Australian Post-Punk (Updates)

Hmm, actually, Google tells me 'Two Lines' came out three years later than the classic Pel Mel stuff, so the influence was probably the other way around. Nothing quite like that is being written any more, but if anything comes close it would probably be Miss Kitten in about 2002. I just think of it as the quintessential M Squared / Newtown sound.

yeah i remember coming across some of the metal YYC after only knowing the two lines 45 - kind of a shock really.

SoliPsiK - i'm fairly sure this isn't in the box set as it was NihiL + his then girlfriend + a guitarist doing stuff whilst SPK were in London. I think Revell and co don't see it as their work. So the female singer on this is a different person to the SPK female singer.

Systematics - all resolved: Rural will be in the box as the 2LP comp is a small run and it should sell out before the box is due - sometime in 2009.

YYC - i love their early stuff: it's 2 people from Systematics (Patrick and Fiona) + one of the M2 M's - Michael Tee. Definitely post Pel Mel, much more pop oriented. I was in their choir, once - you can just hear us on God's Buzzsaw.

another systematics update:

Rural will not be on the VOD M2 release as this (weirdly) is limited to material that was not previously released on vinyl. This is also the case with the Severed Heads box. So it's going to be up to some one out there to compile M2 correctly.

Markus Schmikler has been approached to do the mastering for the Systematics release and the responses have been very positive.

is Inner City Sound (the book) much cop/worth acquiring? managed about 30mins of Dogs In Space, but the complete lack of plot killed my interest. will re-attempt in an effort to see the Primitive Calculators footage.

it's kinda thin in parts but an enjoyable read. the cd is fantastic

well, there's not much plot in ICS - just a roll-call of bands and reviews, lots of pics of everyone and a post-punk outlook. still the best thing available regarding aus music of the time, though.

so this 2LP will have the tracks from that double 10" on Invitation au Suicide, yeah? really looking forward to this

Vinyl On Demand has always been cassette-only in terms of what they reissue, with a few small exceptions.

ICS is a really fascinating read - well written (in a serious style, and the hindsight aspect is also interesting. I'd like to see something like it for today's crop of underground bands.

i fear a book like that would be like a spiked hammer to my skull. unless it's an underground of awesome bands i haven't heard yet

Well yes, I see what you mean. Things have changed a bit haven't they? These days, underground means overground, wombling free.

<i>unless it's an underground of awesome bands i haven't heard yet</i>

I think that's the crux. If I had the time and was sufficiently masochistic I'd be able to write at least three chapters of that book myself. Those bands certainly exist, in my opinion, and I've had the good fortune to see a handful of them in Sydney and Melbourne - usually in the most unlikely locations, eg, house parties, warehouses, abandoned lots, etc. Most of them don't get too many gigs on the pub circuit - they don't bring enough punters. Most of them are, in some sense or other, heirs to the post-punk aesthetic, and not in a cute, fatuous way either. I'm sure there is plenty of 'deeply underground' music (shall we say) in the other states too.

Perhaps the problem is that truly underground music nowadays is really not that interesting to anyone in the music or publishing biz. Those bands will not sell records in sufficient quantities in these difficult times. These bands are lost amongst the huge heaving sea of no-hopers on MySpace.

Who is today's equivalent of Clinton Walker or, say Bob Blunt? Maybe he or she is writing that book right now. I can't help feeling, though, that the idea of people working intuitively and creatively in lanthanine noooks and crannies in the inner city is just not that appealing to publishers at the moment. Pitching a book like that would be difficult. It's a diabolical combination of an unsaleable book about unsaleable music.

Blogs were supposed to cover this territory, but all the blogs I see slavishly follow a cohort of this year's fashionable indie bands (please do link me to exceptions - I am talking about stuff no-one's ever heard of, not the latest me-too reviews of this year's next big indie things). Perhaps these blogs exist, but are themselves inpossible to find in the huge chattering blogmos.

