In the annals of Australian music history, The Welcome Mat only succeeded in living up to their name, laid down at the gates of opportunity to watch in dismay as their more fated friends were to find out what lay behind door number one. As an underground phenomenon in Sydney, they were the kings of [...]
In our never-ending attempt to immortalise those classic Australian singles that touched our collective hearts, Webcuts shines a light on the Hoodoo Gurus and their tear-jerking ode to love gone astray “My Girl”. It was in the pages of Countdown magazine around 1984 that I first recall seeing the Hoodoo Gurus, hanging out in the [...]
It was the Johnny Marr guitar flourishes at the start that first sucked me in. Here is the moment when a band who’ve been doggedly plying their guitar pop trade since the early 90s actually wrote something worth a damn. I remember when I first heard this (which would’ve been sometime around January 1997), turning [...]
The Post-Punk years in Australia were a mixed ground. The key bands of that era were floundering or disbanding while the second wave was about to hit, bands like Hunters and Collectors, Hoodoo Gurus, The Scientists and The Beasts of Bourbon would soon come to prominence, but one of the bands who had been lingering [...]
Bughouse’s classic debut single “V for Vendetta” is remembered in our ongoing series uncovering the forgotten gems of Australian music, and we speak to Genevieve Maynard, bassist of Bughouse about the recording of “Vendetta” and her memories in playing in one of the most inspiring, exciting, and unrecognised bands of the 90′s. a story… It [...]
It should be obvious by now, but if you want to sell me your record, couple it with some chiming chords, a memorable lyric and a catchy hook, and I’m all yours for the next three to four minutes. The plangent chords and echoed vocals of The Screaming Tribesmen’s “Igloo” create a chilling landscape, blanketing [...]
In another expanded edition of SHOAM Craig delves into 80′s Sydney band Dropbears‘ debut single “Fun Loving” and features an interview with frontman Johnny Batchelor. The Dropbears only existed in the periphery of my memory, briefly clashing with the already discussed Beargarden in the “bear” stakes around the same time both bands had their brief [...]
Who were The Go-Betweens trying to channel when they went into the studio to record this? “Man O’ Sand to Girl O’ Sea” sounds nothing like The Go-Betweens of Before Hollywood, released only 8 months prior, in fact it sounds nothing like The Go-Betweens at all. This bashful quintet (previously a trio, this song is [...]
In a special expanded edition of SHOAM we spotlight Melbourne’s misunderstood rockers The Fauves and their “Everybody’s Getting a 3 Piece Together” single as well as interviewing main man Andrew Cox about that single, his top 5 Fauves tracks and his upcoming solo album. The Fauves are the only band I’ve ever written fan-mail to. [...]
It’s a testament to the influence of bands like Ride, My Bloody Valentine and The House of Love and import record stores like Phantom, Red Eye and Waterfront, that there ever existed a Shoegaze scene in Sydney. Of the few local bands that heeded an obvious influence (amongst which include such forgotten luminaries as Jupiter, [...]
You couldn’t pair a better band with a better song with New York’s The Walkmen taking on the R.E.M. classic “Driver 8″ as part of the AV Club’s Undercover series. With the list of 25 songs narrowed down to just one, The Walkmen were left with the track nobody else wanted. Regardless, they take “Driver 8″ and transform into their own inimitable style, albeit a little rough and ready, with vocalist Hamilton Leithauser sounding as if he’s never heard the song in his life. It’s worth remembering that the new Walkmen album Lisbon is due for release on September 13 through Bella Union, and coincidently, the deluxe edition of R.E.M.’s Fables Of The Reconstruction in which “Driver 8″ sits proudly on, was released a month or so ago. Webcuts favourite R.E.M. album of all time, you say? Well, yes, indeed it is.
