Deviation Social

Starting in the ashes of the post-industrial scene of San Francisco and continuing until his final performance in 1986, the one-man industrial outfit Deviation Social became an obscure cult phenomenon to followers of industrial tape culture in the 1980s. Art Injeyan created the band in the summer of 1981, and he exclusively self-released his recordings through his own PPresence label in extremely limited tape form (some releases were less than 20 copies). In addition to numerous tape releases, Deviation Social also released a lone 7”-'Tempus Purgatio Part 7'- in 1984. 

 
Deviation Social drew on influences and contemporaries such as Throbbing Gristle, SPK, and Leather Nun but fused an experimental approach of musique concrete with his use of analog synthesizers, hallowed drum machines, and tribal instruments. This innovative style allowed Injeyan to create some of the most interesting and unabashed industrial recordings the genre has to offer. 

 
In 2010, Dais released a compilation titled 'From End To Beginning Vol. 1: Compilation Tracks 1982-1984', featuring all of Deviation Social’s contributions to experimental, noise, and industrial cassette compilations throughout the early 80s. Dais followed up with a second Deviation Social release in 2013, another compilation titled 'Tempus/Deathwatch “From End To Beginning” Vol. 2', which compiled the two proper “studio” releases of Deviation Social’s past -the destructive 'Tempus Purgatio Part 7' single and the 1982 album cassette 'Workforce/ Deathwatch'. 2015 saw a third Deviation Social release from Dais, a vinyl re-issue of their first demo cassette comprised of recordings of individually staged practices in Injeyan’s home. [SOURCE: DAIS RECORDS]

 

Cleaners From Venus

The most extensive of singer / songwriter Martin Newell's various projects, Cleaners from Venus recorded some of the finest -and most neglected- British pop/rock of the 1980s. The Cleaners' failure to find a wider audience is due at least in part to their unconventional method of distribution. After a short, bitter experience in the music business recording for a large label, Newell retreated to his home studio at the beginning of the '80s, determined not to have to play by the usual compromising music business rules. As the chief of Cleaners from Venus, he and cohorts recorded several albums on their own, and distributed them via self-produced cassettes that were chiefly available by mail. There were thousands of such acts working in this manner in the cassette underground, but most of them were either off-puttingly amateurish or forebodingly avant-garde and experimental. Cleaners from Venus were distinguished from the usual lot because they specialized in extremely witty, cheery, and compact pop songs. 

Newell's choice to use underground distribution networks made sense. He and his musicians were too eccentric and, at times, experimental to withstand the homogenizing influence of record companies. What they lacked in technique -the early tapes often have a hissy sound and thumpy percussion- they more than made up for in pure heart. Newell, who wrote and sang virtually all of the material, is a tuneful British eccentric in the mold of Ray Davies or Andy Partridge of XTC, with a humor akin to Monty Python or the Bonzo Dog Band. Cleaners from Venus couldn't be pigeonholed as revivalists, however, due to the '80s jangle of the guitars and the expressively yearning qualities of Newell's vocals; the melodies were almost always infectious and bursting with harmonies. 

 

Newell's main partner in the early days of Cleaners from Venus was drummer Lol Elliott. By the mid-'80s, Martin had hooked up with the more conventionally skilled pianist Giles Smith, and the Cleaners' recording techniques had improved to the level of "real" records. One result was the glorious 'Living with Victoria Grey' tape, with uniformly strong songs that usually reflected pastoral English life with affectionate irony. Another result of their (by cassette underground standards) increasing success and popularity were deals to produce bona fide vinyl LPs for record labels; they even got a deal with RCA in Germany. Almost predictably, the records, with bigger budgets and increased attention to audiophile concerns, sounded a bit mechanical and whitewashed compared to the cassettes, even when the Cleaners were re-recording material that had originally been released on tape. 

