Wrong Kind of Stone Age

Wrong Kind of Stone Age was an Australian post-punk band formed in 1983 in inner-city Sydney by Gavin Williams (of Sydney punk band Identity X) and Miriam Williamson. The early Wrong Kind of Stone Age sound was a unique and wild fusion of post-punk attitude and bottom-heavy sonic distortion with strong dub and tribal influences, crowned by Miriam's powerful vocal range. Combined with occasional tape montage, didgeridoo, clarinet, or electronic noise, their uncompromising esthetic produced some of the most original ‘underground‘ music of the era.

Following some notorious inaugural performances, and the release of their first tape, Wrong Kind of Stone Age soon attracted an appreciative audience, and built an enduring reputation. They regularly partnered with bands such as the Wet Taxis, Bloodloss, and Box of Fish; one show at the Rehearsal Room in Redfern attracted the Tactical Response unit. Wrong Kind of Stone Age supported the Dead Kennedys at Sefton, in Sydney’s west, on their 1983 Australian tour. Jello Biafra at the time described them as ‘one of the best morbid-ambient post-punk bands I've ever seen or heard’.

The band's lineup shifted considerably in the first year or so of existence: alongside Miriam and Gavin could sometimes be found Drew Mayson (guitar, percussion, didge), Andy Lonsdale (percussion, synthesizer, tapes), Jodi Grist (voice, clarinet), Jeremy Vermeesch (bass), Scotty, and others.

By 1984, in time for their only vinyl recordings, the membership stabilized as Gavin Williams (guitar), Miriam Williamson (voice), Geoff Nolan (bass), Craig McLeod (drums). The "Flying Low to Batavia" EP was released in Sydney in 1984, and sold rapidly. For several years this highly acclaimed four-piece played at many infamous inner-Sydney venues, like The Britannia and The Sandringham, although only a handful of tracks would be recorded and released.

By the late 80s the style and the band members had shifted again: the sound became even more dub-infused, deprecating the 'grungy' bottom end and making stronger use of electronica and Middle Eastern-styled rhythms (while losing none of its uniqueness). The tribal lineup by the end of the decade consisted of Miriam and Gavin, with Bryce Cannon (percussion), Andy Rantzen (keyboards), and Drew Mayson (guitar). In 1989 Wrong Kind of Stone Age released a cassette LP, "Traditional Musik", on the Cosmic Conspiracy label, and was playing live at venues such as the Evil Star. Probably the most successful lineup, they were renowned for often spellbinding performances.

The band began to fragment in the early 90s. The last Wrong Kind of Stone Age performances were in 1991, with a hard-edged instrumental dub set, performed by Gavin Williams (guitar, rhythms, percussion), Drew Mayson (guitar), Andy Lonsdale (synthesizer, tapes, mixing).

Miriam Williamson recorded with Pelican Daughters, and Itch-e & Scratch-e (formed by Andy Rantzen and Paul Mac), in the early 1990s; she is creating new material as Princess Universe. Itch-e & Scratch-e, with Miriam, won an Aria award for their track "Sweetness and Light" (Itch-E & Scratch-E, "Itch-E Kitch-E Koo", Second Nature/Volition, 1993). Wrong Kind of Stone Age samples are also used on Pelican Daughters recordings (Pelican Daughters, "Fishbones and Wishbones", Silent Records, 1991: Pelican Daughters, "Bliss", Silent Records, 1994). Wrong Kind of Stone Age tracks appear on several 1990s compilations (‘Go and Do It’, 1996: "Bloodstains Across Australia", 1998). Gavin Williams plays on the 1989 Browning Mummery track "The Sorcerer's Philosophy", ("Browning Mummery" CD, Obelisk, 1996).

Releases

*"Grace and Grossness", Cassette LP, Sydney, 1983
*"Flying Low to Batavia", EP, Sydney 1984
*"The End" & "Criminal", Compilation LP, "Not So Humdrum", Aberrant, 1984
*"Traditional Musik", Cassette LP, CCP, Sydney, 1989
*"The End" & "Criminal", Compilation CD, "Go and Do It", Small Axe, 1996
*"Run Amok", Compilation LP, "Bloodstains Across Australia", US, 1998

References

*Jello Biafra: "Dead Kennedys Tour Down Under", Maximumrocknroll #10, 1983
*http://www.answers.com/topic/go-and-do-it?cat=entertainment
*http://www.punk-information.com/wig-wz.htm
*http://www.lipstickkillers.com/comphell/baaustralia.html
*http://homepages.nyu.edu/~cch223/australia/info/dktourreport.html
*http://www.discogs.com/artist/Wrong+Kind+Of+Stoneage
*Clinton Walker, 'Stranded: The secret history of Australian independent music 1977-1991'. Macmillan, 1996.
*Clinton Walker, 'Inner City Sound: Punk and post-punk in Australia 1976-1985'. Verse Chorus, 2005.
*Bob Blunt, 'Blunt: A biased history of Australian rock'. Prowling Tiger, 2001.