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Post by jk on Mar 10, 2021 6:08:16 GMT -5
Over at Hoffman I play this game where the last word in the song title entered by the previous poster becomes the first word in your entry. On one occasion this brought me to a song by a (to me) unknown band with an intriguing name: Use No Hooks. Fellow game-player Mylene, who lives in Melbourne, remembered seeing them support Whirlywirld at The Champion Hotel in Fitzroy one New Year's Eve. Not just that -- she was taught music at high school by the mother of UNH's bass-player! As for Whirlywirld, they seem to enjoy legendary status in the history of the "Little Band scene", a hotbed of often short-lived, often interrelated bands. See the wiki page below to get acquainted -- don’t forget this is uncharted territory for me too -- and to marvel at the list of band names! My topic may spill out in other directions (the way topics do) although these should bear some valid relationship to the "scene". And please, please, post videos and/or anecdotes of your own! First off, here's the nine-piece punk-funk band Use No Hooks. The Job is a stunning collection of mostly previously unreleased tracks -- the Bandcamp page provides all the info on UNH you'll ever need: usenohooks.bandcamp.com/album/the-job en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Band_scene |
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Post by jk on Mar 11, 2021 16:57:57 GMT -5
Getting back to Whirlywirld, this is "Red River", which was first released in 1980 on a self-titled 12" EP (45 rpm, two tracks per side): The lineup for that EP, taken from the back cover, was Ian "Ollie" Olsen (vocals, tapes, piano, synthesizer), John Murphy (drums. electronics, kitchenware), Greg Sun (bass, percussion) and Arne Hanna (electric guitar). For those who wish to look further, Whirlywirld's complete studio output (just nine songs!) can be heard here.  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlywirld |
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Post by jk on Mar 14, 2021 6:15:53 GMT -5
These are The Shower Scene From Psycho and a lively video of them miming to their 1986 cover version of the old Seekers favourite, "Georgie Girl". The following information comes from a reddit page that refuses to be linked directly:
"The Shower Scene From Psycho -- Simon Grounds (vocals, keyboards, theremin), Jack Bloom (guitar), Tim Costigan (bass, keyboards) and David Hoy (violin) -- were a Melbourne band whose discordant brew of fuzz guitars, virtuosic theremin solos, helium vocals and outbursts of delirious musique concrète noise was a sound unheard before or since. A post-punk re-imagining of '60s bubblegum pop concocted from strategic cover versions and peerless originals that will leave you singing along as your ears melt. Initially focused around deconstructing pervasive pop hits, the band grew into a fascinating beast producing otherworldly eccentric epics and dark humanistic pieces."
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Post by jk on Mar 16, 2021 5:19:23 GMT -5
This is where jk puts on his hard hat and indulges in a spot of controversy.
The next band to be featured is, ahem, Thrush & The Cunts. T&TC are Marisa Stirpe, her sister Marion (no surname given in credits), Denise Rosenburg and Jules Taylor. It would take up too much space and time to make the connections between all four members and other little bands -- you can do it if you like. Recorded in 1986, this is the brooding "Diseases":
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Post by jk on Mar 23, 2021 4:20:44 GMT -5
A slight detour here: Essendon Airport was one of the bands linked in a Little Band scene playlist on YouTube but it turns out they belonged among their rivals from Clifton Hill (the little bands' core area was nearby Fitzroy North): "The 'wild and chaotic' nature of the little bands stood in stark contrast to 'the more academic form of experimentalism' of Tsk Tsk Tsk, Essendon Airport, Ernie Althoff, David Chesworth, and others associated with the Clifton Hill scene. According to [little band member John] Murphy, the little bands reviled the 'Clifton Hill mob' for being against emotion in music, while Tsk Tsk Tsk founder Philip Brophy regarded the Little Band scene as anti-intellectual, and its music 'harsh and sometimes painful'." This is "Lost In Madagascar", the B-side of the Essendon Airport single "Talking To Cleopatra" (1980), both featuring Anne Cessna on lead vocals: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essendon_Airport_(band) |
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Post by jk on Mar 25, 2021 16:18:09 GMT -5
The Primitive Calculators were arguably the prime moving force behind what would become known as the Little Band scene. They consisted of Stuart Grant (guitar and vocals), the ubiquitous Denise Rosenberg (keys), Dave Light (bass) and Frank Lovece (vocals and manic drum machine, RIP). "Pumping Ugly Muscle" would seem to be a live recording from 1979 (they only cut two songs in the studio).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primitive_Calculators |
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Post by jk on Mar 25, 2021 17:17:43 GMT -5
The Primitive Calculators consisted of Stuart Grant (guitar and vocals), the ubiquitous Denise Rosenberg (keys), Dave Light (bass) and Frank Lovece (vocals and manic drum machine, RIP). "Pumping Ugly Muscle" would seem to be a live recording from 1979 (they only cut two songs in the studio).
