The Fadeaways at The Crowbar the night before. Shona Ross photo.By 1977, the full impact of the Saints and Radio Birdman was making itself known and kicked aside the lazy blues boogie third-rate Canned Heat imitators that were everywhere.
Within a few years, Sydney was a shining outpost for garage rock in Australia, and the music served as an antidote to the horrible gated snare sounds of the pastel Phil Collins and the tacky synthesiser sounds of the New Romantic crap that was pushed onto us by upper middle- class kids from Mosman and St Ives. At least the booze-drenched pub rock that ruled in suburbia was a fair-dinkum Australian movement.
The post-1980 garage rock and sixties revival was the closest thing to a a punk rock moment that the Harbour City was to have. It had its own attitude and it made a fashion statement, with its Paisley shirts, Cuban heel boots and haircuts straight off the cover of a Remains album.
Ultimately, it was a broad church. Mod bands like Division Four, mixed in with the hardcore ‘60s punk of the early Lime Spiders, the more melodic Screaming Tribesmen, the psychedelic Moffs and the swamp-dwelling Scientists. There were endless early morning, booze-fuelled conversations at the Trade Union Club about the best 13th Floors Elevators album and that Stooges bootleg, “Metallic KO”.
Japanese tourists Assman, Ozzy and Toyo check out a Sydney culutral landmark, Shona Ross photo.
Forty-something years later, here we are on an early Sunday afternoon at the Mosh-Pit Bar in the inner-western suburb of St Peters to see a band still playing homage the sounds of street level rock, The Fadeaways from Japan.
A quick scan of the swelling crowd reveals that The Remains haircuts have yielded to receding hairlines. An occasional pair of Cuban heeled boots is present but the Paisley shirts are 2XL size.
The beer flows as the opener, one-man band Dirt Bag, sets up and starts bellowing his jagged garage-inspired songs. With his primal honky guitar with the raw sound of early American punk, he fires off song after song. It’s brilliant and relentless with a nod to Wire and The Fall.
Dirt Bag reminds me of the frantic pace of The Unknown Comic from that unforgettable “The Gong Show” of the late 1970s: completely offbeat and verging on unhinged, yet on the mark with his songs. He hails from Captains Flat which is a New South Wales version of the back hills of Alabama.
It’s been well over a year since I caught Jupiter Five. During that time, they’ve released their debut album “Fifth From The Sun”, a sonic blitz. This afternoon, the band explodes with a wall of guitars .
“Mockingbird Mosh” is among the first few songs and has frontman Jay Younie wearing his weird gimp masks and outfits that are straight out of the wardrobe of an arch villain of 1960s-era Batman that are enough to make J .D Vance seem normal. His vocals and looks would have been too much for someone on a bad acid trip. Fortunately, the most popular drug here seems to be cholesterol-lowering tablets.
Graham Steel video.
Vince Cusuna and Angelo Antodormi are one of the best twin guitar attacks floating around Sydney. Sure, you have the raw power chording and the valves pushed into the red, but between then sit some terrific melodic guitar lines, with nods to Rocky Erickson, Johnny Thunders and even Hendrix.
Jupiter 5 serve up two killer covers that have been in their set for a while. One is a are tough version of Iggy’s “I’m Bored” and a punkified “I’m Eighteen” by Alice Cooper.
Bass player Peter “The Rock“ Ross has one best of the sounds in Sydney. Factor in the solid, meat and potatoes drumming of James McQuade, and Jupiter 5 poses a threat to the foundations of St Peters on par with a small earthquake.
“Supersonic Hero” and “H-Bomb” lifted the roof Jupiter 5 is an ever- improving band that everyone should check out.
The Fadeaways are in Australia for only five days and the vibe from their shows, in Melbourne and the previous night’s support to the Psychotic Turnbuckles at The Crowbar, is that they are electrifying and a ball of fun.
MoshPit moshpit. Shona Ross photo.
With matching striped 1960s shirts, they appear almost like cartoon characters as they quickly set up. The MoshPit is now at capacity and we are all crammed in as they explode.
It is frantic and a typhoon of rock as they quickly open and then move into a brutal “Louie, Louie”.
The rhythm section of Ozzy on drums and Toyozo Toyoshima on bass are like a hurricane. Toyo leaps up in the air and jumps on the kit. It is a tight and raw sound that has that classic backbeat.
We’re served a Easybeats double-salute with “Sorry” and “’l’lI Make You Happy”. Toyozo has a perfect rock vocal delivery, not far removed from the Joe Strummer of 1977.
Shona Ross photo.
It’s guitarist Assman (above) with a vintage Vox guitar who blows the punters away: this bloke can really play and is a cut above the rest who attempt this style. He’s pure attitude mixing it up with power-chording and brilliant guitar lines snarling with fuzz and feedback.
Today’s set is concentrated on The Fadeaways’ latest Album “Pretty Wild” with classic garage blasts like “Rack my Mind” and “Every Ugly thing” that transport you back to 1965.
Sure, The Fadeaways are a revivalist band but they remind you that garage rock never went away and they make it better. There is a frantic energy and a sense of urgency in their music. They hold onto that classic late ‘70s punk ethos of “Fuck Art, Let’s Dance”. They are wild and pretty special.
The old boomers from the Sydney rock scene leave tonight, completely sold and blown away
