The Laughing Clowns
Encyclopedia
Laughing Clowns, commonly misspelled as The Laughing Clowns are a jazz-influenced post punk band who formed in Sydney in 1979. In five short years, the band released three LPs; two mini albums; various singles and a batch of odds and sods compilations. Laughing Clowns were formed to accommodate Ed Kuepper
's growing interest expanding the brass-driven sounds created on the Saints final album, Prehistoric Sounds
and by adopting flatted fifth notes in a rock and roll setting while using a modern jazz styled band line-up.
Along with The Birthday Party
, The Go-Betweens
, The Moodists
and The Triffids
, the Laughing Clowns also sought fame in Europe during the early 80s, and gained an international cult status. All four aforementioned groups have cited Laughing Clowns as an influence at some point in their respective careers.
in 1979 after Kuepper quit punk rock
band The Saints
due to a rift regarding the band's future direction. A final single was planned Laughing Clowns/On the Waterfront through EG Records, though never recorded. Each of the tracks ended up elsewhere; namely on the post-Kuepper debut of the Saints Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow EP and the self-titled Laughing Clowns mini-album; both of which appeared in 1980.
Kuepper returned to Australia in late 1978 contemplating musical retirement, however he bumped into old school friends Jeffrey Wegener and Bob Farrell at a party; the two coaxed Kuepper into forming a new band.
Both drummer Wegener and tenor saxophonist Farrell had early associations with The Saints, as Wegener briefly played with the band in 1975 (with Ivor Hay playing bass) and Farrell having been one of the Flat Top Four, performing backing vocals on Kissing Cousins from the band's debut album (I'm) Stranded
.
Having played in a Melbourne
band The Love with Wegener, bassist Ben Wallace-Crabbe joined the band and completed the first line-up, which began rehearsing in Sydney during the early months of 1979. After six months of rehearsal, the band made its public debut in August 1979 much to the apathy of Saints fans who expected a more abrasive punk sound.
And seeing that the third and final Saints album Prehistoric Sounds had not received a local release via EMI
until 1979, Laughing Clowns performed various songs from the LP in their early sets - including "The Prisoner" and "Swing For The Crime".
Later in the year, Ben's cousin and former guitarist in the Melbourne incarnation of Crime and the City Solution
Dan Wallace-Crabbe joined the group on piano. It was this five-piece incarnation of the Clowns that recorded Laughing Clowns at Richmond Recorders in Melbourne with engineer Tony Cohen
. Released via Missing Link
, their debut six track gained favorable reviews in the Australian independent music press after it hit the shelves in May 1980. A promotional video for the song "Holy Joe" from the record was also produced; a rare feat from an Australian independent band of the Countdown era.
Around the time of its release, the band again expanded its line-up to a six-piece with the addition of trumpeter Peter Doyle. This six-piece configuration of the band performed at the now-legendary Paris Theatre in Sydney in November 1980, with The Birthday Party and The Go-Betweens. This show marked the last appearance of Bob Farrell.
Having felt disenchanted by their former independent record label, the band's second release, the single "Sometimes the Fire Dance" appeared under the Prince Melon imprint in February 1981, run by then manager Ken West and Ed Kuepper. Within two months, the band release the 12" EP Laughing Clowns 3 and by August the two releases create their first compilation, Throne of Blood/Reign Of Terror.
During the course of the band's highly prolific recording output, the band lose the Wallace-Crabbe cousins and the Clowns are seen performing around Sydney as a three piece configuration, exploring much freer arrangements, and drawing from the band's mutual interest in free jazz
.
By the middle of 1981, the band gain two members of the Sydney jazz community; saxophonist Louise Elliott and fretless and upright bassist Leslie 'Bif' Millar, and with this new line-up, the band delve further into jazz-inspired improvisation and experimentation.
, the seemingly improvisational element of the album is entirely predetermined by the band's primary songwriter, Ed Kuepper, with the exception of the LP's title track.
Soon after, the band minus Doyle relocate briefly to Europe and record a session for John Peel
which appear on their 12" EP Everything That Flies Is Not A Bird, released in 1983.
