Jet setting with Seiji from Guitar Wolf

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By Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan

10 February 2025

Hits: 496

Photo by @alltoz696 

Japanese madmen Guitar Wolf are bringing their brand of high energy rock ‘n’ roll to Australia for the umpteenth time. Inspired by ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll and ‘70s punk, Guitar Wolf always put on a balls-to-the-wall show, with energy and intensity that no-one can match MATT RYAN spoke with Guitar Wolf mastermind SEIJI via email on the eve of the tour.

I-94: I saw you guys at the Gaso in Collingwood back in 2023, and you’re coming back. I take it you must love coming here to come back so often and quickly?

Seiji: Of course! Australia is paradise for Japanese people, and I love the rock that was born from this country.

• australian tour
• guitar wolf
• 2025
• seiji

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Screaming Tribesman and his band hit NSW this week

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By The Barman

The Barman

09 February 2025

Hits: 191

Screaming Tribesmen leader Mick Medew and musical and life partner Ursula are touring their second album, “In The Zone”, and will play with their band, The Mick Medew and Ursula 4, in Newcastle and Sydney in February, presented by The I-94 Bar.

The Mick Medew and Ursula 4 plays the Stag and Hunter with East Coast Low and Jupiter 5 on Friday, February 14 and Sydney’s Marrickville Bowling Club with The Dark Clouds and Jupiter 5 on Saturday, February 15. Tickets for Sydney are here and you can pre-book for Newcastle here.

• sydney
• newcastle
• screaming tribesmen
• mick medew and ursula
• mick medew and ursula 4

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Ash Naylor pilots his Spaceship to Brisbane

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By The Barman

The Barman

06 February 2025

Hits: 581

He has a rock and roll pedigree that’s the envy of any guitarist and it’s Brisbane’s turn to see his talents close-up when Ash Naylor and his band play two select shows in February.

“Soundtracks Vol 2” is Naylor’s second solo long-player and he’s bringing his band Ashley Naylor Spaceship to Junk Bar in New Farm on February 15 and Banshees Bar and Artspace in Ipswich from 2pm on February 16.

Naylor’s cv includes The Stems, The Church, Paul Kelly, Even and the RocKwiz Orkestra and he’s one of the country’s most in-demand rock guitarists. 

He also carries a torch for the jangle-pop and  psychedelic sounds of the 1960s and '70s. “Soundtracks Vol 2” reflects a host of influences ranging from Jim Hendrix to Peter Frampton and Spiritualised. It’s been foreshadowed by singles “A Blue Sky” and “Donovan Dreams”.

Tickets for Junk Bar are here while Ipswich punters can pre-book a Banshees spot here.

• brisbane
• gigs
• ash naylor
• ashley naylor spaceship

Top Tens for 2024: Chris Virtue of the Virtual Unreality radio show on Sydney's 2RRR

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By Chris Virtue

Chris Virtue

03 February 2025

Hits: 621

A Virtual Unreal Top 10
A little quieter for me in 2024. It’s getting harder to get me off the mountain or am I just getting old?

1. Birdman Five-0
Birdman at 50? I first saw them in Melbourne in 1977 at La Trobe uni. My mates hated them. I loved them.

I nearly didn’t go to this one because I’ve seen them so many times, but when I was told that these were to be their last gigs, I pulled the finger out and got a ticket to the last show. In a word, fantastic, but they always are. Deniz and Dave play so well together, Rob remains one of my favourite frontmen and everyone else does their bit.

Hard Ons were great in support. Glad I went.

2. Murray Engleheart’s Birdman book
What a book! I loved every word of it and it told me so much that I didn’t know, including stuff about myself. His retelling of how the band came together is a sublime piece writing. You’re practically watching these guys get into each other’s orbits and once they did, forming a band was inevitable.

These are complex people and Murray deals with the tensions and frustrations within the band very fairly. Everyone gets a good run. An extremely satisfying read.

• top ten
• radio birdman
• the on and ons
• chris virtue
• shonen knife
• 2024
• 2RRR

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"Don't Cry No Tears"because Broham is back with a debut album

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By The Barman

The Barman

02 February 2025

Hits: 475

A rocking Sydney country band with a serious underground heritage, Broham, is back on the boards after a year’s break and will launch their debut album, “Buckle Rash”, with a free show at  The Golden Barley in Enmore on Saturday, February 22. 

The no-support-three-sets show runs from 8-11pm.

“Buckle Rash” is 15 tracs on CD and was produced by Golden Guitar nominee Michael Carpenter at The House Studio, and mastered by Rick O’Neill at Turtle Rock.

Broham is the country vehicle for former Vanilla Chainsaws frontman Simon Chainsaw aka Krysler Broham.

Krysler and his band used the lay-off to good effect, finishing the long-player, working in new drummer Frank Rosetti and pumping out four video singles in 2024, all of which are viewable here.

“Buckle Rash” might have a country heart but its soul belongs to the sounds of inner-city Sydney circa the 1980s, and  one of its prime cuts is a rolled gold cover of the X classic “Don’t Cry No Tears” which you view after the READ MORE fold.

