The Stems are a garage punk band founded by Dom Mariani in Perth, Western Australia in late 1983. The group is heavily influenced by 1960s garage rock and 1970s power pop. They broke up in August 1987 and reformed in 2003, releasing a new album in 2007. Although the group disbanded in October 2009, as of 2013 The Stems are an ongoing live concern.
The Lighthouse Keepers, initially the Light-Housekeepers, were an Australian country and indie pop band formed in 1981 in Canberra. In November 1984 the group issued their debut studio album, Tales of the Unexpected, and a single, "Ocean Liner". In 1985 the band toured the United Kingdom supporting Hot label mates, The Triffids. The Lighthouse Keepers combined a "loosely rehearsed, casual ethos" with humour, punk attitudes and pure pop song craft. The ensemble disbanded in 1986, releasing a compilation album, Imploding, in November that year. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, their "tasteful, jangly brand of country-tinged folk rock was at odds with prevailing trends on Sydney's early 1980s, Detroit-besotted independent scene. The band nevertheless issued a number of albums and singles, and always lived up to audience expectations".
Died Pretty, sometimes The Died Pretty, were an Australian alternative rock band founded by mainstays Ron Peno and Brett Myers in Sydney in 1983. Their music started from a base of early electric Bob Dylan with psychedelic influences, including The Velvet Underground and Television. They were managed by John Needham, who is the owner of Citadel Records, their main label.
The New Christs are an Australian garage rock band formed in 1980 by founding mainstay, Rob Younger, on lead vocals. Younger was the lead singer for punk rockers, Radio Birdman, and in other hard rock groups, New Race, Bad Music, the Other Side, Nanker Phelge, and Deep Reduction. The New Christs line-up since 2011 is Younger with Jim Dickson on bass guitar, Dave Kettley on guitar, Paul Larsen on drums and Brent Williams on guitar and keyboards. Over their career the group have issued five studio albums, Distemper (1989), Lower Yourself (1997), We Got This! (2002), Gloria (2009) and Incantations (2014). Three former members have died: Stevie Plunder in January 1996, Mark Wilkinson in December 2012 and Christian Houllemare in June 2014.
Magic Dirt is an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially forming an alternative underground band called Deer Bubbles which split and formed into the much heavier, rock based group called The Jim Jims, they were renamed as Magic Dirt. Their top 40 releases on the ARIA Albums Chart are Friends in Danger (1996), What Are Rock Stars Doing Today (2000), Tough Love (2003) and Snow White (2005). They have received nine ARIA Music Award nominations including four at the ARIA Music Awards of 1995 for Life Was Better – their second extended play. Turner died in August 2009 of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. From 2010 to November 2018, the band were on hiatus.
The Screaming Tribesmen were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1981 by mainstay Mick Medew on lead vocals and lead guitar. With various line-ups they released three studio albums, Bones and Flowers, Blood Lust (1990) and Formaldehyde (1993), before disbanding in 1998. They reformed in 2011 for performances until June 2012. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described how they, "fashioned a memorable brand of 1960s-inspired pop rock that combined equal parts existential lyric angst, melodic inventiveness and strident guitar riffs."
Martin Howard Willson-Piper is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter best known as a former long-time member of the Australian psychedelic rock band The Church. He joined in 1980 after seeing an early gig where they were performing as a three-piece. He was an integral member of the band for 33 years. He was also the guitarist for the English alternative rock band All About Eve from 1991 to 1993 and again from 1999 to 2002. He has also worked with Swedish progressive rock band Anekdoten.
Nazxul are an Australian black metal band which formed in 1993. They issued two studio albums, Totem and Iconoclast. In March 2021, their most recent studio album titled Irkalla was released with the lineup being Adrian Henderson on guitar, Lachlan Mitchell on keyboards and guitar, John McLaughlin on drums and Dalibor Backovic on vocals and bass guitar.
Yes is the debut studio album by English rock band Yes, released on 25 July 1969 by Atlantic Records. After forming in the summer of 1968, the band toured extensively across the United Kingdom with sets comprising both original material and rearranged cover versions. They signed with Atlantic in March 1969, and entered Advision and Trident Studios in London to record their first album. Yes includes covers of "Every Little Thing" by the Beatles and "I See You" by the Byrds.
