Australia and New Zealand
Although even
many people who follow underground music quite closely are unaware of it,
some of the most fascinating music of the last two decades was produced
down under. From 1977 to 1990,
Australia had a scene that produced music that in quality and quantity equaled and maybe
surpassed the British punk and new wave scene of the late 70s. Noise For Heroes focused
heavily on what was going on in those days, and in the many articles below you can get a
sense of what it was all about.
AN OVERVIEW - waiting
for me to finish writing it...sorry!
REVIEWS
OF AUSTRALIAN LPS, CDs AND 12" RECORDS
REVIEWS OF AUSTRALIAN 7" SINGLES
DISCOGRAPHIES - of major Australian indie labels of the
1980s
Past
Noise For Heroes features and other sources of info on Aussie bands:
ABERRANT
RECORDS - from NFH #17 (fall 1989) Aberrant was an adventurous label that specialized
in the unusual and the avante garde.
ASTEROID B-612 - (January 2003) A big
interview with John Spittles spanning the career of this terrific Sydney
band of hard rocking fiends
BORED - from NFH #19 (summer 1990) Heavy, Stooges influenced band
from Melbourne.
BROTHER BRICK & ASTEROID B-612 - a big article on
the musical career of Stewart Cunningham, the fiery lead guitar player of Brother Brick,
Asteroid B-612, and now Challenger 7. Written in April, 2000.
CELIBATE RIFLES - from NFH #16 (spring 1989) One of the all
time great Aussie rock and roll bands in the spirit of Radio Birdman and Detroit-styled
rock and roll. This feature was based on a long interview with the Rifles fireball guitar
player, Kent Steedman.
CELIBATE RIFLES - (spring 2001) a huge interview with
Damien Lovelock that was the basis for a much smaller article that appeared in The Big
Takeover #48 in June 2001. (pdf file)
CITADEL RECORDS - (fall 2002) a big interview
with John Needham
DIED PRETTY - from NFH #14 (fall 1988) Velvets influenced
rockers with a long history in Aussie music.
DIED PRETTY - from NFH #18 (winter 1990) A later feature on this
great band.
DIED PRETTY - (spring 2001) a big interview with Brett
Myers that was the basis for an article appearing in The Big Takeover #48 in June 2001
(pdf file)
DM3 - Afeature written for Foster Child in the spring of
1998. Dom Mariani (ex-Stems) with another knockout power pop band
DOG MEAT RECORDS - from NFH #19 (summer 1990) Melbourne based
label specializing in loud rock and roll from around the world.
EXAMPLEHEAD - from NFH #17 (fall 1989) One of the more hard
rocking bands on the Aberrant label.
THE EXPLODING WHITE MICE - from NFH #19 (summer 1990) A great
Ramones / Stooges / Birdman / Beach Boys influenced band from Adelaide.
THE EXPLODING WHITE MICE - from NFH #23 (winter 1993) More from
the Mice.
feedtime - from NFH #15 (winter 1989) feedtime perform the same
role for the Australian scene that Wire did for the 77 UK punk scene.
GREASY POP RECORDS - from NFH #18 (winter 1990) Wonderful record
label from Adelaide.
THE HAPPY HATE ME NOTS - from NFH #14 (fall 1988) One of the
world's best power pop / rock and roll bands...Jam/Clash influences.
THE HAPPY HATE ME NOTS - from NFH #22 (fall 1991) A longer
feature.
THE HARD-ONS - from NFH #16 (spring 1989) Sydney pop/thrash
merchants who almost made it big despite their name.
THE KELPIES - another of the great bands on Aberrant
Records...they were active in 1981/1982 but this article is based on an interview in 1999
THE KRYPTONICS - from NFH #18 (winter 1990) Hard, Detroit
influenced rockers who started in Perth and moved to Sydney.
ED KUEPPER - A home page for the prolific and
enduring ex-guitar player and co-founder of the Saints (don't forget to come back to NFH!)
THE LIME SPIDERS - from NFH #16 (spring 1989) Started as the kings
of Aussie garage rock, turned more into hard rock and power pop.
IAN LIST / DAGOES / SPIKES / UVs (October 1997) A long interview
with the man who led the Spikes and UVs and whose musical career spans over 10 years of
great Adelaide bands
LITTLE MURDERS (fall 2001) A big
retrospective of the career of Rob Griffith's Melbourne band the Little
Murders, who began as a mod outfit in the late 70s and are still making
CDs today.
LIZARD TRAIN - from NFH #17 (fall 1989) Adelaide's answer to Died
Pretty, but where Died Pretty got more commercial with time, this band has become more
adventurous.
