Punk rock in Australia
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Australian musicians played and recorded some of the earliest
Many of the pioneers, like The Saints, Sydney band Radio Birdman, and young Perth musician Kim Salmon, were highly influenced by proto-punk sounds from Detroit.
A distinct Brisbane punk scene emerged in the 1970s. By 1977, other bands began to form in Sydney, under the influence of Radio Birdman and other local and overseas acts. During the late 1970s, former members of Radio Birdman contributed to several new bands.
These bands and other Australian and overseas punk acts were supported by
1973–1976
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The Saints were one of Australia's first punk bands. The earliest incarnation of the Saints was formed by
During 1974, Radio Birdman formed in Sydney, led by another immigrant, Detroit-born medical student Deniz Tek. They also shared an interest in the Stooges and MC5, albeit with a result arguably more akin to Hard rock than Punk. Their dynamic live shows soon gained a fanatical following at inner city venues. Many art rock bands, like Melbourne's Boys Next Door, formed by Nick Cave and Mick Harvey at their school in 1974, later attended gigs by the Saints and Radio Birdman, and would adopt elements of their sounds.
In Adelaide, the first punk band was Black Chrome formed in 1974, followed by JAB in 1976. Black Chrome's music attacked Australian apathy, it's urban wasteland and it's non existent youth culture. JAB billed themselves as "Synthetic Shock Rock" and were the first Australian punk band to use live synthesisers and tape loop guitar and synthesiser solos. This early iteration of JAB has been described as 'an insane electronic evolution of the velvet underground'.[4] Adelaide in this period was a staid, conservative and unreceptive city, consequently the bands were ignored, feared, and could not secure gigs unless they booked venues themselves without disclosing that they were punk bands.[5]
In
In mid-1976, the Saints recorded and distributed copies of their single "(I'm) Stranded", which met nearly no critical or public response in Australia. In the UK, however,Sounds magazine received a copy, and declared it: "single of this and every week". As a result, the band was signed to a three-album contract with EMI. Later the same year they recorded their first LP, which was also called (I'm) Stranded. Hampered by poor production and the indifference of radio stations, the LP failed commercially. In December the Saints moved to Sydney. Radio Birdman released an EP ("Burn My Eye") and an album (Radios Appear) with better production values, but with similar commercial results to the Saints' endeavours.
1977–80
By 1977, other bands were starting to form in Sydney, under the influence of local and overseas punk acts. The early Sydney punk scene centred around the Sydney inner city suburbs, and the
These bands and other Australian and overseas punk acts were strongly supported by
After the British punk scene took off in 1977, both the Saints and Radio Birdman moved to the UK. This proved to be disastrous for both bands. Neither of them fit in with, or were inclined to adjust to aspects of the London scene at the time, such the now-established punk fashion in clothes. Radio Birdman were dumped when their record company got into financial difficulty, and soon broke up. Later recordings saw the Saints adopt soul, blues and jazz influences, although their most successful single, "This Perfect Day" – which reached number 34 in the UK singles chart – was typical of the band's musical style. After another acclaimed single, "Know Your Product", and second and third albums failed to make an impression, EMI dropped the Saints. (Kuepper left in 1979 and Bailey began to pursue a more mainstream musical direction.) Last Words later followed their predecessors to the UK and also failed to make a strong impression.
By the end of 1977, the Melbourne supergroup Young Charlatans had formed from the remnants of earlier bands.[6][7] They included Ollie Olsen, Rowland S. Howard (guitar, later in the Birthday Party), Jeff Wegener (drums, former member of the Saints, later in the Laughing Clowns) and Janine Hall (later in the Saints). The band recorded the first version of the Howard song "Shivers". In Sydney, a Birdman offshoot, the Hitmen, had started to gig and Ian Rilen formed the longevitous X.
On 8 November 1977 the ABC nightly news magazine program "This Day Tonight" broadcast a feature on Australian punk rock, featuring a live recording of Black Chrome at Adelaide University's Union Hall, with commentary and interviews highlighting the largely negative contemporary attitudes to punk rock. The introductory voice over concluded;
″... but if you're wondering if its going to take off in a big way here, its worth remembering that the quiet streets of Adelaide are a long, long way from the streets of London. The message of punk rock is violence and anarchy; and its a message which has got Adelaide radio stations on the defensive.″[165]
In April 1978 Black Chrome released the single "Australia's God" on their own label Tomorrow Records,[166] but despite the band driving around Australia to the few record shops selling punk rock and delivering it to radio stations around the country, it failed to secure airplay and sold in tiny numbers. "Wallaby Beat" in 2011; "It must be said that of all the original 1977 Aussie bands Black Chrome are the one most shrouded in mystery. The single remains unheard (but not unloved) and the facts we can report are scant... so to the record, perhaps the most singular sounding of the first generation Australian punk records with its restrained fuzz, and strange (moaning?) backing vocals. It's in the lyrics where the punch is packed."[167]
Entrepreneurs began to realise the potential of the growing scene and
1979–91
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During the late 1970s, former members of Radio Birdman contributed to several new Sydney bands:
Melbourne's La Femme were a fascinating meld of late Seventies influences: punk, new wave, glam and hard rock. Their 1978 debut single Chelsea Kids is one of the all-time classic Australian singles and their only LP: La Femme, is arguably one of the best to come out of Melbourne's late 1970s punk/new wave scene (which included Models and the Boys Next Door). It contains many fine examples of the band's confident, swaggering glam-infused punk-metal sound. Lead singer Chane Chane was a charismatic, hyperactive front man, a refreshing personality with a strong audience rapport. Guitarist Brett Walker was a real live flashy guitar hero for the times, coming on like a punk-metal Mick Ronson by pealing off large chunks of dense power riffing when other guitarists were still going plink-plonk. The thuggish rhythm section of Peter Kidd and Graham Schiavello played it mean and hard, providing the relentless, driving beat. La Femme could well have made it into the big league if they’d wanted but swimming against the commercial tide seemed to be their raison d'être. In many ways they were their own worst enemies. An unwillingness to play the pop star game and the serious drug addiction, among other things, perhaps ended up compromising the band's drive. For an inner-city band with so much potential, in the end they really did give it away. They toured constantly, built up a huge support base on the suburban pub circuit, scored several prestigious support gigs, made three appearances on Countdown (one of the first punk/new wave/alternative bands to do so), released one of the great Melbourne punk albums and yet they never rose above being a cult attraction.