Sacred Cowboys were an Australian post-punk and rock band formed by mainstay Garry Gray, as a lead singer-songwriter, and Mark Ferrie in 1982. The line-up has changed as the group splintered and reformed several times, being active from 1982 to 1985, 1987 to 1991, 1994 to 1997 and 2006 to 2008. The August 2006 line-up was Gray with Stephan Fidock on drums; Penny Ikinger on guitar; Spencer P. Jones on guitar; Nick Rischbieth on bass guitar; and Ash Wednesday on keyboards. Past members include: Johnny Crash on drums and Mark Ferrie on bass guitar, who were both ex-Models; Terry Doolan on guitar; Andrew Picouleau on bass guitar; and Ian Forrest on keyboards.
God were an Australian punk rock band formed in 1986 by Sean Greenway on guitar and vocals; Tim Hemensley on bass guitar, drums and vocals; Joel Silbersher on guitar and vocals; and Matthew Whittle on bass guitar, drums and vocals. All four were 15-16 at the time. Their signature song, "My Pal", was released as their debut single in January 1988. Their sole studio album, For Lovers Only, appeared in December 1989 after the group disbanded. Sean Greenway died of a heroin overdose on 21 January 2001, aged 30. Tim Hemensley also died of a heroin overdose, on 21 July 2003, aged 31. Whittle curated their 2× CD compilation album, GOD, in February 2010.
Mortal Sin were an Australian thrash metal band that formed in 1985 and existed over three distinct periods until 2012. The band released five albums and were the first Australian thrash metal band to tour internationally. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, they were one of "two leading lights... [of] a small, but fervent underground thrash/speed metal scene."
The Kill Devil Hills are an Australian acoustic, country-tinged rock band formed in 2003 in Fremantle by founding mainstays Brendan Humphries and Steve Joines. They have released four studio albums, Heathen Songs, The Drought, Man, You Should Explode and In on Under near Water.
The Chevelles are a power pop band from Perth, Western Australia. They formed in 1989 and have toured Australia, Europe, the United States and South America.
Wade Keighran is an Australian rock musician, songwriter, audio engineer and record producer currently based in Sydney. He started his career playing guitar in punk band Taking Sides, was the bass player and co-songwriter with The Scare and is currently writing and playing bass for Wolf & Cub. Keighran has also appeared live as bass player with Jack Ladder, Steve Smythe and Hunter Dienna.
Tony, Caro and John is a British psychedelic folk trio who recorded the album All on the First Day in 1972. The threesome took much of their inspiration from the Incredible String Band's eclectic strain of psychedelic folk, although songwriter and singer Tony Doré's compositions had a sound and voice of their own. The All Music Guide writes of the trio, "Tony, Caro and John were also wont to embellish their basic male-female vocal harmonies, and one electric guitar-one-acoustic-guitar-bass line-up, with weird touches of hippie psychedelia in the occasional electronic effects, tinkling percussion, flageolet, wah-wah, and violin... Slightly sardonic but cheerfully playful, and with strong tunes effectively blending major and minor modes, they're more approachable for listeners with conventional rock and pop tastes than the Incredible String Band, or Incredible String Band-like bands of the period, such as Forest and Dr. Strangely Strange."
The Proton Energy Pills were an Australian punk rock band formed in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales in 1986. The band released two vinyl singles and a vinyl EP in its time and is considered a very seminal and influential group as its members went on to play in many successful Australian bands over the next 25 years.
Brother Brick were an Australian punk rock band formed in the city of Sydney, New South Wales in 1991. Led by Stewart (Leadfinger) Cunningham, the band released many 7" vinyl singles and 1 album in its time and contained members of many other successful Australian bands.
The Yes-Men were a high energy rock band from Melbourne Australia formed by Sean Greenway in 1995. Musically the band played a powerful Australian style of rock’n’roll, very close to the pulse of Radio Birdman and Sonic's Rendezvous Band but with a harder edge and more full-on production. Sean Greenway died unexpectedly in January 2001 and with his passing The Yes-Men ceased to exist.
The Moffs were a psychedelic rock band formed in Sydney in 1984. They are perhaps best known for their 1985 song Another Day in the Sun, that attracted local and international underground attention. Led by Tom Kazas, they incorporated many styles during their five-year career: psychedelic rock, progressive rock, blues rock, early post rock, atmospheric rock, 1960s and 1980s pop, free improvisation, impressionistic lyrics, Greek folk music styles, experimental composition and repetitive minimalist structures. The band's name was invented by misspelling the word 'moths'.