THE MAD TURKS FROM ISTANBUL and the ICE CREAM HANDS (March
1998) Two superb power pop bands headed by Adelaide ex-patriots Charles Jenkins and Dom
Larizza
THE MARK OF CAIN - from NFH #19 (summer 1990) Industrial,
pounding music with a Joy Division edge from Adelaide
MIDNIGHT OIL - a
link to a website on this more mainstreamish but still great Aussie band. (Don't forget to
return to NFH)
THE MONARCHS - a long interview with Brad
Shepherd that spans the Fun Things, Hoodoo Gurus, the Monarchs and more!
NEW CHRISTS - from NFH #20 (winter 1991) The fabulous band led
by former Radio Birdman frontman Rob Younger.
NEW CHRISTS - (spring 2001) The third leg of the set of
interviews for the feature entitled Golden Days When Giants Walked The Earth that
appeared in The Big Takeover #48
THE OTHER SIDE - The band Rob Younger sang for between the
folding of Radio Birdman and the forming of the New Christs
PHANTOM RECORDS - (December 2002)
A long interview with Phantom co-owner and one time Radio Birdman manager
Jules Normington
THE PHILISTEINS - from NFH #20 (winter 1991) Tasmanians
transplanted to Adelaide with inventive but tough rock and roll.
PORCELAIN BUS - (spring 2000) the definitive history of
this terrific 80s Sydney band that mixed an ability to rock with a more subtle side (PDF
file)
PRAY TV - from NFH #23 (winter 1993) Morose sounding British
influenced band with traces of Husker Du, Echo and the Bunnymen, Joy Division.
RADIO BIRDMAN - from NFH #19 (summer 1990) Substantially
re-written from the original NFH article; with the Saints this band can lay claim to the
title of founder of the Australian underground music scene
RADIO BIRDMAN - from Big Takeover #49 &
#50. A huge new feature based on an interview with Deniz Tek and Rob
Younger written in 2001 to mark the release of The Essential Radio
Birdman retrospective CD.
RADIO BIRDMAN - a review of two
Melbourne shows from their spring 2002 reunion tour.
THE SAINTS - A long feature written for Foster Child fanzine
based on an inteview with Chris Bailey in February 1998 - spans the history of the Saints
from their beginnings up to today.
THE SCIENTISTS - KIM SALMON - THE SURREALISTS
- another monster sized feature based on a 2002 interview with Kim Salmon.
THE SCREAMING TRIBESMEN - from NFH #15 (winter 1989) Rock/pop
band with roots from classic early 80s Oz bands.
THE STEMS & DOM MARIANI - from NFH #21 (winter 1991) Perth
band the Stems were one of the world's great 60s influenced garage bands, but Mariani has
gone on to make some of the world's best powerpop.
DENIZ TEK - (May 1997) A feature and interview on the exploits
of the great guitar player from Radio Birdman, featuring his solo career and the Radio
Birdman reunion
DENIZ TEK LIVE - (January 1998) A feature written for the
January 1998 Foster Child on a Tek live show in San Diego from August, 1997
LOUIS TILLET - A link to a home page covering this
piano playing fool who appears on albums by the New Christs and Wet Taxis and also has
solo releases of his own
TOYS WENT BERSERK - from NFH #18 (winter 1990) Aberrant Records
most commercial band...traces of the UK gothic thing, but much more driving.
THE TRILOBITES - from NFH #17 (fall 1989) Another Detroit rock
influenced band with strong power pop influences
THE TWENTY SECOND SECT - from NFH #18 (winter 1990) One of the
most throat-destroying female singers in the world fronts a hard edged rocking band from
Adelaide..
VANILLA CHAINSAWS - from NFH #16 (spring 1989) Sydney band
influenced by TSOL and Husker Du.
WATERFRONT RECORDS - from NFH #22 (fall 1991) Prominent Sydney
label that released well over a hundred records by Australian bands in their day.
back
to Noise For Heroes contents
back to NKVD contents
Some other bands
deserving of features (some absolutely crucial) which I never got around to writing about
in Noise For Heroes but will some day (if you were in one of these bands get in touch with
me by e-mail and let's do a feature):
CITADEL RECORDS
THE COMRADES OF WAR
THE END
HAREM SCAREM
THE HITMEN
ED KUEPPER
THE LIPSTICK KILLERS
THE MOODISTS
NEW RACE
THE PASSENGERS
THE PSYCHOSURGEONS
ANGIE PEPPER
ROCKS
THE SCREAMING BELIEVERS
THE SUNNYBOYS
THE 31ST
THE THOUGHT CRIMINALS
THE VISITORS
X
