Triffids 1985 clipping + Blackeyed Susans clip

Have I mentioned that the recent 'Triffids and friends' gig was FREAKIN' AWESOME!!

This is a nice story from JUKE magazine feb 1985

One of the highlights for the recent gig was to finally see Rob Snarski stamp his cuban heels on stage...had to track down this old recovery clip from 1995..Blackeyed susans singing "smoking Johnny Cash"..really wtf does that mean?? codeword for summin?.. poor Johhny..r.i.p.


 drummer looks familiar .. . .

Lighthouse Keepers poster + review

The Lighthouse Keepers have a web page for those interested here -
http://www.cannanes.com/thelighthousekeepers.html
I found a poster the other week and thought it would make a nice post.

1985 gig poster for brisbane club - Sensoria - George st..long one...

and then found this old review today and thought i'd better pull my finger out and post it...

JUKE -16 feb 1985 p16

Go-Betweens JUKE article December 1984

I knew all these old music papers would come in handy one day... Just didn't realise at the time I would be carting boxloads of em all over town for 30 years before they would find a nice home :/
Merry holiday / new year Stripey folks....
This one is a gem from 1984.

(aust.)   JUKE magazine December 8 - 1984 page 10

I'm running out of articles on go-be stuff here..If anyone wants to contribute contact that guy over there ----->>> Bob.

How the Fun Things Got Their Name!

Matt Mawson sent me this pdf of a wonderful article from

Time Off back in 1979.

Thanks Matt!

You will have to download the pdf to read it and discover

the answer to the Question!

Its not what I expected!

Happy New Year from the SSS blog as I sign off with a

massive 3 posts, Hope you all have a wonderful year ahead!

Thanks to our hard working team here as well

of Chuck and Donat

and I hear a rumour Chuck may have a Church

type post after their Christmas Eve Gig in the making!

Download the answer here!

The Seven Ballerinas

L to R: Mario, Nigel, John, Billy, Michael

This lineup recorded the single ‘Sometimes I Feel’

written by Michael and ‘Circles’ written by John in Sydney in 81.

Thanks to Michael for putting together this history of what was

a very good band and one of my favorites, over to Michael!

Formed in late 1980 after the demise of local Gold Coast Bands
Ratpack and The Strand.
The lineup was Ex Ratpackers, John Smethurst (guitar and vocals),
Nigel Baker (keyboards) and Mario Spina (bass) and
Ex Strand guitarist Michael Palmer.
Billy Pommer completed the lineup on drums.
After a handful of gigs Nigel Baker left and Billy Pommer
was replaced on drums by John Hippocrates.
Billy later went to Sydney as drummer for The Johnnys.

L to R: Mario Spina, John Smethurst, Michael Palmer and Johnny Hippocrates

Sometimes I Feel became a minor hit on 4ZZZ and also made
high rotation on Sydney’s radio 2JJ as it was back then.
On the strength of that we toured Sydney regularly.
Playing The Manzil Room, Bondi Tram. Governors Pleasure,
Stranded, Carmens at Miranda, The Trade Union Club etc etc.
In Brisbane the venues were rather sparse. 279 Club,
The Aussie National, The New York Hotel, Souths Leagues Club,
Easts Leagues Club. On the Gold Coast we played regularly at
The Playroom and The Jet Club.
And at the Royal Mail at Tewantin on the Sunshine Coast.
The band was very well received in Sydney.



The song Sometimes I Feel was also submitted by the
Engineer who had worked on the recording to 4MMM
to be on their first “Homegrown” LP. A collection of local
Brisbane bands. It was selected.
Be it naive or just stupid ego we were quite embarrassed about it.
I remember sitting in an office at MMM and looking
thought a pile of 45s. Was everything we liked to listen to.
Turned out it was their reject pile for the week.