So ICS just compiles back-in-the-day reviews/interviews from ... zines, papers, &c? Is it hefty enough to justify paying $35+shipping? I finally picked up Can't Stop It! I & II (I'd heard about a quarter of the tracks already) locally after dithering re: ordering them from Chapter for years, & am more blown away than I thought I'd be - real, real quality.
Still on a Severed Heads kick, too. Anyone wanna write a Severed Heads bio?

xpost: What bands, moley?

I think NZ's possibly more fucked re: coverage than Aus, w/people trapped between NZ On Air-baiting intnl blandishments & people aiming lathe cuts in limited editions of negative sixteen at the international market for NZ noize.

So ICS just compiles back-in-the-day reviews/interviews from ... zines, papers, &c?

Yes, all written by Clinton Walker. It's one person's vision, which can be a good thing if you like to get into another person's worldview, and it's pretty well written.

What bands, moley?

Two bands I really like (I could name about five or six probably) are B@d Art (Sydney) and N0w...You Die (Melbourne). Millions would disagree, of course. Both bands are really quite in your face and obnoxious, and not in a fashionable way either - which to me is a typically punk stance, in the true sense of the word. I suppose the point is that these are two interesting, highly opinionated bands who you haven't heard of, and who would be, I suspect, interesting interview subjects, unlikely to talk in platitudes, and not overly focused on their promotional profile at the expense of musical and social ideas.

Not to over-intellectualise them or anything. I mean,they are more into musical and lyrical wallop than conceptual finesse. Nor are they incredibly original (nor were the Birthday Party or many other of the bands covered by Clinton Walker). Probably they are more about the punk stance of obnoxious energy applied to stories of inner city life, occasionally drawing out political implications, than about creating new sounds. You could not call them boffins or potential Wire Magazine cover stars by any means.

Actually, better ask - ICS isn't too heavy on all the post-Stooges/Nick Cave related stuff, is it? I've heard way more Primitive Calculators/Slugfuckers than Bad Seeds/Saints/Go-Betweens, heh. It's the little bands with the teasing blurbs in the Can't Stop It liner notes I'm mainly interested in.

I've heard B@d Art's "I W3d Mys3lf" before! Somewhere, somehow ... maybe via some of the Brisbane all-ages-shows-at-galleries bands (T0xic L1pstick) or something.
I wonder how much documentation's gonna survive from this era - how long is a review/interview gonna survive on a blog?

ICS - it's not all written by Clinton although over half is and the new section at the end is all his work. It's coverage is wide and almost complete but a fair bit of the text does link back to Birdman/Birthday Party/Saints, especially at the beginning. In a lot of cases for the smaller bands, there's a picture and a small bit of text to accompany that.

BTW, The best "Birdman" article is "You Cant Put Yor Arms Round a Memory" which is a scathing review of a 1979 Visitors/Hitmen gig - "egad, it's like Anzac day in here - the crowd of motley old diggers proudly adorned with antique red and black badges of courage on their expectant chests", etc. Written by Peter Nelson who was one of the 1st members of the Birdman fan club and with whom I spent many sweaty Friday nights at the Funhouse in Taylor Square. He was easily the best writer of the time (as Clinton says in the rundown of writers and photographers near the front) but stopped around the time he started playing guitar for Wild West.

so this 2LP will have the tracks from that double 10" on Invitation au Suicide, yeah?

i never owned that one nor saw it around but i'm certain it will have all of the material that was released plus a lot of good studio demos and dabblings.

Just wanted to say that the musical and lyrical wallop of the Birdman/Birthday Party/Saints school is incredibly important to me. Not to denigrate bedroom industrialists, but there was a special energy about Aussie garage/punk records, particularly if you were listening to them in the pinky-blue popist hell of 80's Britain.

I have just alienated 95% of ILM. I'll get my coat.

Just wanted to say that the musical and lyrical wallop of the Birdman/Birthday Party/Saints school is incredibly important to me

and it was of vital importance to me (and many other of the band members of the time) as well. we just couldn't keep thinking it was the ultimate.

