ed kuepper

"There is a lot of junk on the radio, take a look if you don’t know,” Ed Kuepper declares on the opening track of “The Return of The Mail Order Bridegroom”.   The mood is reflective and stripped-back with the acoustic chords ringing in an underpinning soundscape. 

Ed’s solo career over the last 30 years has been prolific, emerging from the dust and legacy of arguably one of the world’s great proto-punks bands, The Saints, who were way too cool and intelligent for Old Blighty, and continuing with the magnificent direction that that he took his music with Laughing Clowns.

The Saints (without Ed Kuepper, if you had to ask) will play three intimate, exclusive Australian shows at Melbourne’s Gasometer Hotel in October. Chris Bailey will be joined by early ‘80s drummer-turned-journalist, Iain Shedden, Pat Bourke on bass and You Am I’s Davey Lane on guitar.

Hitler’s reaction to the news is above. The dates are below and as the venue is quite intimate, bookings are recommended.

Wednesday 5 October – The Gasometer Hotel, Melbourne (18+)
Thursday 6 October – The Gasometer Hotel, Melbourne (18+)
Friday 7 October – The Gasometer Hotel, Melbourne (18+)

For the better part of 2013-14, Ed Kuepper toured Australia performing his crowd-pleasing 'By Request' show in city centres and regional towns, culminating in a sold-out performance at the City Recital Hall for Sydney Festival with the Sydney Chamber Orchestra.

For his first tour of 2015, Kuepper will defy industry pre-conceptions by performing a set of largely new and as-yet-unrecorded material.

Dubbed the "Nostalgia For The New Tour", the run will include a three-week-mid-week residency in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne with spin-off weekend shows in regional areas.

The new material is being workshopped with the intention of recording a new album of all new studio material before the end of the year. Fear not, diehard Saints/Laughing Clowns fans: with each show being upwards of two-hours long and without a support, the sets will include back-catalogue gems.

More COVID changes:  Ed Kuepper and Jim White have re-scheduled seven shows.  

Tickets from all previous gigs will be honoured or a refund can be obtained at the point of purchase. Contact your relevant outlet for precise details and conditions affixed to each performance. Keep an eye on NSW gigs especially as there may be more changes. All the latest news and tickets for the new gigs can be found at edkuepper.com

Ed Kuepper with Jim White
(New Hobart dates TBA)
JULY
15 -  Archies Creek, Caravan Music Club, VIC    
16 - Meeniyan, Town Hall, VIC    
17 - Macedon, Railway Hotel – SOLD OUT    
23 - Melbourne, Brunswick Ballroom, VIC    
24 - Melbourne, Brunswick Ballroom, VIC    
AUG 
13 - Cairns, Tanks Art Centre, QLD    
14 - Gold Coast, The Sound Lounge, QLD   
15 - Bellingen, No.5 Church St, NSW    
16 - Bellingen, No.5 Church St, NSW    
19 - Sydney, The Factory, NSW    
20 - Wollongong, The Music Lounge, NSW    
21 - Milton, Milton Theatre, NSW
SEP   
12 - Adelaide, The Gov, SA    
14 - Fremantle, Freo.Social, WA    
15 - Margaret River, The River Hotel, WA

Top Ten Time in Ten Town! Four gigs – five albums – one book – by Garry Gray 

The buzz.
Garry Gray is winging his way in like a true angel to deliver his Top Ten Commandments for the I-94 Bar for 2023 – formerly of Sacred Cowboys, Negatives and Garry Gray & The Sixth Circle – and recently with Ed Clayton – Jones – without G.G. there would be no Chainsaw President ….

’The truth is I never left you, All through my wild days, My mad existence, I kept my promise, So keep your distance.’’ – now read on!

2021 was a year of invention, reinvention and history slowly fading away – and that’s just on the subject of Brisbane music! Losing Fred Hardon of the Hardons and the Leftovers’ Ed Wreckage dealt huge blows as two pioneers from the first wave of punk gave their last middle fingers towards the sky.  

