Brisbane punk rock
Encyclopedia
The Brisbane
punk rock
scene between 1975 and 1984 is generally regarded as producing “some of the most anarchistic bands of the Australian punk rock
era”. The development of Brisbane
's punk rock movement differed to other cities because of its isolation from the rest of Australia
and because the scene received special attention from the local police, which also generated uniquely antagonistic and “snot” driven punk bands. Whilst these Brisbane bands had the environmental factors at play, it also could be seen from hindsight that the movement can be roughly dissected into three phases. First, there was the pioneering chapter, which lasted from 1975 to 1977. These bands were either innovators or part of the first wave of punk bands. Foremost of all Brisbane bands, The Saints
were considered as “Aussie punk pioneers”. Then the second phase could be placed somewhere between 1978 and 1980 in which Ian MacFarlane
coined the groups of this period “the second generation.”
The last period faceted “the third generation” of punk groups that spanned from around 1981 to 1984 and diverged into two categories; the hardcore punk
and the post-punk
punk or dark punk. Brisbane's dark punk has been identified as closely related to the sub-genres of horror punk
and Deathrock
from the West Coast U.S.A. that happened roughly around the same time.
fanzine in 1976, "Then after our second drummer walked out and we almost called it 'quits' but we decided to keep playing to the 30 people (from an original 150 patrons) who were still with us. Before the last number the manager of the hall arrived with cops, turned off the power and told us to 'fuck off'! The cops told us they would confiscate our equipment if we didn't go, so we went." ". By the end of 1975 the band inducted Kym Bradshaw onto bass and moved Ivor Hay onto drums. Following this the band changed its name to The Saints. More fracas ensued in 1976 due to the hostile feelings received from the authorities and those who hated the band, of which there were many.
The Saints came to the attention of the English musical press with the “(I'm) Stranded
” single. This song arrived with much fanfare, as it fitted neatly into the conventional punk sound and attitude in London
. Jon Savage
, U.K. journalist and punk historian, noted that The Saints “had been developing in near isolation for three years, but it took just one review in Sounds
to make their career.” The Saints arrived in England
in 1977 but soon found that their hair and image didn’t fit the idealistic, English punk, stylistic dress codes. The English were hoping for spiky hair and brothel creepers, instead finding an image of street bums with attitude. Ed Kuepper
, guitarist for The Saints reflected on their arrival in the U.K., “By the time we got here the initial spirit already died out, it was very contrived. There were too many people following slavishly after. We had problems because we didn’t look New Wave
.” However, that aside, The Saints reached the U.K. charts
with their song “This Perfect Day”, when the Sex Pistols
were at their most infamous with their chart topping “God Save the Queen
” single. Eventually in 1978 The Saints disbanded but not before releasing two albums, “(I'm) Stranded
” and “Eternally Yours
” and the classic “Know Your Product
” single. It has been said the “[The Saints] created one of the greatest R&B
– fuelled rock songs of all time.” The "Prehistoric Sounds
" LP
was released in 1979 after they had disbanded. The Saints reformed in 1980; however, their punk edge was lost without “Ed Kuepper's relentless power chords.”
Around 1976, The Leftovers
formed, to eventually gain local cult fame due to the stories of the band's existentialist approach to life. “Everybody was starting to get really bad drug habits and walking over each other's backs to finance the habits” said The Leftovers’ guitarist, Ed Wreckage, of their demise in a 2000 interview. The Leftover's history was plagued by many altercations and distractions that included regular raids by the Police during shows and the occasional fist fight with Saints fans. In 1979, they released their only single, “Cigarettes and Alcohol” and generally are considered part of Brisbane's seminal punk history. Most of the members, including Warren Lamond, their singer, have now died through tragic circumstances.
Another punk band from the early period was The Survivors
. They were included on the "Lethal Weapons" compilation of Australian punk bands that came out in early 1978. Their drummer, Bruce Anthon, a proficient musician, went on to play various instruments for more sophisticated musical groups that did blues or jazz as well.