By the end of the '80s, Newell had discontinued Cleaners from Venus and founded a new, very similar project called Brotherhood of Lizards, which lasted for a while before bassist Nelson (no last name) joined New Model Army. In the '90s, Newell established a solo career on indie labels that found him carrying on the Cleaners' tradition of playing pure pop in an undiluted manner. (Giles Smith wrote a book about his obsessive rock fandom, "Lost in Music", which draws to some degree upon his experiences in Cleaners from Venus.) There have been a couple of Cleaners compilations, most notably 2004's 'Living with Victoria Grey: The Very Best of Cleaners from Venus', and in 2012 Burger Records began reissuing many of the rare Cleaners recordings in their original cassette format. That same year, Captured Tracks also launched a Cleaners from Venus reissue program, releasing more of their extensive back catalog on vinyl and in digital form. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Brilliant

The short-lived trio known as Brilliant is a lot more interesting as a rock family tree entry than for the one album the group produced. Despite the band's failure to make much of an impact, it contained two of the '80s most notable musical figures: ex-Killing Joke bassist Youth, and guitarist Jimmy Cauty, who'd worked with Zodiac Mindwarp and would go on to greater acclaim later in the decade as part of the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, The KLF, and The Orb. Together with vocalist June Montana, a session singer noted for her work with The Dream Academy, they became Brilliant, after the band's original lineup was trimmed from ten members to just three. Beginning as a funky, Killing Joke-inspired band with a couple of singles on the Rough Trade label, the group was managed by Dave Balfe, the former keyboardist of The Teardrop Explodes, and was signed by rock raconteur Bill Drummond to WEA, where their 1986 album, 'Kiss the Lips of Life', was overseen by the soon-to-be-ascendant pop production team of Stock Aitken Waterman. But for all the high-profile contacts, Brilliant only mustered a couple of hits -a reggae-fied version of James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" had some success in the band's native U.K., while the dance-rock "Somebody" got play in American clubs- before calling it a day soon after the album's release, and allowing Cauty and Youth to move on to bigger and better things. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

Autumnfair

One of the many offshoots of Savage Republic, Autumnfair based their sound in the early-'80s post-punk output of the Factory and 4AD labels. Savage Republic bassist/guitarist/vocalist Thom Fuhrmann started the band in 1986 with Val Haller, a bassist/vocalist who had previously played with Jayne County, The Flying Lizards, and Lords of the New Church. The remainder of the band included, at various points, Biff Sanders (a Savage Republic engineer), Scott Feemster, Caroline Topalian, Jack Housen, and Savage Republic's Greg Grunke. All told, they went through three lineups. Though the group quit operating in 1989, none of their material was issued until 1991, when Independent Project Records (the label run by Savage Republics's Bruce Licher) issued the 10" EP 'Glaciers and Gods' in 1991. 11 years later, the Mobilization label (yet another Savage Republic-related imprint) released 'Autumnfair 1986-1989', a CD compilation that paired a remastered version of the 1991 EP with previously unissued material. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]

 

17 Pygmies

17 Pygmies officially began in 1982 when then Savage Republic member Philip Drucker (aka Jackson Del Rey) began jamming in a garage with keyboardist and guitarist Michael Kory (Radwaste) and drummer, soon to be singer, Debbie Spinelli from Food & Shelter and Radwaste. The group's first composition was an odd, kind of surf-a-delic, Emerson Lake & Palmer inspired cover version of the theme music to David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia". Since no one was around to say stop, the band quickly devolved into a kind of spooky instrumental and 80's style techno-pop band, and by the time the Pygs, as they were now known to the five people including the band members who knew them, started covering Brazilian sambas (and just before the release of their first EP). Robert Loveless, now a member of Savage Republic, signed on as bass player/keyboardist. 

That 'Hatikva', EP quickly led (minus Kory, who left to pursue an alternate path to obscurity) to 1984's full length LP 'Jedda By The Sea'. 'Jedda' was an album short on the letter "h" but long on musical innovation and is still considered a "post-punk" masterpiece by those same five people including the band members who though 'Hatikva' was worth releasing. Next came 1985's 'Captured In Ice' which interestingly contained the non-hit "Chameleon" which made a very influential list called the 100 greatest unknown techno songs. All this obscurity led to several personnel changes (the only permanent band member is Del Rey) which of course led to the release in 1989 of 'Welcome' on the Island Records subsidiary Great Jones label. And they say contrary thought won't get you anywhere. Well, it didn't and the band was dropped the next year (1990) that saw the self- release of the last demos for Island as the EP 'Missyfish'. 