By the end of 1982, the Clowns split due to tensions within the band, as Jeffrey Wegener briefly joins the The Birthday Party for a tour of Holland in early 1983.
reformed the band during the course of the year minus Millar, and added Peter Milton Walsh of The Apartments
whose commitment to the band was only for twelve months. Wash had not played bass in a band before; he appeared on their second album Law Of Nature
. Law Of Nature was recorded during the latter half of 1983 in Sydney and released in April 1984 on the newly formed label Hot
, with the addition of pianist Chris Abrahams
. The single "Eternally Yours" is released on 12" with a promotional video accompanying it. The album employs the recording of duel acoustic and electric guitar tracks, and a more song-based approach. After a national and European tour in support, Walsh departs and is replaced by Paul Smith.
, trumpeter Glad Reed and saxophonist Dianne Spence and begin recording what was to prove their final album, Ghosts Of An Ideal Wife.
By Christmas of 1984, the band split at the end of a national tour, with Kuepper finishing the album early in 1985. A posthumous single, the double A side "Just Because I Like/Crystal Clear" was also released via Hot
.
Shortly after disbanding, Wegener and Elliott briefly join a latter version of The Saints for an Australian tour; while Kuepper began work on his debut LP, Electrical Storm
An anthology of Laughing Clowns material, Cruel But Fair, was released on 3 October 2005 on the Hot
label to great critical success, and having the band regarded in retrospect as "the most inventive and innovative Australian band of the post-punk era."
In 2008, Ed Kuepper
reignites the Prince Melon record label, and later releases a live album by the band, their first release of new material since their split.
A version of the band reunited in 2009 for the All Tomorrow's Parties
festival, curated by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
and an eastern states tour.
This version of the band consisted of Kuepper, drummer Jeffrey Wegener, saxophonist Louise Elliot, bassist Les 'Biff' Millar - the line-up that played on the Everything That Flies... 12" EP, and Sydney-based keyboardist Alister Spence.
Don't Look Back series of shows supporting longtime fans The Dirty Three, where the band performed their 1984 compilation of their pre Hot
years History Of Rock 'n' Roll Volume One in its entirety.
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...
's growing interest expanding the brass-driven sounds created on the Saints final album, 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...
and by adopting flatted fifth notes in a rock and roll setting while using a modern jazz styled band line-up.
Along with The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
, The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
, The Moodists
The Moodists
The Moodists were an Australian post-punk band that formed in 1980, when Dave Graney, Clare Moore and Steve Miller of punk group The Sputniks moved from Adelaide to Melbourne. They added bass player Chris Walsh and later added guitarist Mick Turner....
and The Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
, the Laughing Clowns also sought fame in Europe during the early 80s, and gained an international cult status. All four aforementioned groups have cited Laughing Clowns as an influence at some point in their respective careers.
Early Years 1979-81
The band formed in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1979 after Kuepper quit 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...
band 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...
due to a rift regarding the band's future direction. A final single was planned Laughing Clowns/On the Waterfront through EG Records, though never recorded. Each of the tracks ended up elsewhere; namely on the post-Kuepper debut of the Saints Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow EP and the self-titled Laughing Clowns mini-album; both of which appeared in 1980.
Kuepper returned to Australia in late 1978 contemplating musical retirement, however he bumped into old school friends Jeffrey Wegener and Bob Farrell at a party; the two coaxed Kuepper into forming a new band.
Both drummer Wegener and tenor saxophonist Farrell had early associations with The Saints, as Wegener briefly played with the band in 1975 (with Ivor Hay playing bass) and Farrell having been one of the Flat Top Four, performing backing vocals on Kissing Cousins from the band's debut album (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"...
.
Having played in a Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
band The Love with Wegener, bassist Ben Wallace-Crabbe joined the band and completed the first line-up, which began rehearsing in Sydney during the early months of 1979. After six months of rehearsal, the band made its public debut in August 1979 much to the apathy of Saints fans who expected a more abrasive punk sound.
And seeing that the third and final Saints album Prehistoric Sounds had not received a local release via EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
until 1979, Laughing Clowns performed various songs from the LP in their early sets - including "The Prisoner" and "Swing For The Crime".
Later in the year, Ben's cousin and former guitarist in the Melbourne incarnation of Crime and the City Solution
Crime and the City Solution
Crime and the City Solution was a rock music band formed by Australian singer and songwriter Simon Bonney.They had four distinct line-ups: Sydney in 1977–78, Melbourne in 1979, and two groupings in Berlin from 1985–1990. The only common member in all four line-ups was Bonney.Other members included:...
