ROCKET TO TARRAWANNA - The Proton Energy Pills (Bang! Records)
The Proton Energy Pills were a hi-energy band from Wollongong-via-Detroit that muscled their way into the thriving Sydney scene in the late '80s, an hour's drive to their north - and fell apart soon after.
Two singles and a mini-LP are the physical legacy from a couple of years hard work but the bands their members went on to form or play with (Tumbleweed, Brother Brick, Asteroid B612, The Yes Men) are far more well-known. Guitarist Stewart "Leadfinger" Cunningham and industrious Spanish label Bang! have set out to redress that imbalance with yet another lavish package.
Let's be clear that the J Mascis-produced single, "Less Than I Spend", would be enough to guarantee the Pills a place in most judicious rock and roll fans' medicine cabinets. You'd probably rate it with alongside the Trilobites' "Venus In Leather" as an award-winner in the category of Killer Debut 45s By A Young Australian Band In A Similar Time Period. It's the lead track on this collection and nothing that follows matches it for simple but beautiful melodic raw power.
Not that the rest of this is insubstantial. The band's follow-up single "Survival" b/w "Symmetry" was in a similar league with the glowering B side showing the Protons could back off on the throttle and maintain the rage. The self-titled mini-LP might have been the work of a band at least in partial free-fall but tracks like "Victims" and "Red Water" show there was still ample fire in the collective belly.
The shadow of Radio Birdman may have loomed large in their North Wollongong rehearsal room but the Protons threw a net further afield to claim influences from Mudhoney (naturally enough), early Nirvana and the usual local suspects (it sounds like the Celibate Rifles loomed large.)
Live is where the Proton Energy Pills probably made their biggest mark and I can say from personal experience that they pushed their home town scene ahead by blowing away the established crop of cover bands that made the 'Gong a cultural dead end.
The sound quality of the live cuts and of demos that make up the rest of the album may not be as strong as the studio material, but there's no shortage of energy buzzing in and out of the grooves. The odd misplaced lead-break and hit-or-miss melody gives a sense that this was a young band still growing and its members were destined for bigger and better things.
A fascinating look back and, even if you have the vinyl, a vital piece of Pollyfilla to fill the gaps in your Australian Rock Action collection. –
The Barman