During this era Brisbane punk rock occasioned mostly halls such as the Hamilton Hall and Toowong R.S.L hall as venues.
, with it being said that "4ZZZ FM DJs Michael Finucan, Tony Biggs, Bill Riner, Mark Bracken, Phil Cullen and Andy Nehl were influential in playing the new music."
One of the bands that benefited from 4ZZZ airplay was Razar with their song Task Force, the B-side to the Stamp out Disco single. Their music was tight, fast and brash, steered by the energetic playing of their guitarist Steve Mee. The song Task Force essentially was about the Queensland
Police Task Force special branch. As stated in the Behind the Banana Curtain
CD, a compilation of Brisbane bands made by 4ZZZ, "Razar's Task Force released in 1978 on the Able Label referred to Brisbane's notorious undercover police." Razar were like a beacon to the local constabulary, as were most high profile Brisbane punk groups, often receiving the law's special treatment. Dave Darling, a concert promoter, recalled such events, "We encountered problems with police just like everybody else did that tried to run a venue...9 out of 10 of them I don’t think ever made the final song...and disguise them from Task Force knowing they were on, but eventually in the course of the night one of them would find out and next thing you know you had all of them there..."
The Fun Things
, originally known as The Aliens, were an outfit that exemplified the Detroit inspired “Sydney Sound” and did homage to the “spirit of their heroes” Radio Birdman
with the song called When the Birdmen Fly released on The Fun Things self titled EP. However, songs like Savage easily outshone their homage track on the EP and was more spiritually connected with Brisbane's punk identity. Although The Fun Things were not as socially rebellious towards Brisbane society in relation to other leading Brisbane punk bands, they nevertheless enjoyed a reputation for tight energetic music. According to Brad Shepherd
, singer/guitarist for the group, "The Fun Things were if not gifted plagiarists, at the very least a bunch of excitable Brisbane teenagers with extremely good taste in music." The band members, Brad Shepherd, John Hartley and Murray Shepherd went on to join other bands, most notably in the early to mid 1980s with the Hoodoo Gurus
for Brad and The Screaming Tribesmen for Hartley and Murray Shepherd.
Minor players from this second phase included The Lounge Lizards, The Humans, The Toy Watches, Gerry Mander and the Boundaries, The fractions, The Upsets, Swell Guys, The Hard Ons (not to be confused with the later Sydney surf thrash band), The Fujiama Angels, The Young Identities, Flying Squad, and The Alphabet Children. Most of these bands, with the exception of The Sharks, who supported The Stranglers
at the Queens Hotel, played rather spasmodically, generally around hall gigs. The Stranglers went on to record a single in 1979, called "Nuclear Device (the Wizard of Aus)" which was sardonically written about the Premier of Queensland, Joh Bjelke-Peterson and his political regime. The song was a minor hit in the U.K. charts.
Also in 1979 the song was Sunset Strip by The Numbers, later renamed The Riptides recorded an outstanding punk-like tune that had regular 4ZZZ airplay but it is regarded as more powerpop than punk rock.
Venues that hosted punk gigs during this second phase include The Exchange Hotel, The Queens Hotel, The Curry Shop, The Baroona Hall, The Ahepa Hall, The Silver Dollar Disco, The Brisbane Hotel, Colossus Hall, Cloudland
, The Majestic Hotel, Sally's Coffee Lounge, Caxton St. Hall, Pinnochios, The Cleveland Sands Hotel, The Seven Hills College of Art, Griffith and Queensland Universities and even Pips Nightclub. Other places worth a mention were Rotten Import Records, a shop dedicated to punk music in 1978 and The Elizabeth Street Bar (nicknamed White Chairs) which became an important hang out for those of a Punk/ New Wave/Alternative persuasion during the stretch of 1980 to 1987.