Dan Wallace-Crabbe joined the group on piano. It was this five-piece incarnation of the Clowns that recorded Laughing Clowns at Richmond Recorders in Melbourne with engineer Tony Cohen
Tony Cohen
Tony Cohen is an acclaimed Australian record producer and sound engineer based in Melbourne, best known for his work with The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in the 1980s...
. Released via Missing Link
Missing Link
Missing link is a nonscientific term for any transitional fossil, especially one connected with human evolution; see Transitional fossil - Missing links and List of transitonal fossils - Human evolution.Missing Link may refer to:...
, their debut six track gained favorable reviews in the Australian independent music press after it hit the shelves in May 1980. A promotional video for the song "Holy Joe" from the record was also produced; a rare feat from an Australian independent band of the Countdown era.
Around the time of its release, the band again expanded its line-up to a six-piece with the addition of trumpeter Peter Doyle. This six-piece configuration of the band performed at the now-legendary Paris Theatre in Sydney in November 1980, with The Birthday Party and The Go-Betweens. This show marked the last appearance of Bob Farrell.
Having felt disenchanted by their former independent record label, the band's second release, the single "Sometimes the Fire Dance" appeared under the Prince Melon imprint in February 1981, run by then manager Ken West and Ed Kuepper. Within two months, the band release the 12" EP Laughing Clowns 3 and by August the two releases create their first compilation, Throne of Blood/Reign Of Terror.
During the course of the band's highly prolific recording output, the band lose the Wallace-Crabbe cousins and the Clowns are seen performing around Sydney as a three piece configuration, exploring much freer arrangements, and drawing from the band's mutual interest in free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
.
By the middle of 1981, the band gain two members of the Sydney jazz community; saxophonist Louise Elliott and fretless and upright bassist Leslie 'Bif' Millar, and with this new line-up, the band delve further into jazz-inspired improvisation and experimentation.
Mr Uddich Schmuddich Goes To Town 1982
Released in May 1982, the group's debut LP Mr Uddich Schmuddich Goes To Town shows the Clowns' in a change of approach with the addition of Millar's jazz schooled bass playing. Much like the work of Captain BeefheartCaptain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
, the seemingly improvisational element of the album is entirely predetermined by the band's primary songwriter, Ed Kuepper, with the exception of the LP's title track.
Soon after, the band minus Doyle relocate briefly to Europe and record a session for John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
which appear on their 12" EP Everything That Flies Is Not A Bird, released in 1983.
By the end of 1982, the Clowns split due to tensions within the band, as Jeffrey Wegener briefly joins the The Birthday Party for a tour of Holland in early 1983.
Law Of Nature 1983-1984
Ed KuepperEd 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...
reformed the band during the course of the year minus Millar, and added Peter Milton Walsh of The Apartments
The Apartments
The Apartments was an Australian indie band that first formed in 1978 in Brisbane, broke up in 1979, and reformed several times since.-History:...
whose commitment to the band was only for twelve months. Wash had not played bass in a band before; he appeared on their second album Law Of Nature
Law of nature
Law of Nature may refer to:* Physical law, a scientific generalization based upon empirical observation* Natural law, any of a number of doctrines in moral, political and legal theory...
. Law Of Nature was recorded during the latter half of 1983 in Sydney and released in April 1984 on the newly formed label Hot
Hot
Hot or HOT may refer to:*Geographical Places and People:**Hot District, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand**Hot, Hot a sub-district of Hot District, Thailand**Hot, Albania, a municipality in the Malësi e Madhe District, Albania...
, with the addition of pianist Chris Abrahams
Chris Abrahams
Chris Abrahams is a Sydney-based pianist, best known for his jazz work.Abrahams has been a member of the Benders, the Laughing Clowns, The Sparklers and The Necks. He has recorded several solo albums, as well as collaborations with Melanie Oxley from the Sparklers...
. The single "Eternally Yours" is released on 12" with a promotional video accompanying it. The album employs the recording of duel acoustic and electric guitar tracks, and a more song-based approach. After a national and European tour in support, Walsh departs and is replaced by Paul Smith.
Ghosts Of An Ideal Wife and break-up 1984-1985
The Clowns again expand ranks with the addition of pianist Louis TillettLouis Tillett
Louis Tillett is an Australian singer-songwriter, keyboard player and saxophonist. He was the frontman in Australian bands The Wet Taxis, Paris Green and The Aspersion Caste...