There was record company interest from Polygram in Sydney
and in mid 82 we went into the studio to record what was to be
our first single but was really the first of many midnight to dawn
recording sessions. In actual fact unbeknown to us the recording
was organised by an AR guy from Polygram who was wanting
to form his own label. We were to be his first release.
Gangajang eventually got the honours.
When we heard the final tracks we were rather disappointed.
The producer had chosen to not work with anything we had
done in the studio and the songs had become too reliant on
his own use of samples and keyboards. It was eventually
agreed by all to forget it. 2 of the tracks from those sessions
“Another Day” written by Michael Palmer and “Falling Tear”
written by John Smethurst are on Youtube.
Listening to them now though I really like them.
The only place the recorded version of Falling Tear was ever
played was when the band appeared on Studio One.
A Saturday morning music show on channel 7.
We were promoting a festival “Summer Jam” at the Surfers Paradise
Raceway in January 1983 and we needed something
new to use as a backing.

You Tube Videos

FALLING TEAR

ANOTHER DAY

The band continued playing live and self funded recording. Some of these recordings are on Youtube.

THE FACE

STRANGERS

AUTUMN ROSE

There is also a clip of the band recorded live at the Playroom doing a version of Joy Divisions Transmission.

DRAGGED THROUGH DAYLIGHT, TRANSMISSION

The band called it a day late 84. Johnny and Mario went on to play in The Bossanova Kids and The Tellers.

In 1991 Michael Palmer and John Smethurst were joined by Chris Bailey (Gangajang and the Angels) on bass and JJ Harris (Divinyls) on drums and they recorded a version of Sometimes I Feel. Our live sound engineer Frank Kerestedjian at the controls in his studio in Sydney. A 10 year full circle.

SOMETIMES I FEEL 1991

L to R: Mario Spina, Johnny Hippocrates, John Smethurst

and Michael Palmer

Strand and Gold Coast Bands Press Clippings 1979

A big thanks to Michaels Mum who held on to these all these years

and Michael for bringing them into the digital age!

Click on any photo for a larger view

The Strand - Live At The Miami Hotel 26-01-80

Michael recently sent me this wonderful piece of Gold Coast/ Brisbane

music history. Some great tracks on this I especially like the track

Triple Z in my head as it goes through all the great shows that were

on the station back then.

Jeremy Oxley who went on to the Sunnyboys did his apprenticeship

here as a 17 year old and other went on to the excellent Gold Coast

band The Seven Ballerinas

But I shall put you over to Michael who can

tell you all about this band!

Thanks Michael!

The Strand was Tait Brady (vocals), Keith Mackay (bass), Mick Lake (drums),

Michael Palmer (guitar), Shane Williams (keyboards, vocals)

and Jeremy Oxley (guitar, vocals).

The Strand were formed late1978 on The Gold Coast. They embraced the

current trends in English New Wave and Pop playing covers of bands like

Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Ian Dury, Doctor Feelgood, Nick Lowe etc. etc.

The Strand managed to acquire a residency at the Miami Hotel on the

Gold Coast playing every Friday and Saturday night.

Playing to an empty room at first but as word grew so did the crowds.

Mid 1979 saw the arrival of a new guitarist.

A 17 year old Jeremy Oxley.

The bands list of originals songs grew once Jeremy joined.

‘I Can’t Talk To You’ appeared on the first Sunnyboys album.

The CD was recorded on the bands final night at a packed Miami Hotel in

January 1980. It contains 17 of the originals the band played.

After The Strand, Jeremy went to Sydney and formed The Sunnyboys.

Michael Palmer joined with John Smethurst, Mario Spina and

Nigel Baker from fellow Coast band Ratpack to form Seven Ballerinas.

YouTube videos for The Strand

They are Strand originals:

Stranded On The Gold Coast

Snapshot

I Cant talk to you

Triple Z in my head

On Youtube but not on the CD are 3 cover versions

Iggy Pop’s The Passenger sung by Jeremy

Roadrunner sung by Jeremy

Larry Wallis’s Police Car

Download Here

The Gatekeepers - Indoors/Ogre/Silence

Indoors
Ogre
Silence

Peter Jetnikoff - vocals, guitar
Greg Wadley - bass
Ian Wadley - drums

The Gatekeepers began around later 1982, containing various former members of the Pits, Motherless, the Swirl and the Dum Dums. Shortly after, the group self-released an 11 track cassette, Cosmic Street of which two of its tracks appeared on the monumental 1984 c60 compilation, Leaving Home for the Party on the Roof - Susan Burn and Keeper of the Gate as well as the early 4ZZZfm compilation tape Queensland in Quarantine featuring the Unkindest Cut released in the same year.
Early line-ups featured drummers Elizabeth Connolly and Greg Gilbert (aka Des Johnson), Margo Hoyte on keyboard in addition to mainstays Peter Jetnikoff and Greg Wadley.
Fast forward to Melbourne in 1988, and the Gatekeepers exist primarily as a recording venture, releasing the 12" EP Indoors/Ogre/Silence in that year and the 7" single Saturday/In This House two years later.

In addition to the cassette album and vinyl releases, the Gatekeepers appear on various SPILL cassette and CD compilations (Happy Still from SPILL Compilation One is a must-hear) well into the mid part of the decade, as well as an acoustic version of Silence for the Brisbane-based Malignant label collection Fuck the White Race from 1994.

This single was released on HWS (somewhat of a precursor to SPILL, who also provided a catalogue number to the first self-titled EP by Small World Experience.

Save What You Can: The Day Of The Triffids

David McComb in 1987. Photo by Bleddyn Butcher.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. Gift of the artist 2002

Perth in 1978 had the Victims and the Triffids. The punk (or post-punk) explosion had imploded rather quickly in Australia, even if the country came to creating their own American or English equivalent three months later through the pages of the NME or across the import shops. Both bands used the tricks of the punk trade to DIY and not to rub shoulders with A&R suits in the hopes of that big record deal to propel them to fame and stardom. The Triffids were never famous, at least not in Australia. And they’re not famous now. Key songs and albums have been since dredged up and are today regarded as 80s classics by Australian music writers and beyond.

Now there’s a book by Bleddyn Butcher, a 500-plus page account of the band’s beginnings and ending, primarily focusing on the band’s singer, songwriter and spirit - David McComb. Save What You Can. The kind of writing and immaculate accounting in this shape and form is usually reserved for the likes of Bob Dylan, or the Velvet Underground; two artists of the 1960s that McComb coincidentally fancied. There’s no back fence to climb over to get through the story of David McComb, nor the band he created to drive his songs from a foolscap page to a lit stage. And consequentially, Butcher takes the long, scenic way and approaches the 21 years of the band ‘til their demise in 1989 with a sense of detail and care. This is what creates a difference between an encyclopedia entry on the internet and a book on your hand. You want to pick up a music biography knowing when you’ve thumbed the last page, there are no more questions left to ask. That’s it. The story’s told.

Bleddyn Butcher is a name you see on the back of anyone’s record collection that’s decent. Usually on the back and credited for what’s in the front, courtesy of his knack in taking superb photos. The Moodists. The Go-Betweens. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. The Birthday Party. Ed Kuepper. Laughing Clowns. The Apartments. Crime & the City Solution.The Triffids. All of these artists sort fame and fortune in Europe. Some slept in hotels, others on floors – some both, depending on the circumstances. Armed with a camera or a typewriter, he was somehow always there - documenting the path of Australian independent music; something he's managed to do terribly well in the last thirty-plus years.

It’s been years (and years) that this book has been in the making, and finally it's complete. The day of the Triffids is upon us.

Save What You Can: The Day Of The Triffids by Bleddyn Butcher is available through Treadwater Press or any respectable bookseller.

http://www.treadwaterpress.com.au/Treadwater_Press/Homepage.html

An Evening Visit From The Apartments

As the sweeping melahancholia of Theme de Camille by Georges Delerue (from Jean-Luc Godard's Le Mépris) fades out of the stage speakers, it's here in cloudy Sydney where the Apartments reveal themselves once more in their home country. A Saturday night in Marrickville after a long, moody day of dark clouds and a reprise of suit weather brings forth a stage-shy band and a faithful seated audience for only their third show in this town in over twenty years.

A lot has happened in this time; some things remembered for eternity and others best forgotten. And so it seems the veil of silence has been lifted with the release of a new single, Black Ribbons and a show in Melbourne a month ago in November. Or was it October? When it comes to the Apartments, time brings all things to pass.