Ironically (or is it iconic) 17 years later, the '13 Blackbirds/13 Lotus' double CD was released under the indie record label Trakwerx, with original member Del Rey and 'Welcome' era singer Louise Bialik in tow. Another fine fellow worth mentioning, guitarist Jeff Brenneman from White Glove Test also joined the fray. Soon after, there were more personnel changes, and the band reformed as The 17th Pygmy with Meg Maryatt (who was a contributor on '13 Blackbirds/13 Lotus') on vocals, guitar and accordion, Tony Davis, from White Glove Test on bass and Dirk Doucette, also from White Glove Test, on drums. Thus, in October 2007, 'Ballade of Tristram’s Last Harping' was released, which reflected a retro ‘60s Psychedelic-‘70s Classic Rock direction. 'Ballade' is also a visual tribute to the Art Nouveau movement.

With Jackson Del Rey’s newfound creativity writing experimental prog rock scores to classic silent films (“Battleship Potemkin”,“Nosferatu” and “Tarzan”), he had the idea to record a concept album, 'Celestina' (loosely based upon the classic 15th century Spanish novel "La Celestina", a timeless tale of love and betrayal). 17 Pygmies have returned to their original name, perhaps for good, and continue on in the tradition of their signature sound that was first explored and presented on their classic 1984 release 'Jedda By The Sea'. 

The Pits

The Pits was an Australian punk band active between 1978 and 1984. Reformed between 2003 and 2005 with occasional performances in 2006 and 2007. The Pits had a small group of loyal fans, but never got really popular. Some musical influences were The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, The Cramps, Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, The Clash, Adverts, Patti Smith Group, The Rolling Stones, The Archies, and many others. 

 

Band members changed a bit (especially drummers). The original band eventually split about 1984. Greg Gilbert and Greg Wadley were the rhythm section in early Tex Deadly & The Dum Dums. Greg Gilbert (aka Des Johnson) has played also drums for several Brisbane acts. Greg Wadley moved to Melbourne and has been involved with several groups to this day, including New Waver and Hi God People. Peter Charles Macpherson went to live in Sydney for a time during the mid-80's after dabbling with Tea For Two. [SOURCE: THE PITS HOME PAGE]

 

Thurston Moore

Thurston Moore's work with Sonic Youth rearranged the parameters of indie rock to an almost incalculable degree, merging experimental art rock tendencies with unconventional guitar tunings for a sound that would influence generations to come. Moore's abstract poetic lyrics and perpetually mysterious aura were core ingredients of Sonic Youth's 30-plus-year run, but also bled into countless side projects and less-frequent solo albums like 1994's sprawling and loose 'Psychic Hearts'. After the group's breakup in 2011, Moore continued with his ambitions, ranging from projects like his band Chelsea Light Moving to noisy collaborations with Merzbow and John Zorn to solo albums like 2020's 'By the Fire' that continued exploring the kind of moody, twisting art rock he'd become an icon of with Sonic Youth. 

Moore was born in 1958 in Coral Gables, Florida. At age 18, he dropped out of college after a single semester and moved to New York City to take part in the punk and downtown art rock scene that was forming at the time. Immersing himself in underground poetry and music communities, a teenage Moore was exposed to a constant flow of new ideas and artistic influences. Along with taking in live readings from punk poet Patti Smith, Moore was especially moved by composer Glenn Branca's experimental approach to guitar. In 1980, Moore co-founded Sonic Youth, bringing aspects of Branca's avant guitar techniques to scuzzy art rock songs. Sonic Youth would grow from their feral beginnings into a defining pillar of alternative rock. While the band would be Moore's main focus for the next three decades, he also pursued a plethora of side projects, from the hardcore rush of Even Worse to formless songs written with Kim Gordon released under the moniker Mirror/Dash to an endless list of collaborations with artists from across the world's jazz, noise, and experimental scenes. 