The Quick and the Dead, who played in Perth during 1979–81, pioneered a sound closely related to
The Boys Next Door, renamed the Birthday Party in 1980 and featuring Nick Cave, were pioneers in incorporating "darker" elements into their image, with connections to the genres of gothic rock, horror punk and deathrock. Other prominent examples included Brisbane bands Vampire Lovers and Mystery of Sixes.
A fourth generation of bands, such as the Hard-Ons (from Sydney) and Exploding White Mice (from Adelaide), also emerged. Former members of the Celibate Rifles and Lime Spiders formed the Eastern Dark, a short-lived but well-regarded act. Australian hardcore punk acts also emerged, such as Massappeal, who began gigging in Sydney during 1985.
From Brunswick emerged the smooth distorted sound of the Zorros with their single from Missing Link records "Too Young" reaching Number 3 in Radio RRR charts. The Zorros would play hard and fast and pack out many venues.
Punk revival since 1991
By the early 1990s, the success of
In Melbourne, punk has seen a resurgence in recent years. Along with straight up punk bands like Dixon Cider, Scrayfish, the Half Pints, Let's Jump Ship and the Flying Rats forming, there have also been the emergence of folk punk bands like Gentleman's Riot, Mutiny and Catgut Mary and skate punk bands such as Bombs Are Falling and Postscript . The reforming of many earlier punk bands from the 1980s (such as Bastard Squad and Depression) has also been prominent. The Late 2000s has also seen a resurgence in street punk across the Australian east coast with bands like No Idea (VIC), the Scam(QLD), the Lost Cause (QLD), Deputy Dipshit (QLD), the Worst (VIC), Stay Down (TAS), Wot Rot (VIC) and many more leaving their mark.
In Adelaide, primarily driven by a resurgence of interest driven by the internet, the publication of early punk discographies, and requests to play from venues and contemporary punk bands, Black Chrome reformed in 2010.[9] They have since appeared on several contemporary live punk compilation albums,[10] and from 2018 commenced releasing new material.[11]
Vans Warped Tour successfully returned to Australia in 2013 after an 11-year hiatus,[12] however many DIY grass roots events stepped up to fill the gap.
In film
Age of Rage: The Australian Punk Revolution, a documentary film directed by Jennifer Ross, premieres at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2022.[13]
See also
References
- ^ "The History Of Australian Punk In 30 Tracks". Junkee. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ "The history of Aussie punk told through ten iconic albums". Beat Magazine. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ McFarlane, Ian (1999). "The Saints". Whammo. Archived from the original on 9 August 2004. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ^ DNA Fanzine no. 111, October 2019, page 107.
- ^ DNA Fanzine No. 111, October 2019.
- ^ "From The Archives -The Young Charlatans- Chronology". www.fromthearchives.org. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ "ROWLAND S. HOWARD". Bang Records. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ Chane Chane (vocals), Brett Walker (guitar), Graham Schiavello (bass), and Pete Kidd (drums).
- ^ DNA Fanzine, No. 111, October 2019, pp 83-87.
- ^ Pioneers of Punk - Live At The Ed Castle (2014), Tomorrow Records - MA7203 - Vinyl and CD, 18 October 2014, DNA Fanzine Gig!!! Hotel Metro Adelaide, 25 January 2020 Live!!! (2021) - Tomorrow records - Vinyl and CD, 25 March 2021.
- ^ Age Of Rage (2018), Album, Tomorrow Records - vinyl and CD, 31 August 2018. Hard Times Party (2021), EP, Tomorrow Records - 10" vinyl and CD, 1 January 2021. Singles - The Storm (2020), Scared White Man (2020).
- ^ Brandle, Lars (11 July 2013). "Vans Warped Tour Returns to Australia". Billboard. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "Age of Rage Aust punk doco to premiere at MIFF". Rest Assured. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- Clinton Walker (ed.), 1982, Inner City Sound, Wild & Woolley; Glebe, NSW, Australia. 2005, Verse Chorus Press, Portland, OR.
External links
- Inner City Sound at Clinton Walker's website
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2003). "Misfits and Malcontents". (Retrieved on 15 December 2006.)
- Henry Weld, "Australian Punk Rock 1976-1983 Version 7 – May 2004" (Retrieved on 15 December 2006.)
- "Australian Punk and New Wave Record Cover Art"
- "The History of the Melbourne Punk Scene"
- Official Vans Warped Tour Australia