Left to right on the plainly-lit stage is guitarist Eliot Fish, and beside him is Amanda Brown on her violin and tambourine. Behind her on piano is George Bibikos. In front of him and beside Ms Brown is chanteuse Christine Jane in her second appearance with the thousandth Apartments line-up. And on the far right - on a matching stool - is Peter Milton Walsh with a voice and an acoustic guitar.


Eleven songs are played. The arrangements and instrumentation resemble that of their last album Fête Foraine - exercising the intimacy of song without its pop and stripping colourful arrangements down to small flakes and piecing it all together again - no horn, nor drum. And in this supper-club space without cutlery, every word and note behind it demand a sense of attention. With Walsh to the far right, he looks to his and conducts the band through his softly tinted glasses and tapping feet.

Before the songs are played, some stories are told. And some tales. A little insight that takes you further inside the tunes than a lyric sheet or a liner-note could attempt. There's talk evil men, seduced women, the son of a French banker with symbolism in his veins, a record company and a river city he left thirty years ago.


And so the Apartments reopened for another night, checking out to sign in again at an unknown time and place. In the last thirty years, there's been more silence than sound. Songs are played or recorded when they're ready. This isn't anything new, it's just how it is. And as the show ends with one last song, it leaves us with two questions; and the curtain falls.

Where are the parties that were never held? Where are the snows that never fell?

Setlist: Thank You For Making Me Beg/All You Wanted/Knowing You Were Loved/World Of Liars/Sunset Hotel/All His Stupid Friends/Mr. Somewhere/On Every Corner/Things You'll Keep/Black Ribbons/Twenty One



All images and words - Donat Tahiraj. Brisbane.

Only The Lonely - John Kennedy

I just discovered this and have to tell you all,

the fabulous John Kennedy has a new 6 track ep,

Sons Of Sun, which includes this cover of the

Roy Orbison classic and reinterprets it as a reverb

drenched dreamy ghost track.

The video was shot in St Stephens Cemetery in Newtown,

Sydney on bright winters day in June 11 by Al Yung and

edited by him in Hong Kong

I'm off to Itunes now!

Triffids & friends - Mick harvey - Kelly's Blues

I had a great time at the Powerhouse the other night - only managed to get one video as staff were  ever vigilant.. .

.

the sound isnt perfect but you can catch some better quality sound of the night H E R E !

Costar / David McComb - Unreleased Tracks

One of the songs of David McComb that was played on Thursday

night was the track 'The Good Life Never Ends'

Its a beautiful track that was recorded by David's last band

Costar. It was part of what was to be a single or Ep for the

band, it was never released.

Graham Lee talks here of those final years

"I spent a lot of time with Dave, not enough obviously

but can't worry about that now. He wanted to release

the costar stuff, but he really needed to get himself

back on an even keel physically and mentally before

anything great would happen musically,

although he was writing constantly and certainly

hadn't lost his strength in that area.

The New Year's Eve that brought in 1999 was the last

time I stood on stage with him at The Standard Hotel

in Fitzroy, Melbourne. He was very ill and

it was almost too much to bear."

Track List

01 - I Kept My Eye On You

02 - Murder In The Dark

03 - Lucky For Some

04 - The Goodlife Never Ends

05 - Devil Please

06 - The Good Life Never Ends

07 - The Good Life Never Ends (minus intro)

Download Here

And here Oh Mercys Alex Gow performs

The Good Life Never Ends.

Mark C Halstead - Before And After Love

Mark Caulfield Halstead - more affectionately known quite simply as Marko - released this album through W Minc in 1994. No-one really payed too much attention to it at the time, and people still haven't really taken the time out to discover this (still in print) album.