The two most prominent 'dark punk' groups during this period were the Vampire Lovers
and Mystery of Sixes. The Vampire Lovers played a glam - horror style of punk with garage tendencies reminiscent of The Stooges
and The Damned. The other band, the Mystery of Sixes, were influenced by The Stranglers
and Bauhaus
and leaned much more toward the hardcore punk scene. Both of these bands and Public Execution started at Zits, a.k.a. Kisses, an infamous punk venue in the Fortitude Valley that allegedly had an assortment of criminal connections and various staff members into the black magic
. T. Flew suggested in his paper about the music scene in Brisbane of the time, "Part of the reason live music in The Valley was so prosperous during this time was the abundance of illegal brothel
s and casinos located in the area which were frequented on a regular basis."
The Mystery of Sixes self titled song Mystery of Sixes received substantial airplay on 4ZZZ. Jello Biafra
, (Dead Kennedys) reviewed their EP's songs as such, "this Brisbane band is a little more on the post-punk side. They definitely live in their own world, especially when the Arabic – style vocals on the title song are taken into account. The lyrics have Satanic overtones." Evocative of Black Flag
, they pumped out their tough music with dark but forceful insight to their audience. Bez Jobson, their vocalist, diversified their sound by adding percussion to some of their songs. It was asserted in 2000 that "the band quickly gained a reputation for courting controversy," by being banned by the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal and by the various acts of violence perpetrated upon them with knives and guns. The Mystery of Sixes with Black Flag
inspired inner-Brisbane band Public Execution supported the Dead Kennedys
in Brisbane in 1983. The Mystery of Sixes broke up in 1985.
Meanwhile, the "notorious" Vampire Lovers were the type of group, according to the Bucket full Of Brains magazine, to "embody an enjoyably snotty early eighties zombie-punk-schlock vibe." The Vampire Lovers had a wild and tumultuous kind of spirit that gained much notoriety throughout Brisbane, in which Jeff Dahl
(Angry Samoans
, Powertrip
) claimed that they reminded him "at times of the Pistols, The Germs
, The Bonzo Dog Band and even early B-52's
but it's a stew of something much more disturbing. You get the feeling these guys weren't 'playing' punk rockers." A number of run-ins with the Queensland Police Force were documented in their retrospective CD, titled 13 Tasteless Masterpieces. The Vampire Lovers featured punk in leopard-print, Axle 'Axe Babe' Conrad whose "uniquely tortured pipes" blended into another dark dimension with the raw guitar work of Matt Nasty. Their punk classic 1983 single Buzzsaw Popstar with its trade mark chant became an instantaneous hit at 4ZZZ. They disbanded in 1984 only to reform in 1988 after the popularity of the Buzzsaw Popstar 1987 single re-release. They went on to mix their sound with a hybrid of later 1980s hard psyche/ speed metal/ punk thrash styles. Fittingly they supported Iggy Pop
at Easts Leagues Club during his Instinct tour.
During the same early 1980s period 'hardcore' punk bands also appeared in Brisbane, particularly from 1983 onwards. Many fans coming from middle and far western suburbs such as the satellite city of Ipswich
. Most recognisable of the hardcore groups were the La Fetts. In 1985, La Fetts wrote a song SEQEB Scabs, which was about the sacked electricity workers at the time. This song was banned by Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson's government, and the Task Force forcibly removed the tape from the 4ZzZ station premises.
Of other Punk bands of Brisbane's third generation were New Improved Testament, Public Execution, Black Assassins, Pictish Blood, Dumb Show, and Strange Glory. Popular venues from this particular time include Amyl's Nitespace, Zits, The Australian National Hotel, The New Exchange Hotel, The Atcherley Hotel, Whispers, Griffith and Queensland Universities, The Factory, The Palomino (later The Outpost), Runcorn Hall and the South Brisbane Blind Hall.The Treasury Hotel downstairs, near the Elizabeth Street Bar (White Chairs) became an important hang out for those of a Hardcore Punk persuasion during the stretch of 1983 to 198?.
movement.
It has been said, “Essentially, "alternative" is a catch-all for post-punk bands that appeared as new wave began to die out in 1983-84, and runs all the way into 1995, when alternative pop/rock is the mainstream.”
