048

• chris bailey
• davey lane
• the saints
• Long March Through The Jazz Age
• fire records

Long March Through The Jazz Age – The Saints (Fire Records)

This deserves your attention and not because it’s posthumous.

The Saints’ 15th studio album, “Long March Through The Jazz Age”, snuck out before the 2025 Christmas-New Year break and, despite best endeavours, appeared to make only a slight dent in public consciousness.

It’s not hard to work out why.

The Saints had been away a long time – the last album, “King Of The Sun”, was released in 2012. Chris Bailey was a private person but the contemporary economics of fronting a band and ill-health probably had a lot to do with that.

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By Edwin Garland

Edwin Garland

30 January 2026

Hits: 2089

• beast records
• sacred cowboys
• garry gray
• mark ferrie
• in the manifesto
• damien fitzgerald
• timothy deane

In The Manifesto - Sacred Cowboys (Torn &Frayed/Beast Records)

It’s cause for a celebration whenever Sacred Cowboys release a new album. Principal member Garry Gray holds his freak flag high in a fight against mediocrity in music, and he’s now reunited with a fellow founding member in Mark Ferrie.

I have long argued that the Celibate Rifles captured the frantic and wild, surf-meets-Detroit Sydney Sound with their own laconic touch. Sacred Cowboys are a shining light of what the best of the Melbourne Sound. They play rootsy bar room blues, swampy while embracing post punk's excursions and maintaining a sense of punk's urgency.

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By The Barman

The Barman

27 January 2026

Hits: 1198

• vicious kitten
• anne mccue
• girl monstar
• sherry rich
• janene abbott
• susan shaw

Grrrr! – Girl Monstar (Vicious Kitten)

The groove is the thing on “Grrrr!!” - and so it should be on an album with a name approximating one of the many Best Of collections by the Stones. Drummer Susan Shaw (nee Sue Wold, of The Wraylettes, The Wet Ones, The Exotics and Plastic Section) and  Janene Abbott lay down smooth ‘n’ slinky rhythms, and the rest follows.

So to the review but first, the backstory: Girl Monstar existed in Australia a very different time. Home base Melbourne was artier than its rawer cousin Sydney but bands like Girl Monstar were spanning both. The Big Day Out festival juggernaut emerged at the tail end of their run and pushed the underground onto a different level.

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