Marko's career began in the mid to late 1970s Brisbane. And like many of his musical peers of that era, he found himself playing guitar in a host of punk bands centered around Roma Street's Curry Shop and away from pub venues. The unrecorded The Disposible Fits and the Fuji Angels are but two. An early artefact from his punk/new wave days comes from an unaired TV pilot centered around Brisbane music called Exposure. His band the Hostages were featured alongside JFK & the Cuban Crisis, The Repairs and Ninja Skil (featuring a very young Charlie Owen). This excerpt from the 1981 show is the only studio recording made by this band. The featured song is the Halstead composition Tremble; recorded at Basement Studios in Roma St by Colin Bloxsom.



By 1983, he joined Tex Deadly and the Dum Dums with fellow Fit Cyril Culley when the band moved to Sydney. Marko's tales of wagon wheels and other past curios are written in good detail in Clinton Walker's Stranded book. An example of his song-writing at the time is documented on the 1st Beasts of Bourbon album in the form of the closing track from The Axeman's Jazz, Ten Wheels for Jesus.

[Photo by David Macpherson of Tex Deadly and the Dum Dums l-r Tex Perkins, Greg Wadley, Des Johnson, Marko]

Marko also played in the Kingswoods and Kingswood Trio around this time who existed between 1983 and 1986 released a couple of singles, namely Purty Vacant, which appeared on a FABRICLIVE mix CD put together by DJ John Peel. The trio - Peter Kroll, John Downie and Halstead concurrently played in the Pineapples From The Dawn of Time.

By the early 1990s, Halstead moved to Melbourne where was an adjunct member of the McComb-led Blackeyed Susans and their trio offshoot on vocals and mandolin; and appeared on the bulk of their All Souls Alive album. He also played alongside Graham Lee in the Paradise Vendors, performed in the Disappointments, sang on Robert Forster's I Had a New York Girlfriend album, et cetera.

And of course, he's a part of the current Triffids touring troupe, offering what Rob Snarksi described at their recent Brisbane show as a 'man mountain' with his rendering of Bury Me Deep In Love.

I could go on forever with this biography, but I won't. The aim here was an attempt to bring this album to an audience who may not be aware of who he is, and why this album might actually be worth sinking your teeth into.

This album came out when alt-country was still wondering whether Townes or Earle was better than Guy Clark. Even his appearance on the Ernie & Denise show didn't seem to cement the fact that this man's baritone is a national treasure. And due to its lack of commercial esteem, Before And After Love remains as his only solo release after being a vital conduit for so many musicians and bands since Australian punk's first wave.

Try it out here, but I highly suggest buying this album seeing that's easily available.

Here's a video filmed at the Standard Hotel in Melbourne for Whiskers in the Sink; a song written about his old musical cohort, Cyril Culley.

The Triffids - Brisbane, Powerhouse 24/11/11

Its been 23 years since I saw the Triffids play one magic night

and that long since they played in Brisbane.

A lot has happened since then, the band split up in 1989

and some 10 years after lead singer and song writing genius

David McComb died a few days before he was to turn 37.

For the last 5 years Evil Graham Lee (above) has been at the helm

of keeping Davids legacy alive, along with releases of the Triffids

recordings there has been the reformation of the band and many

gigs around the world. Starting out as a tribute concerts called

'A Secret in the Shape of a Song' and end up as this, The Triffids

and friends. This was a particularly important performance

as it was the first time ever, anywhere that the band had played

their seminal first album ' Born Sandy Devotional'

And what a night it was, I was up front with Carmen and Chuck,

some of the best musicians in the world, Like Martyn Casey (above)

originally the Triffids bass player, now days in the Bad Seeds,

or former Bad Seed himself Mick Harvey (below)

Young Melbourn band Oh Mercy did a fine job opening with a few

early Triffids songs. Lead singer Alex Gow returning throughout

the night to perform on a few other songs.

Then former manager 'Handsome' Steve Miller took the stage

as master of ceremonies.

The Blackeyed Susans took to the stage with the added treat

of Mark Dawson on percussion, it was one of my favourite

moments of the monumental 3 hour show.

Especially 'Ocean of You' which was incredible.

Rob Snarski who shared lead singing in the Susans with David

has an incredible voice and he retuned throughout the evening

also to sing different songs.

And of course Mick Harvey was brilliant,

you should heard Kelly's Blues.