From a personal standpoint, Phase 4 Records sadly left Fortitude Valley after six years and not because of the price of rent – just the ultimate cost of nobody bothering to walk its promenades while the sun was out. It’s the customers who help pay it after all!   

After a brief stay under Backbone’s wing in East Brisbane before the council decided it’s best to turn a vibrant and accessible venue and artspace into greenspace (or is that developers’ dreamspace?), we again moved the store to a new forever home on the top floor of the Cave Inn, a ball’s throw from the grounds of the Gabba. Here, at the discretion of Omicron, we will be hosting bands and events as well as running Brisbane’s only after hours record and vintage emporium.  The only downside could be the loss of our slender figures, with the pizza and beer providing fine companionship for our racks.  

VOIGT/465 – "LIVE KIRK GALLERY 19/05/79" (Download only, self-released) 
Sydney's Voigt/465 used punk almost as a cue to unleash a sound that captured their love of (daggy) UK art-rock of the early 70s and throw it right into the fire of Sydney’s ever-expanding inner-city music scene. Their Kirk Gallery show – which you’ll find on their Bandcamp page - was originally recorded via the ABC’s mobile truck for a radio broadcast that never happened.  

This show (which was shared with the Thought Criminals and Tactics) serves as an impressive aural document from this short-lived act that left us with only one single and an album over their all-too-brief life. And if one more person spells the band name as Voight/465, I too may scream like co-lead vocalist Rae Macron Cru! 

 _{Bec Lee photo}

Hi all. This is my first Top Ten. Happy 2022 to you all.

1.In May this year I married my partner in life, and now in music, Mick Medew.Taking the self-appointed term “Brisbane power couple” to the next level was a most fun and loving day and to be surrounded by our families and friends was truly lucky, considering these times.

2.In April Mick Medew and Ursula (the Meduo) were invited to support two shows with Died Pretty at The Triffid in Brisbane. I wanted to look my best, so an online acquisition from Spotlight, meant fringing kept me busy sewing. But I still had time to practise with Mick and the whole night was amazing! Plus I got to see Died Pretty perform twice in one night. It was lovely spending time with the blokes backstage too...

I have been making lists and, damn, it has been a huge year of music for me; so many records and so many gigs.  I cannot think of a year so jam-packed.  I could have made a Top Ten list by August this year. Best that I don’t count these off or it could be limiting.

1. Loud Hailers at the Hollywood Hotel, Surry Hills, NSW
Ben Fink is one of the most tasteful and sonically powerful guitarists in town, evoking Blind Lemon Jeffersonand Jimmy Page. Then there’s drummer Jordon. And vocalist Christa Hughes,who mixes it up, referencing everyone from Nina Simone to Lydia Lunch to a deranged Lisa Minnelli. Confrontational and soulful. Their gigs at the Hollywood set the place on fire. The Sydney inner city band to catch in 2024.

2. Fabels at the Hollywood
Ben Alyward and Hiske Weijers have been making music together for 13 years and have developed a cult following both in the inner city and Europe.  It’s a creative, surreal form of shoegaze with a huge palette of influences. They sit in their own space and avoid the pub rock tradition, forging their own identity and sound.

1- Ed Kuepper at the National, world class all the way.

2- Handgrenade Hearts at the Town Hall Hotel. Punk/powerpop teenagers, and my new favourite band.

3- Munster Zine, approaching issue 40, keep it up young man.

4- The Victims + Chimers at the Brunswick Ballroom, Chimers BOG, great to see the legendary James Baker on the tubs one last time.

5- Civic “Brute Force”, hints of Birdman and Eddy Current Suppression Ring.

6- Those Pretty Wrongs + Alexander Harvey at the Brunswick Ballroom, heartfelt, sublime, AH I need to revisit.

7- The Prize “Wrong Side Of Town”,  If Amyl and The Sniffers had a song this good they’d be as big as Blondie, if……..

8- Civic live at 3RRR.

9- The Fiction at the Northcote Social Club supporting Chris Masuak and Dog Soldier. Best I’ve seen them play.

10- Ballarat Gallery: Walker, Luke, Counihan, more; love the revamp, can’t wait to return over the summer.