• simon chainsaw
• broham
• vanilla chainsaws
• buckle rash

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Two chances only to catch the jangle pop of The Grooveyard

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By The Barman

The Barman

02 February 2025

Hits: 713

Members went on to Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, the Lime Spiders, Hell To Pay, the Screaming Tribesmen and The Bambalams, but The Grooveyard was the one that got away in the febrile Sydney inner city scene of the 1980s. Next weekend's I-94 Bar presented reformation shows in Canberra and Sydney are some of the most keenly anticiopated of the year so far and supports have been announced.

Local heroes Il Bruto are on the undercard at Smiths Alternative in Canberra on Friday, February 7 and are an obvious choice with a set list reprising many of the songs that influenced Australia's underground scene, while at Sydney's Marrickville Bowling Club on Saturday, February 8 supports will be powerpop supremos The On and Ons and Van Ruin.

• lime spiders
• paul kelly
• the on and ons
• marrickville bowling club
• the grooveyard
• van ruin

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Top Tens for 2024: Ned Alphabet, Sydney songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for Balkan Grill, guitarist for Majestic XI

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By Ned Alphabet

Ned Alphabet

01 February 2025

Hits: 782

2024 was quite year for me. I attended some amazing gigs, met some amazing people, resigned from my day job, and completed a year of service with Majestic XI, along with increasing the profile of Balkan Grill.

Spring of 2024 was when I got the news that my all-time favourite Ex YU band Električni Orgazam (aka Electric Orgasm/El Org) would be touring Australia in Jan 2025, and that Balkan Grill would be one of the support acts for their Sydney show on 25 January. The show went off, by the way. But as this list is for 2024 events, you can see and read all about it on my Facebook profile as well as the Balkan Grill band page. On with the list (in no particular order). 

1. Dinosaur Jr – Enmore Theatre – 21/02/24
It was my birthday, so I got a ticket as a present to myself. They didn't disappoint, plowing through the album "Where You Been?" from start to finish. They followed this with a few songs from different eras, the obligatory "Freak Scene" and "Feel The Pain" of course, and The Cure's "Just Like Heaven". J Mascis has the best Neil Young distortion tone ever, and his shredding is just superb.

2. Kim Salmon solo – Enmore Hotel – 09/03/24 & 18/05/24
Totally amazing performance on both nights. Powerful. Great dynamics. Loud and dirty at one end, gentle and tender at the other. Many memorable moments. At one point on both nights Kim dedicated a song to his old friend Ron Peno RIP. To my surprise and delight it was "ETI (Extraterrestrial Intelligence)" by Blue Öyster Cult.

It was a very sweet moment. I'm kicking myself for not recording it, but I was just so caught up in the moment having a great old time singing along. Being a BÖC nerd, it was such a perfect moment, surreal and celebratory. Life affirming even! Although, I think I ended up annoying Kim by the end of the second show. Oh well, I was pretty high at the time. Fuck it. Kim Salmon is a genius regardless.

• kim salmon
• blue oyster cult
• dinosaur jr
• radio birdman
• the on and ons
• the johnnys
• the damned
• pete ross and the sapphire
• ned alphabet
• balkan grill

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The D4 add supports to their Oz dates

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By The Barman

The Barman

30 January 2025

Hits: 779

Kiwi powerhouses The D4 have announced locasl supports for the hit-and-run Australian leg of their reunion tour and with one member living ont he other side of the globe, it might be your last chance to catch them on this side of The Ditch.

There are just three dates in Australia with most of their shows not unexpectedly in their home country.

In Brisbane they'll be joined by Tape/Off and Gentle Ben and His Shimmering Hands (The Brightside, February 13). Mary's Underground is the Sydney venue with Hard-Ons and Finnocuns opening preceedings on February 14. For the February 15 gig at Melbourne's esteemed The Tote, Mach Pelican, Raging Hormones and The Stripp fill out the undercard.

• hard-ons
• australian
• the d4
• new zealand
• factory theatre
• mach pelican
• the stripp
• gentle ben and his shimmering hands

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The Runaways' Cherie Currie on final sweep through Australia

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By The Barman

The Barman

30 January 2025

Hits: 478

Iconic frontwoman Cherie Currie of The Runaways has announced her second and final Australian tour. The five-date run will be her first since 2016 and takes in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.

One of rock’s true pioneers, Cherie Currie exploded onto the music scene in the 1970s as the unmistakable teenage voice of The Runaways, delivering anthems like “Cherry Bomb” that redefined what it meant to be a young, fearless woman in rock ‘n’ roll. Described as the “lost daughter of Iggy Pop and Bridgette Bardot”, she shattered barriers, inspired generations of female rockers, and cemented her place in music history.

But Cherie Currie is also a style icon, celebrated for her corsets, platform boots, and glam-punk flair.

Currie’s talents have also shone beyond the stage. As an actress, she starred alongside Jodie Foster in the 1980 classic “Foxes”, a film that captured the spirit of youth and rebellion. More recently, her life and career were immortalised in the acclaimed biopic “The Runaways,” starring Dakota Fanning as Cherie and Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett.

For this farewell tour, Cherie Currie promises fans a high-energy setlist packed with Runaways hits, solo favourites, and surprises, celebrating her remarkable journey in rock.

• runaways
• cherie currie
• australian tour
• 2025

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