Although some Brisbane bands continued with punk after 1984, it was relegated to a subordinate position in the local alternative music circuit. These Brisbane punk groups of the late 1980s owed much to the Sydney music scene, namely bands such as Radio Birdman
and The Hard Ons. Stylistically or in a Punk fashion
sense, the bands and the fans replaced the style of dyed short spiky hair, cheap items of attire, sewn-in tight trousers, leather and PVC for long hair, consumer orientated band logo t-shirts, skateboards and skater shorts. Most of which, had little relationship with the original concepts and codes from earlier generations of Brisbane punk and punk rock in general. Also since 1983 a contingent of Punk fusion bands proliferated the local punk movement to contemporary times, with various styles including Country and Western, Ska
, Rockabilly
and Heavy Metal
. For the last ten years, Punk has been growing and broadening its sound while the quirky indie pop
and pop punk
have been slowly falling into a formulaic and dull pattern.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
scene between 1975 and 1984 is generally regarded as producing “some of the most anarchistic bands of the Australian punk rock
Punk rock in Australia
Australian musicians played and recorded some of the earliest Punk Rock. Perhaps the most notable example were The Saints, who released their first single in 1976. Bands playing sub-genres or offshoots of punk music, such as local hardcore acts, still have a strong cult following throughout...
era”. The development of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
's punk rock movement differed to other cities because of its isolation from the rest of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and because the scene received special attention from the local police, which also generated uniquely antagonistic and “snot” driven punk bands. Whilst these Brisbane bands had the environmental factors at play, it also could be seen from hindsight that the movement can be roughly dissected into three phases. First, there was the pioneering chapter, which lasted from 1975 to 1977. These bands were either innovators or part of the first wave of punk bands. Foremost of all Brisbane bands, The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
were considered as “Aussie punk pioneers”. Then the second phase could be placed somewhere between 1978 and 1980 in which Ian MacFarlane
Ian McFarlane (music journalist)
Ian McFarlane is an Australian music journalist and author of The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop.-Biography:McFarlane started as a freelance music journalist in 1984 writing for Juke, The Edge and From the Vault...
coined the groups of this period “the second generation.”
The last period faceted “the third generation” of punk groups that spanned from around 1981 to 1984 and diverged into two categories; the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and the post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
punk or dark punk. Brisbane's dark punk has been identified as closely related to the sub-genres of horror punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
and Deathrock
Deathrock
Deathrock is a term used to identify a sub-genre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics, that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in 1979.-Characteristics:...
from the West Coast U.S.A. that happened roughly around the same time.
The Pioneers
Kid Gallahad and The Eternals had formed as early as 1973 and created in Brisbane what was to become the Brisbane's legendary punk attitude after their debut at a Returned Services League venue in the western suburbs of Brisbane. Chris Bailey, singer for the group, recollected his observations of this first gig's calamity to Sniffin' GlueSniffin' Glue
Sniffin' Glue is the name of a monthly punk zine started by Mark Perry in July 1976 and released for about a year. The name is derived from a Ramones song "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue." Others that wrote for the magazine that later became well known journalists include Danny Baker.Although initial...
fanzine in 1976, "Then after our second drummer walked out and we almost called it 'quits' but we decided to keep playing to the 30 people (from an original 150 patrons) who were still with us. Before the last number the manager of the hall arrived with cops, turned off the power and told us to 'fuck off'! The cops told us they would confiscate our equipment if we didn't go, so we went." ". By the end of 1975 the band inducted Kym Bradshaw onto bass and moved Ivor Hay onto drums. Following this the band changed its name to The Saints. More fracas ensued in 1976 due to the hostile feelings received from the authorities and those who hated the band, of which there were many.
The Saints came to the attention of the English musical press with the “(I'm) Stranded
(I'm) Stranded (song)
" Stranded" is the first song released by pioneering Australian punk rock band The Saints. Issued in September 1976, it has been cited as "one of the iconic singles of the era", and pre-dated vinyl debuts by contemporary punk acts such as the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Damned and The Clash...
