Brisbane punk rock

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 Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop", p. 237] 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”.cite web|url = http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/70/70music_aus.htm|title = Music in the 1970's - Australia & New Zealand|accessdaymonth = 24 August|accessyear = 2007|publisher = Nostalgia Central] 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 Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop", p. 706] The last period faceted “the third generation”"The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop", p. 661] 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 U.K. and the U.S.

History

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' Glue 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." Perry, Mark. (1976) "Stranded with the Saints". "Sniffin' Glue"(4). 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 (magazine) to make their career.”"England's Dreaming", p. 246] 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. Basically the English were hoping for spiky hair and brothel creepers instead they got 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.”"England's Dreaming", p. 384] 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 Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop", p. 548] 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 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” [cite web|url = http://www.dropkick.com.au/band.php?band_id=9|title = The Leftovers|accessdaymonth = 24 August|accessyear = 2007|publisher = Dropkick Records] 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 passed away through tragic circumstances.

Another punk band from the early period was the 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.

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 4ZZZ, with it being said that "4ZZZ FM DJs Michael Finucane, Carl (Bill) Rhiner and Andy Nehl were influential in playing the new music."cite web|url = http://members.optusnet.com.au/~toxicoh/brisband.htm|title = Brisbands|accessdaymonth = 25 August|accessyear = 2007|last = Macpherson|first = David|publisher = ToxicoH] 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."cite album-notes|title = Behind the Banana Curtain|bandname = Various artists|year = 2000|pages = p. 2|publisher = 4ZZZ] 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..."cite book|last = Darling|first = Dave|title = Young, Fast & Non-Boring|year = 2004|publisher = Queensland Performance Arts Centre Museum|pages = p. 53]

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”cite album-notes|title = Behind the Banana Curtain|bandname = Various artists|year = 2000|pages = p. 3|publisher = 4ZZZ] 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 Brisbane leading 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 Humans, The Toy Watches, Gerry Mander and the Boundries,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, and The Alphabet Children. Most of these bands, with the exception of The Humans, 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.

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, who played a glam - horror style of punk with garage tendencies, while the other band, the Mystery of Sixes, leaned much more towards the hardcore punk scene. Both of these bands 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 arts. 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 brothels and casinos located in the area which were frequented on a regular basis."cite conference|first = Flew|last = Terry|date = 17-20 July 2003|title = Music, Cities and Cultural Policy: A Brisbane Experience|conference = Sonic Synergies, Creative Cultures|booktitle = Proceedings Sonic Synergies, Creative Cultures|publisher = University of South Australia]

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."cite journal|last = Biafra|first = Jello|authorlink = Jello Biafra|year = 1983|title = The Mystery of Sixes|journal = Maximum RocknRoll|issue = 10] Reminiscent 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. The Mystery of Sixes supported the Dead Kennedys in Brisbane in 1983; however they broke up in 1985.

Meanwhile, the "notorious""The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop", p. 661] 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."cite journal|last = Gulland|first = Hugh|year = 2004|title = Vampire Lovers|journal = Bucket Full Of Brains] 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-52s but it's a stew of something much more disturbing. You get the feeling these guys weren't 'playing' punk rockers."cite journal|last = Dahl|first = Jeff|year = 2004|title = Vampire Lovers|journal = Carbon 13] The Vampire Lovers featured punk in leopard-print, Axle 'Axe Babe' Conrad whose "uniquely tortured pipes"cite web|url = http://www.i94bar.com/reviews/vampirelovers.html|title = 13 TASTELESS MASTERPIECES - Vampire Lovers
accessdaymonth = 25 August|accessyear = 2007|publisher = I-94 Bar] 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.

Bibliography

*cite book|last = McFarlane|first = Ian|authorlink = Ian McFarlane (music journalist)|title = The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop|publisher = Allen & Unwin|location=St. Leonards, NSW|year = 1999|isbn = 1-86508-072-1
*cite book|last = Savage|first = Jon|authorlink = Jon Savage|title = England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond|year = 1991|publisher = Faber and Faber|location = New York

References