M2 compilation news:

- Mitch and Drew (scattered order) were seemingly lost for a few years but they've reappeared
- it's definitely made up of previous cassette releases only
- the tentative list is "more songs that will never be released", the 2 pat gibson solo; prod; acra and another lp of various things.

:-) to all that.

Just wanted to say that the musical and lyrical wallop of the Birdman/Birthday Party/Saints school is incredibly important to me. Not to denigrate bedroom industrialists, but there was a special energy about Aussie garage/punk records, particularly if you were listening to them in the pinky-blue popist hell of 80's Britain.

I have just alienated 95% of ILM. I'll get my coat.

-- Soukesian, Monday, 5 May 2008 22:09 (4 weeks ago) Link

This seems quite reasonable to me! And I love bedroom DIY!

But where is Mr. Odd?

goes without saying i am v interested in this M2 comp

i finally ripped my copy of growing pains, maybe not as good as 'a selection' but up there, even if only for the girl from ipanema and paint it black covers

yeah, growing pains is still pretty good but lacks the breadth of a selection. it's a shame that b selection was never finalised.

systematics update:

- markus schmikler has done the remastering: excellent
- the cover designer is a mainstay of the Cologne techno scene: no draft as yet but it's underway
- Pat has written reams of notes to accompany the tracks and they are just fantastic; detailed, funny, self-deprecating - ie the epitome of the systematics all round

so excited

I also eagerly await this release.

The Sytematics release should be available in mid November. The cover art is done and test pressings are almost ready.

An entry has been made at Discogs.com:

http://www.discogs.com/release/1511502

The 'label' will be selling the record via links from this page. This will probably be the only method available to those who live outside Germany or, maybe, a couple of other European stores.

hi um I am leaving the country for 4 months on Nov 16th and I will email you privately if I have not been able to pre-order by then, asking for assistance.

i.e. I really want this release.

sleeve - i'm just a conduit for this info. i have none of these in my hands nor will i. if you want a direct email link then email me off board.

Sounds interesting, Phil--thanks for the heads up. And thanks for the kind word and mention on my blog.

you can also try at http://www.youdonthavetocallitmusic.de/index.html

lp is available for preorder from the discogs link, 22 euros plus post

cool thanx

Proposed track list for the VOD M2 box:

Proposed title - "Pardon me for barging in like this" - M Squared 1979 to 1983

RECORD 1
Scattered Order

SIDE A
1. Tanks 1.49
2. Violent 4 ** 1.44
3. Fun 3.13
4. Untitled 3.37
5. Still happily 2.36
6. What / Not now 1.48
7. Greek Airport '80 2.28
8. This is a song about love 3.03
9. Count your blessings 5.25

TOTAL 25.43

SIDE B
1. Hold my cold hand (Live Melbourne Feb 82) 5.57
2. Giant 1.48
3. Waiting for you to come home 2.56
4. Teenage romance * 1.32
5. Because they are more difficult 3.18
6. Last one / Another song 3.01
7. Motionless 1.47
8. Blood is your blood 2.47
9. Star star delta 3.59

TOTAL 27.05

* From the cassette release "More songs that will never be released"
** Different version to that on "More songs that will never be released"
All other songs are unreleased

RECORD 2
Patrick Gibson / The Systematics

SIDE A
1. Modra Inara * 2.16
2. When a Band of Men * .44
3. Yellow Suit Weighing Machine 2.09
4. Swimming * 3.08
5. New Zealand * 3.57
6. I Needle the Oven! * 3.44
7. Hydrobes 4.20

TOTAL 20.36

SIDE B
1. 5/4 Fisted Tales of the Holy Trinity 4.05
2. The Master Plan Ain't Worth It 6.01
3. Korner 2.50
4. Children 1.48
5. Drowning Man 2.03
6. We, Him and Us Three (Instrumental) 3.47

TOTAL 20.49

* From the cassette release "Two Separate"

