ORSTRALIA - THE NEW AUSTRALIAN PUNK EXPLOSION
If you think that Australian punk rock begins and ends with The Saints and Radio Birdman, let it be known that this sparsely populated country south of the equator has been spewing out quality snot caked punk tune-age with attitude to burn since before those seminal bands scorched the earth. Back in the sixties The Atlantics ripped out the track Come On after trading their surf guitar for an el cheapo six string noise maker with a fuzz box. Australian bands have been pumping out the raw stuff with wild abandon ever since. Over each generation there's been our fair share of troublemakers forming bands brewing up untamed sounds under monikers such as The Missing Links, The Purple Hearts, The Victims, X, Scientists, Cosmic Psychos, Bored!, The Powder Monkeys, Hoss and Eddy Current Suppression Ring. In the last ten years like minded bands have continued to rise from the muck to yet again stoke the garage punk flame and mutate it into ever more unexpected brain frying ways. Crucially, there has also been a very strong contingent of new independent labels emerge such as Aarght!, Homeless, Anti Fade, Poison City, Goodbye Boozy Records and R.I.P. Society that have been as integral to the current scene as Greasy Pop, Waterfront, Easter and Citadel were back in the day. It's a good time to be a fan of punk rock, garage and other unsavory types of Australian music. Here are some of my favourites from the latest generation of Australian hoodlums in no particular order:
Instant classic. This goes straight on this list even though it's brand new. Saints/Fun Things influence with a bit of hardcore attitude. Not an ounce of fat on this one. Features members of No Zu & Stiff Richards. (Legless 2022)
Tighter and more focused than ever before. Energy to burn while walking the thin line between full-on noisemaking & making this work as a set of songs too. Jake Robertson blurts out his petulant lyrics on top of their familiar herky-jerky rhythms and their weirdly melodic hooks that seem to be getting even more angular. Band Of The Future is frenetic, genuinely exciting and fun. (Aarght! 2016)
That killer Geelong garage punk sound you know and love featuring Anti Fade founder Billy Gardner. 12 bangers with a tonne of attitude that just won’t quit. Guitars set to stun, vox on full snot mode & driving grooves. Get their whole catalogue!! (Anti Fade 2017)
Prepare yourself for a blast of noisy guitars with that classic Australian punk sound that has nods to Bored!, Saints and other punk lords from back when Birdmen flew. Jim McCullough has that forceful everyman vocal delivery that is spat out with a vengeance as are the pummeling riffs. It sounds from another time but still feels as fresh as an unexpected gut punch. Who says rock ‘n roll is dead! (Flightless 2021)
60’s garage rock classicists featuring a cast that has featured in virtually every important band in the current Australian scene. Serious amounts of swagger; guitars that hit perfectly in the sweet spot between jangle and edgy; and rhythms that swing! (Saturno Records 2014)
With a label called Pissfart and songs with titles like “Pub On My Own”, “Pretty Shitty” & “Piss The Bed” no one is fooling anyone that this is high art, but what a glorious racket of garage rock! Amongst all of this rabble there's actually catchy memorable songs. Try to get “Plastic” out of your head once you've heard it. A warning to those jumping in head first, don't let your mum catch you looking at the cover of their S/T album...scarily it's probably someone's mum. You've been warned! (Pissfart 2015)
Sydney garage punks that tap into that reverb drenched sixties vibe with cool psych and surf undertones and the vox is distorted just right. Great songs with plenty of hooks and catchy chorus's that will still scratch that punk rock itch just right. (Rice Is Nice 2018)
Self proclaimed favourite sons of Geelong. Vintage Crop serve up a post punk panic attack. With sardonic commentary delivered in a dead pan style, over a barrage of flailing guitars, a commanding stomp and what do you know? It's recorded and mixed by Mikey Young...Sold! (Anti Fade 2018)
This one comes galloping out of the blocks from the get go. Melbourne based & calling themselves first world power punk. I think they're selling themselves short. Vocal chords that probably need the attention of a throat doctor, guitars that slash & burn with 3 or less chords and a ruthless thuggish rhythm section ready to kick holes in your speakers. This scuzz squad is the real deal. (Slovenly 2015)
A suburban nightmare on wax. A truly great punk 'n roll record with equal measures of attitude, humour and intelligence. Blake Scott conjures up a cast of unsavory types that I'm happy to spend time with in a song but wouldn't want to run into down a dark alley. The guitars have a real urgency and the rhythm section is unrelenting. If you don't dig the song “Carol” what rock have you recently crawled out from? Essential stuff. (Wind Sing 2014)
Born Outta Time & Ben Rankins (Merci d'avance pour vos commentaires !)
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