” single. This song arrived with much fanfare, as it fitted neatly into the conventional punk sound and attitude in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Jon Savage
Jon Savage
Jon Savage , real name Jonathon Sage, is a Cambridge-educated writer, broadcaster and music journalist, best known for his award winning history of the Sex Pistols and punk music, England's Dreaming, published in 1991.-Career:...
, U.K. journalist and punk historian, noted that The Saints “had been developing in near isolation for three years, but it took just one review in Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
to make their career.” The Saints arrived in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1977 but soon found that their hair and image didn’t fit the idealistic, English punk, stylistic dress codes. The English were hoping for spiky hair and brothel creepers, instead finding an image of street bums with attitude. Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper
Ed Kuepper is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the seminal punk band The Saints, the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns and later the grunge-like The Aints...
, guitarist for The Saints reflected on their arrival in the U.K., “By the time we got here the initial spirit already died out, it was very contrived. There were too many people following slavishly after. We had problems because we didn’t look New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
.” However, that aside, The Saints reached the U.K. charts
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
with their song “This Perfect Day”, when the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
were at their most infamous with their chart topping “God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)
"God Save the Queen" is a song by the English punk rock band The Sex Pistols. It was released as the band's second single and was featured on their only album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. The song was released during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977...
” single. Eventually in 1978 The Saints disbanded but not before releasing two albums, “(I'm) Stranded
(I'm) Stranded
Stranded is the debut album by Australian punk rock group The Saints which was released by EMI on 21 February 1977. Their debut single, " Stranded", was issued ahead of the album in September 1976, which Sounds magazine's reviewer, Jonh Ingham, declared was the "Single of this and every week"...
” and “Eternally Yours
Eternally Yours
Eternally Yours is second album released by the Australian music group The Saints in 1978. For their follow up album the band chose a bigger, more R&B-driven sound, including the addition of a horn section.The original title for the album was to be International Robots and recording initially...
” and the classic “Know Your Product
Know Your Product
"Know Your Product" is a song written by Ed Kuepper and Chris Bailey of Australian rock band The Saints. Released in February 1978, it was the second single from the group's second album, Eternally Yours...
” single. It has been said the “[The Saints] created one of the greatest R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
– fuelled rock songs of all time.” The "Prehistoric Sounds
Prehistoric Sounds
Prehistoric Sounds is the third album released by the Australian music group The Saints in 1978. This was the final album to feature Ed Kuepper, who left the band shortly after its release...
" LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
was released in 1979 after they had disbanded. The Saints reformed in 1980; however, their punk edge was lost without “Ed Kuepper's relentless power chords.”
Around 1976, The Leftovers
The Leftovers (Australian band)
Brisbane punk rock band The Leftovers, formed in 1976, had acquired local cult punk hero status in Australia over the years due to their acknowledged reputation in the past for excessive anti social practices, constant harassment by the Queensland Police Force and self destructive deeds...
formed, to eventually gain local cult fame due to the stories of the band's existentialist approach to life. “Everybody was starting to get really bad drug habits and walking over each other's backs to finance the habits” said The Leftovers’ guitarist, Ed Wreckage, of their demise in a 2000 interview. The Leftover's history was plagued by many altercations and distractions that included regular raids by the Police during shows and the occasional fist fight with Saints fans. In 1979, they released their only single, “Cigarettes and Alcohol” and generally are considered part of Brisbane's seminal punk history. Most of the members, including Warren Lamond, their singer, have now died through tragic circumstances.
Another punk band from the early period was The Survivors
The Survivors (Australian band)
The Survivors were a Brisbane punk rock band that formed in 1976 as a party band, which attained cult status in Australia by their acknowledged popular live performances and contribution to the Lethal Weapons punk compilation album...