, trumpeter Glad Reed and saxophonist Dianne Spence and begin recording what was to prove their final album, Ghosts Of An Ideal Wife.
By Christmas of 1984, the band split at the end of a national tour, with Kuepper finishing the album early in 1985. A posthumous single, the double A side "Just Because I Like/Crystal Clear" was also released via Hot
Hot
Hot or HOT may refer to:*Geographical Places and People:**Hot District, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand**Hot, Hot a sub-district of Hot District, Thailand**Hot, Albania, a municipality in the Malësi e Madhe District, Albania...
.
Shortly after disbanding, Wegener and Elliott briefly join a latter version of The Saints for an Australian tour; while Kuepper began work on his debut LP, Electrical Storm
Electrical Storm
"Electrical Storm" is the only single from U2's second compilation album, The Best of 1990–2000, and one of the two new songs recorded for that album . The music video for the song prominently features drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., as well as actress Samantha Morton...
In Recent Years
In 2004, Kuepper and Wegener began performing together on Ed Kuepper's MFLL project, a live performance of soundtracks to short films which performed in Australia and Europe, including a show at The Cartier Foundation. Subsequently, Wegener joins Kuepper's touring band The Kowalski Collective and appears on his 2007 concept album, Jean Lee and the Yellow Dog.An anthology of Laughing Clowns material, Cruel But Fair, was released on 3 October 2005 on the Hot
Hot
Hot or HOT may refer to:*Geographical Places and People:**Hot District, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand**Hot, Hot a sub-district of Hot District, Thailand**Hot, Albania, a municipality in the Malësi e Madhe District, Albania...
label to great critical success, and having the band regarded in retrospect as "the most inventive and innovative Australian band of the post-punk era."
In 2008, 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...
reignites the Prince Melon record label, and later releases a live album by the band, their first release of new material since their split.
A version of the band reunited in 2009 for the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival, curated by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
and an eastern states tour.
This version of the band consisted of Kuepper, drummer Jeffrey Wegener, saxophonist Louise Elliot, bassist Les 'Biff' Millar - the line-up that played on the Everything That Flies... 12" EP, and Sydney-based keyboardist Alister Spence.
Laughing Clowns Now
The Clowns toured Australia in early 2010 as a part of All Tomorrow's PartiesAll Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
Don't Look Back series of shows supporting longtime fans The Dirty Three, where the band performed their 1984 compilation of their pre Hot
Hot
Hot or HOT may refer to:*Geographical Places and People:**Hot District, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand**Hot, Hot a sub-district of Hot District, Thailand**Hot, Albania, a municipality in the Malësi e Madhe District, Albania...
years History Of Rock 'n' Roll Volume One in its entirety.
Discography
Australian Releases- Laughing Clowns MLP (Missing Link) May 1980
- Sometimes The Fire Dance 7" (Prince Melon) January 1981
- Laughing Clowns 3 MLP (Prince Melon) March 1981
- Throne Of Blood/Reign Of Terror (A.K.A. Greatest Hits 1980) LP (Prince Melon) July 1981
- Mr Uddich-Schmuddich Goes To Town LP (Prince Melon) March 1982
- Theme From Mad Flies, Mad Flies 7" (Prince Melon) March 1982
- Everything That Flies... 12" EP (Prince Melon) July 1983
- Eternally Yours 12" (Hot) March 1984
- Law Of Nature LP/CD (Hot) April 1984
- History Of Rock 'n' Roll Vol. 1 LP/CD (Hot) November 1984
- Just Because I Like/Crystal Clear 7" (Hot) February 1985
- Ghosts Of An Ideal Wife LP/CD (Hot) August 1985
- Golden Days - When Giants Walked The Earth CD (Hot) August 1995
- Cruel But Fair (The Complete Clowns Recordings) 3CD (Hot) October 2005
- Prince Melon Bootleg Series Volume 7: Laughing Clowns Live CD (Prince Melon) March 2009
- Prince Melon Bootleg Series Volume 8: Laughing Clowns Live at the Basement CD (Prince Melon) January 2010
- Prince Melon Bootleg Series Volume 16: don't ask stupid questions to an artist, cop (Laughing Clowns Live 1982) CD (Prince Melon) 2010
External links
- http://www.myspace.com/laughingclowns
- http://www.thekuepperfiles.com
- http://www.myspace.com/edkuepper