RECORD 3
Dead Travel Fast (TBC) - Not the band name!! although it still could be up
for grabs BUT the track selections, order and durations

SIDE A - "SOUR" Approx.
1. Urchin 4 mins
2. Brooding Buffalo 5 mins
3. Sea Heads - Part 1 8 mins
4. No Pesos 4 mins
5. Electro Superwoman 4 mins
6. Jacinto 3 mins

TOTAL 28 mins

SIDE B - "SWEET"
1. Pathways to Glory 4 mins
2. Tournament 4 mins
3. Slo Wasser 5 mins
4. Reverse Loops 3 mins
5. Old Shoe 4 mins
6. Steve Piano Bass 4 mins

TOTAL 24 mins
All previously unreleased

RECORD 4
A Cloakroom Assembly

SIDE A
1. Tom Salted * 2.02
2. Clock Tom Snare * 2.17
3. SnareGrrr * 2.25
4. Keeping Apprehension Time * 2.21
5. Drolling * 1.56
6. Tom to Tom * 2.07
7. Over Heads Whoop * 3.25
8. The Airside ** 3.24
9. The Swing Box ** 2.31
10. Raft ** 2.00

TOTAL 24.23

SIDE B
1. Retreat 1.10 *** 3.04
2. Retreat 1.8 *** 2.54
3. Last Tuesday Night ** 2.42
4. Retreat 1.11 *** 3.17
5. Retreat 1.14 *** 12.56

TOTAL 24.48

* from cassette release "Tom Tom Tom" 1981
** from cassette release "Trace and Rumble" 1982
*** unreleased "Retreat 1-26" 1983

RECORD 5
Compilation

SIDE A
1.Prod / Michael Prowse - "Day glo" ("Is the truck on fire") 4.23
2.Height Dismay - "Dusk" (Fast Forward cassette) 1.53
3.East End Butchers - "Eating paper" ("More songs.") 4.12
4.Prod / Michael Prowse - "Knife on top"("Is the truck on fire") 3.27
5.Johnathon Dunshea - "A minute later the .." ("More songs.") 6.09
6.Prod - "?" * 5.29

TOTAL
25.33

SIDE B
1.A Volatile T Shirt - "Making babies in heaven" ("More songs.")4.10
2.Height Dismay - "Blood pressure in the sand" * 4.00
3.East End Butchers - "The elephant freak" ("More songs.") 2.09
4.Pleasant Peasants - "Iranian rockabilly" ("More songs.") 1.47
5.Shane Fahey - "Crack in the Radiator Head" (When my.") 2.38
6.Height Dismay - "Untitled" * 3.29
7.A Volatile T Shirt - "Nautical engineering" ("More songs.") 1.56
8.Shane Fahey - "A run for your parlour" (When my.") 5.00

TOTAL 25.09
* These songs are unreleased

7 INCH SINGLE

A SIDE
1. Patrick Gibson - "Put your trust in God"

B SIDE
2. Still to be decided.

PS - all tracks for the VOD release are being remastered professionally from the available source material.

systematics pre-order also at:

http://www.mannequinmailorder.com/news.html

the scattered order site : http://www.scatteredorder.com/ has been updated with great lean and humour.

or possibly elan

the systematics albums have been pressed and received by the 'label' who are now going through the manual process of adding their stamp and putting them all together. they should be dispatched sometime soon.

cool. i'm already pre-ordered

me too!

arrived today! cover is lovely

yes, it's worked quite well. inside-out paper style. the booklet is great.

any comments on the systematics release - positive or not???

ps - going to the sydney ATP 'curated' by nick cave. with the reformed saints (apparently still quite good); reformed laughing clowns (no reviews so far); roland howard (bound to be dull); reformed the reels (not sure how that will be - will polly be there?); a lot of middling-good indie bands: quite a few influenced by the birthday party. i'll also be seeing the reformed harmonia (whose recent stuff is a bit digital but... hey, it's still harmonia after all) and the necks; afripampo; etc. should be a lovely day on the harbour.