. They were included on the "Lethal Weapons" compilation of Australian punk bands that came out in early 1978. Their drummer, Bruce Anthon, a proficient musician, went on to play various instruments for more sophisticated musical groups that did blues or jazz as well.
During this era Brisbane punk rock occasioned mostly halls such as the Hamilton Hall and Toowong R.S.L hall as venues.
The Second Phase
The Brisbane punk movement took off following 1978. A lot more bands formed and were given air time on Community radio station 4ZZZ4ZZZ
4ZZZ is an independent community radio station operating in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, at the frequency 102.1 FM. As a community radio station, 4ZZZ is a member of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia...
, with it being said that "4ZZZ FM DJs Michael Finucan, Tony Biggs, Bill Riner, Mark Bracken, Phil Cullen and Andy Nehl were influential in playing the new music."
One of the bands that benefited from 4ZZZ airplay was Razar with their song Task Force, the B-side to the Stamp out Disco single. Their music was tight, fast and brash, steered by the energetic playing of their guitarist Steve Mee. The song Task Force essentially was about the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Police Task Force special branch. As stated in the Behind the Banana Curtain
Behind the Banana Curtain
Behind the Banana Curtain is a compilation album released by 4ZZZ. It is a 2 disc set that documents 25 years of 4ZZZ broadcasting and their contribution to the Australian city of Brisbane's music scene-Track listing:Disc One...
CD, a compilation of Brisbane bands made by 4ZZZ, "Razar's Task Force released in 1978 on the Able Label referred to Brisbane's notorious undercover police." Razar were like a beacon to the local constabulary, as were most high profile Brisbane punk groups, often receiving the law's special treatment. Dave Darling, a concert promoter, recalled such events, "We encountered problems with police just like everybody else did that tried to run a venue...9 out of 10 of them I don’t think ever made the final song...and disguise them from Task Force knowing they were on, but eventually in the course of the night one of them would find out and next thing you know you had all of them there..."
The Fun Things
Fun Things
The Fun Things were a high energy punk band that was formed during the heyday period of punk rock. Known for their admiration of Radio Birdman, they also have been documented as being "modeled on almost exclusively on the Radio Birdman / Stooges / Sex Pistols mould." The band released one highly...
, originally known as The Aliens, were an outfit that exemplified the Detroit inspired “Sydney Sound” and did homage to the “spirit of their heroes” Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
with the song called When the Birdmen Fly released on The Fun Things self titled EP. However, songs like Savage easily outshone their homage track on the EP and was more spiritually connected with Brisbane's punk identity. Although The Fun Things were not as socially rebellious towards Brisbane society in relation to other leading Brisbane punk bands, they nevertheless enjoyed a reputation for tight energetic music. According to Brad Shepherd
Brad Shepherd
Brad Shepherd is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially the Hoodoo Gurus...
, singer/guitarist for the group, "The Fun Things were if not gifted plagiarists, at the very least a bunch of excitable Brisbane teenagers with extremely good taste in music." The band members, Brad Shepherd, John Hartley and Murray Shepherd went on to join other bands, most notably in the early to mid 1980s with the Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
for Brad and The Screaming Tribesmen for Hartley and Murray Shepherd.
Minor players from this second phase included The Lounge Lizards, The Humans, The Toy Watches, Gerry Mander and the Boundaries, The fractions, The Upsets, Swell Guys, The Hard Ons (not to be confused with the later Sydney surf thrash band), The Fujiama Angels, The Young Identities, Flying Squad, and The Alphabet Children. Most of these bands, with the exception of The Sharks, who supported The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
at the Queens Hotel, played rather spasmodically, generally around hall gigs. The Stranglers went on to record a single in 1979, called "Nuclear Device (the Wizard of Aus)" which was sardonically written about the Premier of Queensland, Joh Bjelke-Peterson and his political regime. The song was a minor hit in the U.K. charts.
Also in 1979 the song was Sunset Strip by The Numbers, later renamed The Riptides recorded an outstanding punk-like tune that had regular 4ZZZ airplay but it is regarded as more powerpop than punk rock.
