Last chance to dance to the bluebeat dance! Indeed, this is the
final punk ‘n’ ska column I’ll write for BMA. After ten long years,
countless gigs, interviews, tours and new releases, I’m stepping back
to let someone new take over. Hopefully this happens and local punks
and rudies have somewhere to promote their shows and musical output.
That said, let’s get into it.
The wait is finally over. The Porkers Persistence is Futile DVD is available. That’s 15 clips spanning their
22 year career with live and doco footage extras. Including the seminal gig, The Pork Hunts at the Sydney Teacher’s Club in 1988! Live footage covers Germany 1995, Japan 2005, in the studio 2007 and more. Soundsystem extras include
clips from The Allniters, Backy Skank, Dr. Raju, Los Capitanes and Casino Rumblers et al. Visit www.soundsystemmusic.com for more information.
Did you see The Toxicmen’s Halloween Misfits’ Tribute show at The Basement?
Numbers were definitely up from last Halloween. Many in the crowd got
into the spirit of the evening and there were some great tattoos on
display throughout the grimly fiendish gathering. Recently reformed Buttnugget were joined by Elvis on vocals. Oxygen Thief
killed it with a killer hardcore groove and The Toxicmen looked and
were awesome in faithful Misfits get-up with eviscerated throats and
flesh wounds. They even had dancing
grrls straight from the ‘Devil’s Whorehouse.’ Don’t miss next
Halloween. Since then, The Toxicmen have renamed their Misfits cover
band, The Bloodnuts and lined up a gig at the Landsdowne Hotel in Sydney on Saturday January 30.
You can also catch The Toxicmen when they appear for the Straight Vedge Tour as it blows through the Pot Belly on Saturday December 12. Together with Sydney’s party punks Chris Duke & the Royals,
Melbourne’s The Resignators, promising Perth four-piece The Decline and local streetpunks Rotten Opera.
On Tuesday December 1, Fat Wreck Chords released an 88-song, 3CD boxset Wrecktrospective.
Heaps of great bands. Check the tracklist here:
www.fatwreck.com/record/detail/700. The first disc is a greatest hits
of Fat, featuring 33 bands. The second disc, 28 previously unreleased
demos and the third is the extremely limited Fat Club 7” series in its
entirety, previously unavailable on CD.
Never Rest In Peace
is the brand new LP for Star Fucking Hipsters,
on Alternative Tentacles. Promo from AT declares it “Crust Pop” and,
quote, “whether you like bouncy, pop-tinged punk or relentlessly
messaged punk rock with gritty guitars and pounding drums, Star Fucking
Hipsters easily find a way to please you with this release.” SFH member
StzA Crack was in Oz recently for the Leftover Crack tour and had this
to say on his blog. “Australia is... pretty fucking cool. I know a
couple of you guys are a bit young and/or naive, but that’s what PUNK
is. Sure the shows might be pricey, but we’re not getting paid, all
monies made go to getting us down here and food (and a little booze)
and we came down here only because we’ve been requested randomly for
years and years. Plus it’s kinda mind-blowing to be on the ‘other’ side
of the world. Gonna see some marsupials today, practise (that’s the
correct Aussie spelling...) Thunderstruck and eat a dingo, cuz it ate your baby...”
We’ve come to the end of another column, only this time it really is
the end. I hope I’ve been able to help the local scene (punks or
rudies) and I’ve always tried to put a little historical perspective
into the news, which I hope has been interesting/educational as well.
My connection to ska and punk began when I saw Sid Vicious sing My Way on Donny Sutherland’s Sounds
music video programme in 1983. In the intervening years since then,
I’ve formed and been in many bands, recorded at the triple j studios in
Sydney with a grunge/speedcore band and played at two Oz Ska Fests, in
1989 (Sydney) and 1993 (Canberra). I’ve been writing for BMA since
1995, took on the Ska/Punk column in 2000 and it’s never been a hassle.
Thanks for reading.
Oi Oi that’s yer lot!
SIMON HOBBS
Next deadline is Armageddon. Send news, views, gig promos and abuse to editorial@bmamag.com