Also Simon Breed English singer guitarist was brilliant

'Lonely Stretch' being a stand out.

And I was very excited when Jill Birt took up the mike to sing

her classic Triffids tunes like Goodbye Little Boy and Raining Pleasure.

And I must mention Graham Lees wonderful vocal work too

especially on one of my fav tracks Jerdacuttup Man .

Born Sandy was a joy to listen to, truly one of the greatest

Australian albums ever recorded.

The highlight of the night was Bury Me Deep In Love

sung by Mark Caulfield Halstead one time Brisbane boy

who was in the Kingswood Trio and The Pineapples from

the Dawn of Time. He has a solo album I

think I must get. He has the most incredible voice and

when Rob Snarski followed him he said, "Thanks Marko

you man mountain I'm gonna sound like a smurf after that!"

It was a concert that was one of those you walk out of bewildered

by how exceptional it was.

There's more dates to follow throughout Australia so if you have

even a passing interest in the songs of David McComb,

don't miss it!

The Apartments

Readers of That Striped Sunlight Sound will hopefully not need an introduction to this band as I haven't prepared one. Nevertheless...

The Apartments return to Sydney for the launch of their new 45rpm single, Black Ribbons - a taste of what's to come from their forthcoming album - their first since 1998's Fête Foraine.




The sound and image below are from the Melbourne launch for this single:

The Apartments - All Your Stupid Friends @ Toff In Town, Melbourne (23rd Oct 2011) from Carbie Warbie on Vimeo.

The band's line-up for this show includes the electric guitar of Elliot Fish, the vocals of Christine Jane and the violin of Amanda Brown.

Below is a TV commercial for the show which you may have seen during prime time programming...




The Apartments with special guest Peter Fenton (Crow)

Friday, December 9th

The Factory Theatre
105 Victoria Road, Marrickville
Box Office: Phone (02) 9550 3666
Fax (02) 9550 2990
Email: boxoffice@centuryvenues.com.au

Triffids at the Powerhouse update

Guests have been announced and look at the line up!

Rob Snarski

Alexander Gow

The Blackeyed Susans

Oh Mercy

Mick Harvey

Simon Breed (UK)

Also the night will feature the classic album Born Sandy

Devotional from go to woah and they're saying this performance

is the first time the whole album has been played live in its

entirety!

Its gonna be a great night indeed!

http://www.brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/view/the-triffids/

Dave Steel & The Welcome Wagon - Been On This Road Too Long (2004)

When I think of Australian Blues Dave Steel is the first

to come to mind,he is the most spellbinding artist to see

live and he is a master in his field.

He's been around a while so I guess he has had the time to

hone his craft, Dave started out in the acclaimed Australian folk

rock band Weddings Parties Anything as their original guitarist.

Since he has forged a solo career and been a very much in

demand session/touring musician.

7 Solo albums which are impossible to find are on my list

of recording to find

The Welcome Wagon is a 3 piece comprising of Dave on Guitar,

Sandy Brady on both upright and electric basses and has

worked with an impressive array of artists,

notably Tiffany Eckhardt, Cyndi Boste, Michael Thomas

and the Sure Thing, Enda Kenny, and Broderick Smith

And J.P(John Parry) known as 'the Charlie Watts of the South Coast'

for his backbeat drumming style. He also has worked with many

artists including Jeff Lang, Bob Brozman,

Chubbie Ray and the Elevators, and The Mongolian Fishmongers.

Download Here

Rowland S. Howard - Studio 22

I've been hearing good things about the recent movie - "Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard" bio pic.



Directed by Richard Lowenstein of "Dogs in space" and "Falefel" fame...
You can find more detail and lots links here - https://www.facebook.com/AUTOLUMINESCENT.RowlandSHoward

I've been listening alot lately to an old ABC tv show - Studio 22 - Rowland S. Howard from 1999 and thought it would make a timely audio only post

Download Here

the band features Rowland S. howard
                          Mick Harvey
                          Brian Hooper
                          Edward Clayton Jones

songs include - She Cried
                       Dead Radio
                       Exit Everything
                       Shivers
and                  White Wedding