 

Moore's first proper solo album, 'Psychic Hearts', appeared in 1994. The record featured ex-Half Japanese guitarist Tim Foljahn and Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, and had an offhand noise-rock feel not far from the post-grunge territory Sonic Youth were operating in around that time. Moving into the 2000s, Moore collaborated with artists including DJ Spooky and Nels Cline, wrote music reviews and other pieces for Arthur magazine, and issued a book, "Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture", in 2005. His second song-based album, 'Trees Outside of the Academy', arrived in 2007, and featured cameos from Shelley, Samara Lubelski, and Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis. In 2010, Moore guested on The Hat City Intuitive's 'A Ticket for Decay' and began laying the foundation for another solo effort, 'Demolished Thoughts', which appeared the following year. 

Following Moore's separation from bandmate, wife, and partner Kim Gordon in late 2011, Sonic Youth was put on indefinite pause. Nevertheless, Moore and Gordon collaborated with Yoko Ono the following year on the album 'YOKOKIMTHURSTON'. By 2012, Moore had begun touring and recording with new act Chelsea Light Moving, as well as joining black metal group Twilight on guitar. The year 2013 saw the release of '@', a collaborative album of sax/guitar improvisations with fellow N.Y.C. fringe dweller John Zorn. Arriving in 2014, 'The Best Day' saw Moore shedding the softer acoustic moods of 'Demolished Thoughts' for a return to his signature rock sprawl and daydreamy lyrics. Around the same time, he took part in a massive improvisation session with Mats Gustafsson, Balázs Pándi, and noise master Merzbow that was released as the double album 'Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper' in 2015. The following year, he issued the single 'Feel It in Your Guts', which was available to anyone who donated to Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign. 

For 2017's 'Rock n Roll Consciousness', Moore reunited with his backing band for 'The Best Day' -Sonic Youth drummer Shelley, My Bloody Valentine bassist Deb Googe, and Nought guitarist James Sedwards- on a mystically inspired set of songs. In 2019, he released the ambitious 'Spirit Counsel' project, a live document with over two hours of orchestrated, instrumental guitar-based compositions that hearkened back to the Branca influences that helped form Moore's earliest output. June 2020 saw the release of the track "Hashish," the first single from Moore's forthcoming seventh solo effort, 'By the Fire', which was released in September of that year. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

People With Chairs Up Their Noses

Forming in early 1981, People with Chairs up their Noses were a Post-Punk Art Noise group who emerged out the Little Bands Scene. They played a lot of gigs at the Tote Hotel, Crystal Ballroom & The Jump Club, where they gained some notoriety for supporting profile acts (Hunters & Collectors, Swingers, Dugites, The Church, etc). Also known for their junk percussion (letterbox, oil cans, bottles) it is believed they inspired Hunters & Collectors to include a gas tank in Greg Perano's kit. 

 
Peter Rippon was pushed out of the band early on when were able to poach Jim White from The Happy Orphans. Mark Barry was the next to leave in 1982 and the bass position was replaced by Bevan Smith on keyboards, but he didn't work out so the band may have done some gigs as a 3-piece. Malcolm Hill (Buick KBT) also played bass for a couple of gigs (Sydney). Nick Barker was conscripted briefly to play bass for two gigs (Adelaide). The band broke up later in 1983. There was one vinyl release on Au Go Go Records: 'The New Band'/'Road to Egg' (co-release with Plays With Marionettes), and in 1981 on the 'Fast Forward Cassette Magazine issue 008/009', two songs: "Leave Home" and "Go To Jail". One song, "Song Of The Sea", was also released on the 'Can't Stop It' compilation CD (2001).

