Album reviews

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apastatemental Gothenburg isn't snowed-in for 11 months of the year but I have it on good authority that it gets pretty grey and grim for long chunks of time. It's a nice place but it's no Costa Rica, meteorologically speaking. Plus, beer is expensive. So what can a poor boy do but play in a (punk) rock and roll band? Apa State Mental obviously subscribe to that view - and play their music with enough energy to melt a medium-sized glacier.

Details: By The Barman; 05 January 2014; Hits: 5098

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5k views

apastatemental2 The genius of this Malmo, Sweden, band is in their artfully sly dumbness. They might want you to think they have the collective I.Q. of a Miss Universe entrant dealing with 'open other end' on both extremities of a bottle, but their brief and weirdly bent tunes (average duration: under two minutes) hide knowing smiles that only strong anti-depressants and regular cognitive therapy from highly-trained medical professionals can bring.

Details: By The Barman; 05 January 2014; Hits: 4185

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4.1k views

apa-valley Let's be blunt: The problem with being simplistic and sticking to a formula is that you can disappear up your own arse after a while. Sweden's Apa State Mental know this only too well and deftly manage to sidestep that problem by never sitting still and, er, probing new areas.

Details: By The Barman; 05 January 2014; Hits: 5002

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5k views

telstar-comedown Members of sublime Danish '60s throwbacks Baby Woodrose make up two-thirds of Telstar Sound Drone, but that's where the resemblance ends. Recorded in a WWII bomb shelter, it mimics the sound of a psychedelic lava flow with each of its seven tracks seamlessly flowing into the next.

Details: By The Barman; 05 January 2014; Hits: 5267

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5.2k views

boc-box If you're going to do a box set, do it properly. And so they have with this 17 album/one DVD set by the original sci-fi schlock cock rockers, Blue Oyster Cult.

Details: By The Barman; 05 January 2014; Hits: 5894

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5.8k views

primevals They're not supposed to make records this good anymore. The scenario's familiar: Eighties underground band with all the right roots re-animates and attempts to re-capture their past by pushing out a new album to the converted, right? We've seen it happen with ever-increasing frequency. Only this time it works.

Details: By The Barman; 04 January 2014; Hits: 4854

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4.8k views

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The Living Eye

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The Mick Medew & Ursula 4
+ The Glycereens
+ Kathleen Turner Overdrive
Banshees. Ipswich
- Apr 5
w/ Painters & Dockers
+ Sunny Coast Rude Boys
The Triffid, Brisbane
- May 24

Kim Salmon’s Smoked Salmon
Australian Tour
APR
4 - Bearded Lady, Brisbane - Tix
5 - Vinnie's Dive Bar, Gold Coast - Tix
6 - Bangalow Bowlo, Bangalow, NSW - Tix
11 - The Grace Emily, Adelaide - Tix
12 - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne - Tix

Guitar Wolf
Australian Tour
APR
4 - Seasonal Brewing, Perth
(w/ Zerodent & The Murderbirds)
5 - Prince of Wales, Bunbury, WA
(w/ Turd!)
6 - Buffalo Club, Fremantle, WA
(5.30pm doors)
Tickets

Ups & Downs
+ The Crystal Set
Marrickville Bowling Club
- Apr 10
SOLD OUT

Nursery Crimes
+ The Herbal Lunatics
+ fun again!
+ The Darrans
+ Bugg Music
Marrickville Bowling Club
- Apr 26
Tickets

The Stems
East Coast Australian Tour 2025
APR
23 - Northcote Social Club
24 - Sydney Crowbar
25 - Gum Ball Festival, Hunter Valley, NSW
26 - Old Museum, Brisbane
Tickets

Mike Rudd + Tim Gaze
MAY
2 - The Citadel, Murwillumbah, NSW
Tickets
3 - The Junk Bar, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets
4 - Banshees Bar, Ipswich, QLD
Tickets

The Cruel Sea
"Straight Into The Sun Tour"
MAY
1 - Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide SA
2 - Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne VIC
3 - Canberra Theatre, Canberra
16 - Anita’s Theatre, Wollongong NSW
18 - The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley QLD
31 - City Recital Hall, Sydney NSW
JUN
5 - The Regal Theatre, Perth WA
7 - Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, Mandurah WA.
Tickets

Cherie Currie
Australian Tour
with Hot Machine
SEP
5 - Rosemount, Perth
6 - Crown and Anchor, Adelaide
11 - The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
12 – Sydney Crowbar
13 – Brisbane Crowbar
Tickets