Peel Me Like A Egg – Hard-Ons (Citadel Records)

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By The Barman

The Barman

11 February 2015

Hits: 6469

It’s hard to work out when Hard-Ons ceased being just another band and evolved into an unstoppable force of nature. Thirty-four years after publicly emerging into the dim lights of an inner Sydney pub stage, this indefatigable trio keep punching out albums when most of their contemporaries have long put their own cues in the rack.

Ask any record tragic. There’s a tried and tested rule for albums. Most long-lasting bands deliver one or two gems at their high point and the rest are shit or on a plateau. “Peel Me Like A Egg” easily stacks up against most of the Hard-Ons’ 10 previous studio efforts. It’s not so much because the band has stayed true its composite punk, metal, speedcore and pop roots (it’s always good to know what you’re going to get) as much as they’ve managed to make each release sound fresh.

• Citadel
• hard-ons
• blackie
• ray ahn
• peel me like a egg
• keish

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The Hadron Colliders launch their EP

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By The Barman

The Barman

10 February 2015

Hits: 5296

Sydney band, The Hadron Colliders, will launch their debut EP, “Measuring the Space between Us All” at the iconic Petersham Bowling Club in their home city on Sunday, February 22 from 5pm with an all-ages gig.

Containing members from ‘80s and ‘90s bands The Last Metro and The Catherine Wheel, The Hadron Colliders have built up a reputation for their dynamic live performances which has been further enhanced by the release of their debut EP.

The EP, recorded at Damien Gerard Studios with Russell Pilling (The Church, The Vines, Died Pretty) has been described as “...soulful, gentle indie pop... fragile, constructed melodies and (a) sort of melancholy sweetness”.  Our own Robert Brokenmouth said "Measuring the Space Between Us All" was “...sexy... a crushing, lovely boat trip down a brooding romance-laden river”.

Joining the band will be Canberra’s Positive Feedback Loop and Nature Strip Duo (a stripped down version of the inimitable The Nature Strip). Entry is $10 tickets at the door), with kids free.

• live
• sydney
• launch
• hadron colliders
• measuring the space between us
• nature strip

Reckless – The Sports (Festival/Warner) and Don’t Throw Stones – The Sports (Festival/Warner)

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By The Barman

The Barman

10 February 2015

Hits: 6101

There’s too much here to consume in one sitting or even two. Reanimator To The Stars (by Royal Appointment), Sir David Laing, has packed these deluxe editions of The Sports’ first two albums with enough bonus material to weigh down a Melbourne Cup certainty

For the uninitiated or the downright forgetful, The Sports sprang out of Melbourne’s fertile Carlton Scene in 1976 and petered out in 1981, but only after a run of four albums that spawned a slew of catchy Australian chart singles.

• sports
• stephen cummings
• martin armiger
• andrew pendlebury
• reckless
• don't throw stones

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Replacements announce US tour

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By The Barman

The Barman

10 February 2015

Hits: 4481

The reformed Replacements have announced a run of US tour dates in the wake of recent sporadic festival appearances.

Original bandmates Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson, plus guitarist David Minehan and drummer Josh Freese, will also play shows in London, Amsterdam and Spain and are reportedly considering recording a new studio album.

The Replacements were the archetypal college radio slop-rockers of the '80s and an enormous influence on a generation of US bands. 

• live
• tour
• replacements
• primavera

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Smelling like roses: Pretty Thing Dick Taylor on "Bouquets From A Cloudy Sky"

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By The Barman

The Barman

09 February 2015

Hits: 10447

They’re entering the 53rd year of this career thing but guitarist Dick Taylor and his band, the Pretty Things, aren’t showing any signs of calling it a day.

With a vinyl only live record (“The Pretty Things Live at The 100 Club”) recently released and a new studio album ("The Sweet Pretty Things Are In Bed Now Of Course" ) in the wings, the Pretties have gone a step further by unleashing what’s probably the last word in box sets.

“Bouquets From A Cloudy Sky” (on Madfish through Snapper) does the band’s considerable legacy justice, bringing all of the 11 studio albums together, along with two documentaries and a brace of CDs of rare or previously unreleased material, beautifully presented in one compelling package.

• dick
• pretty things
• taylor
• phil may
• bouquets from a cloudy sky
• snapper

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Sports return to the stage

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By The Barman

The Barman

05 February 2015

Hits: 6480

Melbourne rock-pop legends The Sports will re-convene for a couple of live dates in their hometown in May.

Principal members Stephen Cummings, Martin Armiger and Andrew Pendlebury will be joined by keyboardist-guitarist James Black, drummer Peter Luscombe and bassist Mark Ferry for gigs at Memo Music Hall in St Kilda on May 8 and 9.

• martin
• andrew
• when the sun sets over carlton
• sports
• stephen cummings
• armiger
• pendebury

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Revolutionary Action – Scott Morgan (Easy Action)

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By The Barman

The Barman

03 February 2015

Hits: 7787

In which the complete recorded works of the 1980s and ‘90s are compiled on one double CD set, spanning 38 tracks.

You have to give it to Easy Action. They know how to package a legacy. And Scott Morgan, of course, has had lots of legacy to restore.

Michigan’s Best Kept Musical Secret had been around the metaphorical block a few times by the time the ‘80s rolled around, but up until that point his bands hadn’t produced many recordings. If he hadn’t invented blue-eyed soul, Morgan played a big part in its arrival in the '60s when front-man for Ann Arbor’s Rationals who took a detour into soulful, pastoral-flecked psych before running out of steam. 

• easy-action
• sonics rendezvous band
• stooges
• scott
• morgan
• mc5
• revolutionary
• means

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Touched – The Nice Folk (self released)

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By The Barman

The Barman

30 January 2015

Hits: 6728

“Touched” LP is this six-piece Wollongong band’s second full studio album release in eight years. Their last long player (“Devil at My Door”) passed by the Bar without dropping in for a beer, so I’m not up-to-speed with everything that’s occurred along the way.

The thing I know is that there’s a marked difference between “Touched” and the early “Guide To Sedation & Isolation” EP, so let’s focus on that.

• rock
• swamp
• wollongong
• nice
• folk
• touched
• guide to sedation & isolation
• devil at my door

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Love takes Steve Lucas back to his single beginnings

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By The Barman

The Barman

27 January 2015

Hits: 10577

Mainstream media’s full of stories about the re-birth of vinyl, but anyone with half a clue knows the format never died. What’s glossed over in all the breathless reportage about black platters is the Art of the Seven-Inch Single. Consider the facts…

Back in rock and roll’s heady days of the ‘60s - long before FM radio and the LP format took hold - singles were the deatyh or glory, one-shot-at-the-prize for many bands. The A side of a 45 was a distillation of a band’s essence. The B side was for experimenting.

Melbourne musician Steve Lucas is a big fan of the 45 and acutely aware of the place in music that the format holds.

• lobby
• loyde
• aztec records
• ian rilen
• steve lucas
• pubert brown fridge occurrence
• dollsquad
• joey bedlam

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