DARREN BIRCH
Bass player for Black Bombers and former member of Gunfire Dance, Brian James Gang, Walter Lure and The Godfathers
Birmingham, UK

It's been a funny old year! I managed to play one gig before the world shut down and didn't get to see any. From the beginning of March, I couldn't leave the house for 15 weeks so books and music became my friends....

My Top 10 for 2020:

1.) “Sing Backwards and Weep” by Mark Lanegan. His autobiography.

2.) “The War is Never Over” by Nick Soulsby. A book and companion piece to the Lydia Lunch documentary of the same name.

3.) “Just A Shot Away. 1969 Revisisted” Volumes 1 and 2 books by Kris Needs.

4.) “Diminished Responsibility: My Life as a UK Sub and Other Strange Stoies” (book) by Alvin Gibbs

MARCUS FRASER
Vocalist in Starcrazy
Sydney, Australia

Top Ten Live Shows in 2020

1.) The Darkness & Southern River Band at The Enmore - March 2020

2.) Alice Cooper/MC50/Airborne at Qudos Bank Arena - Feb 2020

3.) Sabïre at The Vanguard - December 2020

4.) Frankie's House Band (Van Halen Tribute Night) at Frankie's - December 2020

5.) Thunder Fox at Paddo RSL - November 2020

6.) Reckless Love at Crowbar - February 2020

7.) Lucid Hoops at The Factory - December 2020

8.) Polish Club at The Vanguard - Circa August 2020

9.) HIGH & Left Side Filter - Halloween Night at Frankie's Pizza

10.) Ed Barnes - Awning Sessions, March/April 2020

Watch Sydney band Starcrazy's latest video for "Long Way Home" here.

BOB BLUNT
Venue helper, organiser and frontperson for both Garry David and Beijing Bikini
Sydney, Australia

2020 in a nutshell

Let's not start with the boring and the obvious - the moan that goes 'oh, what a shitty year that was' or how "Sydney is dead co's it aint what it used yo be'"- yawn. That rhetoric and emotion doesn't belong here - we're on an onward and upward trajectory - yep, the good gigs plus the other good stuff.

GUS IRONSIDE
Louder Than War and Vive Le Rock magazines
Whitley Bay, UK

Hector Gannet - "Big Harcar" (GUGA Records)
Fronted by Aaron Duff, the best singer to emerge from North-East England since Eric Burdon, Hector Gannet conjured visceral seascapes celebrating the wild beauty of Northumberland and North Tyneside.

Snowgoose - "The Making of You" (Glass Modern Records)
Sublime folk-rock from the Anglo-Scottish outfit's second album.

Suzie Stapleton - "We Are the Plague" (Negative Prophet Records)
The promise of Stapleton's early EPs was fully delivered on this stunning debut album.

Michael J Sheehy - "Distance is the Soul of Beauty" (Lightning Archive)
A late night slow-burner with shades of the third Velvet Underground album.

Speedways - "Radio Sounds" (Alien Snatch! Records)
The new kings of power-pop set out their stall with a flawless album.

The Hellfire Club - "A Different Song" (Strength in Numbers)
Rousing Americana with a Glaswegian twist.

GRAHAM STAPLETON
Blogger and punter
Mermaid Beach, Queensland, Australia

Now, I'm just a punter, not someone you'd all know, but I like my music and you've probably noticed me posting or commenting here or elsewhere, so here's my top 10 of 2020 in no particular order.

1. MONDAY EVENING GUNK
A real breath of fresh air for people locked down over the world, great conversations, reviews, and live music streaming to the masses for free, and enjoyed by the few lucky people that could attend the shows.

2. OUTTA SPACE PRESENTS
There must be something in the water on the Central CVoast of NSW, 'cause Milly D'Alton and Adam Brzowski and crew have released some great LP"s and 7"s through their label OUTTA SPACE PRESENTS this year. I've gotta head down to Woy Woy and check out their new venue Link & Pin as well sometime.

3. VINNIE'S DIVE BAR
Ha! Who woulda thought in the rundown Crackhead Central of Southport, Queensland, here'd be Resch’s Silver Bullets at a discounted rate (if you know, you know). Wish they still had draught on tap though. Anyway, probably one of the first venues in Australia to welcome back live music, and they've really been "thinking out of the box" by recently opening a record and other merch store in the venue, so grab some cool vinyl whenever you pop in.

GERRY RANSON
Vive Le Rock magazine writer and Mule Freedom PR publicist
London, UK

TOP TEN TRACKS FROM 2020

Like going deaf or blind, a lack of gigs seems to have sharpened my other music-loving senses, so I’ve been digging more sounds than ever this year. This is just the tip of a very big, and very loud, iceberg. Working as a PR, I’ve taken the flaming liberty of including some of my own wares in here – can you spot ‘em? But I make no excuses: I’m incredibly lucky and privileged to get to work with people whose stuff I love. I hope after reading this, you’ll love it too. - Gerry x

PS - The Celibate Rifles' "Extract From The Fungus" would’ve been No.1 if I’d heard it yet.

10.)  James Williamson & Deniz Tek –  "Jet Pack Nightmare"
They may be getting on – ain’t we all? – but Ann Arbor’s finest can still cut the Stories For Boys action rock! A venomous boogie riff to kick off "Two To One", the album that was bound to happen one day.

9.) Blue Öyster Cult – "The Alchemist"
It’s taken them nine years to come up with a new studio album and when they do, it’s recorded in lockdown conditions. And it’s still the best thing the boys from Stony Brook have done in donkeys’ years. Fourteen newly minted and totally Cultish songs, "The Symbol Remains" is conspicuously low on epics, but this six-minuter – with its "Flaming Telepaths" dink-dink-dink – hits the spot.

CHRIS VIRTUE
Sydney radio host*
Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia

Top Ten in Twos

1. Two Hendrix covers

Lucie Tiger – The Wind Cries Mary"
Sydney country singer transcribes one of Jimi’s more melodic tunes for solo piano with stunning effect, but leaves the song intact. Lucie acknowledges where it’s come from, but takes it somewhere new. Hear it. 

Lachie Doley - "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)"
Sydney blues and soul keyboard master gives the whammy clavvy a serious workout on this. Check out the vid.

2. Two political songs

Chuck Prophet – "Get Off The Stage"
Subtle demolition job on the soon to be Toddler-in-Chief. The late great John Prine rates a mention even though the song was recorded pre-Covid because (as Chuck said when I interviewed him) everyone needs to listen to John Prine.

Matthew Caws– "When History Comes"
Nada Surf front man delivers one of the best protest songs in decades. Totally in your face without being cruel and ends with a rallying call to vote because “it’s important”.

EDWIN GARLAND
Guitarist with Moonlight 5, Waxworks, Dwarfthrower  
I-94 Bar reviewer
Sydney, Australia

I am sure many will say the same: This has been a shit of a year. Even so, I included much more than ten.  Who cares !!

The passing of Greg Sawers
One piece of news hit me in the guts: Greg Sawyers’ death. What more can be said about this real local legend and complete old school identity. He could be fit equally well at the Marrickville Bowlo or Annandale Hotel (R.I.P.) or the Wentworth Park dog track with his working -class dreams and love of supporting pure rock ‘n’ roll. Band manager Greg Sawyers took over when God got drunk. For Ian Rilen, Louis Tillet, Steve Lucas and Steve Balbi, he was their minder and advocate.  He always had a couch for those in need and was willing to cook up his bacon and eggs when they woke sometime after midday.  Greg was all heart and part of a Sydney music scene that is now gone.