Venues that hosted punk gigs during this second phase include The Exchange Hotel, The Queens Hotel, The Curry Shop, The Baroona Hall, The Ahepa Hall, The Silver Dollar Disco, The Brisbane Hotel, Colossus Hall, Cloudland
Cloudland
Originally called "Luna Park", Cloudland Dance Hall was a famous Brisbane entertainment venue located in Bowen Hills. It was demolished in 1982 and the site was subsequently developed into an apartment complex....
, The Majestic Hotel, Sally's Coffee Lounge, Caxton St. Hall, Pinnochios, The Cleveland Sands Hotel, The Seven Hills College of Art, Griffith and Queensland Universities and even Pips Nightclub. Other places worth a mention were Rotten Import Records, a shop dedicated to punk music in 1978 and The Elizabeth Street Bar (nicknamed White Chairs) which became an important hang out for those of a Punk/ New Wave/Alternative persuasion during the stretch of 1980 to 1987.
Brisbane's Dark Punk
This phase centred on the early to mid 1980s. The dark mood of the bands reflected the changing dynamics of punk. "As the restrictive measures of punk, and all the clichéd fashion statements it entailed, came to a close, post punk groups took up the gauntlet. These exciting new bands used the DIY spirit to launch a more introspective, even gloomy, but still vibrant sound." said Jason C. Reeher in his review of Post Punk. Many of the Brisbane bands absorbed the darker edge due to the post-punk fashion; however, several of these newer groups continued on the peculiarily seditious punk path distinctive to Brisbane.The two most prominent 'dark punk' groups during this period were the Vampire Lovers
Vampire Lovers (Australian band)
The Vampire Lovers, also known as Vampyre Lovers or Vampire Lovers were a Brisbane punk rock group formed in 1982 in Queensland, Australia. Music historian, Ian McFarlane, stated that Brisbane produced "some of the most anarchistic bands of the Australian punk rock era" and that it was a city...
and Mystery of Sixes. The Vampire Lovers played a glam - horror style of punk with garage tendencies reminiscent of The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
and The Damned. The other band, the Mystery of Sixes, were influenced by The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
and Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
and leaned much more toward the hardcore punk scene. Both of these bands and Public Execution started at Zits, a.k.a. Kisses, an infamous punk venue in the Fortitude Valley that allegedly had an assortment of criminal connections and various staff members into the black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
. T. Flew suggested in his paper about the music scene in Brisbane of the time, "Part of the reason live music in The Valley was so prosperous during this time was the abundance of illegal brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
s and casinos located in the area which were frequented on a regular basis."
The Mystery of Sixes self titled song Mystery of Sixes received substantial airplay on 4ZZZ. Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
, (Dead Kennedys) reviewed their EP's songs as such, "this Brisbane band is a little more on the post-punk side. They definitely live in their own world, especially when the Arabic – style vocals on the title song are taken into account. The lyrics have Satanic overtones." Evocative of Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, they pumped out their tough music with dark but forceful insight to their audience. Bez Jobson, their vocalist, diversified their sound by adding percussion to some of their songs. It was asserted in 2000 that "the band quickly gained a reputation for courting controversy," by being banned by the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal and by the various acts of violence perpetrated upon them with knives and guns. The Mystery of Sixes with Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
inspired inner-Brisbane band Public Execution supported the Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
in Brisbane in 1983. The Mystery of Sixes broke up in 1985.
Meanwhile, the "notorious" Vampire Lovers were the type of group, according to the Bucket full Of Brains magazine, to "embody an enjoyably snotty early eighties zombie-punk-schlock vibe." The Vampire Lovers had a wild and tumultuous kind of spirit that gained much notoriety throughout Brisbane, in which Jeff Dahl
Jeff Dahl
Jeff Dahl is an American musician. Born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1955, but in 1960 the Dahl family relocated to Hawaii. Jeff recorded his first single, Rock N Roll Critic, in 1977 and it was released on the Doodley Squat label...
