one fellow's political coverage, music ramblings and general hijinks across decades under a range of guises at several locations often in a state of awe.
Perth’s sonically-disjointed, indie-rock outfit Flashing Tablet would probably be the first to admit a slight genre clash in their place in this line-up … not that they disappointed. Here was a case of indie kids gone metal!
Continue reading “Botticelli’s Angel; Mutt; Flashing Tablet, MX, May 4, 1996”
Summer tentatively chased away the onset of autumn for the cosiest festival of the year yet again, the third instalment of RTR-FM’s In The Pines. Armed with grandma’s rug and dressed in grandpa’s trousers, the who’s who of Warwick, Willeton and Waroona invaded the prized electoral seat of Nedlands in an indie-kid celebration of all things live, local and original.
Continue reading “In The Pines, Somerville Auditorium, April 13, 1996”
The ‘Fly exists for gigs like this – punters armed with bottles of red, various cheeses and old whiskey barrels for the paddock-worn Blundstones to rest upon. Ah, and both kinds of music: country and western.
Continue reading “Made To Fit; Maria Wilson and Friends, Fly By Night, March 30, 1996”
It was, I swear, the Zelda Fitzgerald Room of yore – the man sitting at the piano taking your money at the door; the musician sitting at his Wurlitzer, thumping out its wide selection of drum beats that he played with his feet while strumming a guitar; the viola player, back and to the right; the humidity …
Continue reading “Weathervane; Slugfest; Mosten Powell, Carlton Hotel, March 9, 1996”
Just when you thought you had seen enough footy short-wearing meat axes wailing about their genitalia … whoa, here were The Nads. Strange, but once they got over the usual bum jokes and pretence that they were musicians, The Nads took the punters into that eeriest of territories, ‘ashamed giggle-ville’.
Continue reading “Panelbeater; The Nads, Harbourside, February 24, 1996”
A two stage, single location gig like this is always a treat with loud riffsters Outstation in MX, followed soon after by the Frock (women in rock) supergroup Butternut in the Grosvenor frontroom.
Continue reading “Outstation; Butternut, MX and the Grosvenor Hotel, February 17, 1996”
A wrap of ETHOS – the Each To His (or Her) Own Show – I made for Wanda Honeywell’s departure in 1996. Quite simply the funniest radio programme ever produced over it’s eight or so years. (1996; 5 mins)
Ammonia were the big boys of the Perth music scene for a few years in Perth. Here, Dave is on the road touring in the US, speaking from some motel somewhere. It gets a bit clique-y as we’ve all known each other from go-to-woe – they broke up in 1999 (1996; 11 mins)
Continue reading “broadcast | Ammonia’s Dave Johnstone, 1996”
The loudest if not finest of Creation Records’ glory days, Swervedriver never lost that feeling. Their drummer Jez, mouthy and blunt, speaks of their Anglo/US cross-references, the then-current Creation crop and their glorious guitar attack being two men with one brain (1996; 17 mins)
In the world of 808 State, hip hop gave way to baggy, rave gave way to freestyle, and their namesake 808 drum machines now serve as dusty benches for their TR909s. Nine years on and with their new album Don Solaris again reflecting the state of dance and subtle indie crossover in 1996, may we see yet another celebration of the State similar to the progressive hits of Pacific and the UK gold albums Ninety, EX-EL (featuring Bjork and New Order’s Bernard Sumner) and 1992’s Gorgeous? Or is nine years in dance just pushing it a little.
Continue reading “interview | 808 State – Interview with Darren Partington”