In fact it was recorded in a North Fitzroy practice room, according to this source: primitivecalculators.com/releases.htmlOf course, it wasn't just Denise who played in multiple bands. The Little Band scene was nothing if not fluid... |
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Post by Al S on Mar 26, 2021 2:55:52 GMT -5
These are The Shower Scene From Psycho and a lively video of them miming to their 1986 cover version of the old Seekers favourite, "Georgie Girl". The following information comes from a reddit page that refuses to be linked directly: "The Shower Scene From Psycho -- Simon Grounds (vocals, keyboards, theremin), Jack Bloom (guitar), Tim Costigan (bass, keyboards) and David Hoy (violin) -- were a Melbourne band whose discordant brew of fuzz guitars, virtuosic theremin solos, helium vocals and outbursts of delirious musique concrète noise was a sound unheard before or since. A post-punk re-imagining of '60s bubblegum pop concocted from strategic cover versions and peerless originals that will leave you singing along as your ears melt. Initially focused around deconstructing pervasive pop hits, the band grew into a fascinating beast producing otherworldly eccentric epics and dark humanistic pieces." Totally awesome cover - I once sent it to a young ex-SS, PSF mod who I thought might appreciate it but it went over his frizzy head. Fantastic video, love the bit where the keyboard player hastily reacts to forgetting to play the keyboard! This inspired me as a young guitarist (of ongoing negative acclaim) to come up with a middle ground arrangement in the jingle-jangle spirit of The Church or REM. |
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Post by jk on Mar 26, 2021 7:25:47 GMT -5
These are The Shower Scene From Psycho and a lively video of them miming to their 1986 cover version of the old Seekers favourite, "Georgie Girl". Totally awesome cover - I once sent it to a young ex-SS, PSF mod who I thought might appreciate it but it went over his frizzy head. Fantastic video, love the bit where the keyboard player hastily reacts to forgetting to play the keyboard! This inspired me as a young guitarist (of ongoing negative acclaim) to come up with a middle ground arrangement in the jingle-jangle spirit of The Church or REM. Fascinating! Well, while I still have your attention, Alan, you may recall this next little band, one that lived on after the scene folded. To plunder the YouTube blurb: "['Trouble Understanding Words' was this] Melbourne band's first, unsuccessful single performed on Countdown, August 23 1981. Members were Peter Farnan (lead vocals, guitar), Michael Vallance (bass) and Mark White (drums). Serious Young Insects existed from 1981-83. After they split, Peter Farnan went on to much greater success with Boom Crash Opera." |
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Post by jk on Nov 17, 2023 4:45:27 GMT -5
This is for you, Al S : "Melbourne pop/funk band Kids in the Kitchen formed in 1983 and quickly developed such a strong following that they were signed to Mushroom's White Label only eight months later. With a synth-pop sound reminiscent of Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran and a youthful and appealing stage presence, Kids in the Kitchen were quickly into their stride, appearing regularly on the ABC’s Sunday evening institution Countdown, sometimes as hosts, and landing a Top 10 hit with their first single. "The band's initial lineup was Scott Carne on lead vocals, Greg Dorman (guitar), Greg Woodhead (keyboards), Craig Harnath (bass) and Bruce Curnow (drums). 'Change In Mood', produced by Ricky Fataar, was their first single. It was released in October 1983 and spent 22 weeks in the charts, peaking at #10, and was nominated for Best Debut Single at the 1983 Countdown Music Awards. Interestingly, it came second to Pat Wilson's 'Bop Girl' -- also produced by Ricky Fataar alongside Ross Wilson." beat.com.au/the-most-obscure-hit-songs-in-australian-history-part-six/ |
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Post by Al S on Nov 18, 2023 2:08:00 GMT -5
This is for you, Al S : "Melbourne pop/funk band Kids in the Kitchen formed in 1983 and quickly developed such a strong following that they were signed to Mushroom's White Label only eight months later. With a synth-pop sound reminiscent of Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran and a youthful and appealing stage presence, Kids in the Kitchen were quickly into their stride, appearing regularly on the ABC’s Sunday evening institution Countdown, sometimes as hosts, and landing a Top 10 hit with their first single. "The band's initial lineup was Scott Carne on lead vocals, Greg Dorman (guitar), Greg Woodhead (keyboards), Craig Harnath (bass) and Bruce Curnow (drums). 'Change In Mood', produced by Ricky Fataar, was their first single. It was released in October 1983 and spent 22 weeks in the charts, peaking at #10, and was nominated for Best Debut Single at the 1983 Countdown Music Awards. Interestingly, it came second to Pat Wilson's 'Bop Girl' -- also produced by Ricky Fataar alongside Ross Wilson." Ha ha - you know I love your guts JK, but Kids in The Kitchen were a bit to, err, soft around the edges for me, even as a fey & medically impossibly skinny youth. "Change In Mood" was definitely their best single with shades of proto U2 and with a bit of vocal grit, as opposed to their BIG hit "Current Stand". Here's something back atcha from that period (by way of New Zealand) - Keep up the great work, chum!!! |
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