(Angry Samoans
Angry Samoans
The Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
, Powertrip
Powertrip
Powertrip is a studio album by Monster Magnet, released on June 16, 1998. The album was the band's commercial breakthrough, achieving mainstream success due largely to the hit single, "Space Lord". Other hit songs on the album include "Powertrip", "Temple of Your Dreams", and "See You in Hell"...
) claimed that they reminded him "at times of the Pistols, The Germs
The Germs
The Germs are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane...
, The Bonzo Dog Band and even early B-52's
The B-52's
The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...
but it's a stew of something much more disturbing. You get the feeling these guys weren't 'playing' punk rockers." A number of run-ins with the Queensland Police Force were documented in their retrospective CD, titled 13 Tasteless Masterpieces. The Vampire Lovers featured punk in leopard-print, Axle 'Axe Babe' Conrad whose "uniquely tortured pipes" blended into another dark dimension with the raw guitar work of Matt Nasty. Their punk classic 1983 single Buzzsaw Popstar with its trade mark chant became an instantaneous hit at 4ZZZ. They disbanded in 1984 only to reform in 1988 after the popularity of the Buzzsaw Popstar 1987 single re-release. They went on to mix their sound with a hybrid of later 1980s hard psyche/ speed metal/ punk thrash styles. Fittingly they supported Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
at Easts Leagues Club during his Instinct tour.
During the same early 1980s period 'hardcore' punk bands also appeared in Brisbane, particularly from 1983 onwards. Many fans coming from middle and far western suburbs such as the satellite city of Ipswich
City of Ipswich
The City of Ipswich is a Local Government Area in South East Queensland, covering an area of along the coast about southwest of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. The City of Ipswich has a population of 162,380 .-History:...
. Most recognisable of the hardcore groups were the La Fetts. In 1985, La Fetts wrote a song SEQEB Scabs, which was about the sacked electricity workers at the time. This song was banned by Sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson's government, and the Task Force forcibly removed the tape from the 4ZzZ station premises.
Of other Punk bands of Brisbane's third generation were New Improved Testament, Public Execution, Black Assassins, Pictish Blood, Dumb Show, and Strange Glory. Popular venues from this particular time include Amyl's Nitespace, Zits, The Australian National Hotel, The New Exchange Hotel, The Atcherley Hotel, Whispers, Griffith and Queensland Universities, The Factory, The Palomino (later The Outpost), Runcorn Hall and the South Brisbane Blind Hall.The Treasury Hotel downstairs, near the Elizabeth Street Bar (White Chairs) became an important hang out for those of a Hardcore Punk persuasion during the stretch of 1983 to 198?.
From Punk to Alternative Rock
During 1983 a large number of Alternative acts appeared in the local underground music scene. Brisbane’s original spirit of punk begun to wane; eventually it was lost in 1985. It was superseded by the Alternative RockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
movement.
It has been said, “Essentially, "alternative" is a catch-all for post-punk bands that appeared as new wave began to die out in 1983-84, and runs all the way into 1995, when alternative pop/rock is the mainstream.”
Although some Brisbane bands continued with punk after 1984, it was relegated to a subordinate position in the local alternative music circuit. These Brisbane punk groups of the late 1980s owed much to the Sydney music scene, namely bands such as Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
and The Hard Ons. Stylistically or in a Punk fashion
Punk fashion
Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry, and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including...
sense, the bands and the fans replaced the style of dyed short spiky hair, cheap items of attire, sewn-in tight trousers, leather and PVC for long hair, consumer orientated band logo t-shirts, skateboards and skater shorts. Most of which, had little relationship with the original concepts and codes from earlier generations of Brisbane punk and punk rock in general. Also since 1983 a contingent of Punk fusion bands proliferated the local punk movement to contemporary times, with various styles including Country and Western, Ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, Rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
and Heavy Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. For the last ten years, Punk has been growing and broadening its sound while the quirky indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
and pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
have been slowly falling into a formulaic and dull pattern.