Xiro - Cassette releases - Half The Profits / Religious Wars

A re-post of Xeros 2 casette releases now I have the
art work thanks to Mat Mawson and Ian Thomson.
Ian to has copies of the JFK cassettes which I'm
really looking forward to.
Thanks guys.

Xero (also known as Zero, Ziro and Xiro) was a Brisbane band from
the early 1980s.When bands like Whirlywirrld and the Primitive
calculators were doing the electronic punk thing in Melbourne,
Xero were doing a similar thing here in Brisbane.
The band is said to be named after the character
Xero from the book The Atrocity Exhibition by J G Ballard
but that seems to be incorrect

I don' think the ballard reference is accurate -
it was zero as in the anarchist thing, and then
when we needed to change it it became the
shortening of xerox (the artists' friend of the early 80s).
then xiro was just indulgence i guess.
that's the way I remember it anyway . . .
JW

The initial lineup was Irena Luckus, Deborah Thomas, Vic Allen and
Lindy Morrison, soon joined by John Willsteed.
Lindy Morrison was later replaced on drums by Steven Pritchard.
The band split when Irena left Brisbane.
Lindy's involvement predates her joining the Go- Betweens,
and as far as I know this is the first band of note that
John Willsteed is part of, John goes on to join bands such
as the Go- Betweens and The Apartments
One of the most popular bands of the era,
they existed between 1978 and 1983.
The band went through many different phases:
starting off as an all-girl anarcho-feminist punk band doing
covers of Patti Smith and Slits songs, to developing their own
sound that echoed the likes of The Pop Group.
This was when the band were under the spelling of Zero.
As Zero folded after the Dayboro Music Festival show,
Irena and John came Xiro, releasing a cassette a week for two weeks,
Half The Profits and Religious Wars.
With the subsequent addition of Toe Suckers drummer
Clare McKenna, they became Xero. With McKenna's departure,
in 1981 they added a bassist in Tony Childs
and ex-Swell Guys drummer Steven Pritchard to
record for Sydney's M Squared label.
The end product became a 12" EP entitled Lust In The Dust,
the first independent Brisbane outfit to do so.
Sorry no artwork , if anyone can help.



Xiro
cassette compile 1980






"Religious Wars"
1. Say It Before The Music Stops
2. Behing The Chagall
3. A Little Slip Of Paper In Mid-Air
4. The Confessions...



"Half The Profits"
1. Just A Nite At Another Party
2. O.D
3. D.K
4. 2,4-D Pelaco

Their album Lust in the Dust has been posted a while back
so that leaves these two recordings to track down which
are talked of in some discographies.

• Leaving Home For The Party On The Roof cassette (independent, 1980)
• Xiro Live At The Cement Box Theatre CD (Ten Of Cups, 1998)

If you can help with this I'd be very happy

Matt has posted this video of the band live at Easts Leagues Club,
Brisbane, 1986, performing as part of the IMA's
"Know Your Product" retrospective

Download Cassettes here with artwork