 
People with Chairs up their Noses line-up included David Palliser (vocals/sax), Jim Shugg (guitar/vocals), Jim White (percussion), Mark Barry (bass/vocals), Peter Rippon (percussion, 1981), Bevan Smith (keyboards, 1982) and Nick Barker (bass, 1983). David Palliser still performs improvisational music and has released a solo CD. Jim Shugg formed The Feral Dinosaurs. Jim White joined Venom P Stinger and later formed The Dirty Three. Mark Barry moved on to live sound mixing. Pete Rippon is also a sound engineer. Bevan appeared from nowhere and nobody knows where he went. Nick Barker left as quick as he could, formed The Reptiles. [SOURCE: PUNK A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY. THE HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE PUNK SCENE] 

 

The Particles

The Particles name began in the mid to late 1970's and the original band, albeit a loose outfit was formed during the very earliest stages of the new Punk music that was sweeping Britain and Eastern USA at the time. News of this phenomenon spread quickly to Australia and within a few months there were bands forming in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The rawest examples of this were coming out of a small block of flats in Berry Street, North Sydney. The building was a crumbling mess, inside and out, but it was Sydney's centre of punk music with bands rehearsing regularly. Some of the bands which visited Berry Street include The Cleaners, The Last Words, and from Brisbane, The Saints. In one of the flats there were The Particles, initially formed by Peter Williams and Mick Smith. The building, not surprisingly was condemned and the tenants evicted. The Berry Street flats have since been pulled down and replaced by a shopping mall. 

 

 After leaving North Sydney in 1977, Peter and Mick moved to inner city Sydney Darlinghurst which was closer to the only venues which would let them perform. Here they were joined by Michael Wood and Steven Williams and together found work at venues like Frenches (Darlinghurst), Blondies (Bondi Junction), The Fun House (Taylor Square), Rags (ex Chequers, City), Civic Hotel (City), and The Grand Hotel (Railway Square); performing with bands such as Kaos, Rejex and The Thought Criminals to name but a few. The band suffered a split later the same year when Michael Wood left the band. Almost immediately, Astrid Spielman filled the front spot. The band went through a number of line up changes in its 7 or 8 year history with perhaps 20 or more musicians claiming 'particle-status'. 

 

The line-up independently released a 7" EP entitled 'Colour-In' in 1979. Despite the obvious low budget nature of the recording, it was quickly included on radio stations playlists including Melbourne's 3RRR-fm as a pop classic. In fact, the band quickly gained a healthy following in Melbourne. Back home in Sydney, the band's following grew slowly but surely thanks to a weekly residency at the Sussex Hotel in the city where the band played 3 sets every Wednesday night. Afterwards, the band went through another line-up change in 1980 with Mick Smith leaving for good and Steven Williams leaving as drummer and staying on as manager. The Particles released two more EPs, 'Advanced Colouring' in 1981 and 'I Luv Trumpet' in 1982. By this stage, Peter and Astrid, in collaboration with others, had experimented extensively with drum machines, tape machines, brass instruments and keyboard sounds. They always maintained an element of '80s Bubblegum' throughout their evolution. The band also toured extensively to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and many regional centres. By the time the band stopped working in 1985, they had played in front countless people, travelled countless miles and left behind a legion of fans.

 

Equal Local

Formed in 1980, Equal Local were a popular, albeit short-lived instrumental ‘synth’ band comprising various figures from the Melbourne post-punk scene -most notably Dean Richards and Philip Jackson who were ex-members of synth-punk band Whirlywirld. For a brief period, circa 1980 to 1981, they were the "Next Big Thing" on the Melbourne inner-city/Crystal Ballroom circuit and were referred to by Clinton Walker as "The most important band to emerge from Melbourne in the wake of The Birthday Party's relocation to London." The band's pioneering brand of post-punk jazz-rock was bright, inventive, intricate and irresistible. 

Utilising a funky pulse-lie beat as a base, the band was free to lay hypnotic textures and a rich tapestry of styles over the top. The band also used as its drums a computer, designed and built by Robin Whittle, which was very likely the first programmable drum and sequencing software used live in the world, predating the fair light CMI's "page R" by a couple of years. 

Missing Link issued the 12" EP 'Madagascar' and the 12" single 'Yank'/'12 Ways' in 1981. The band toured interstate and began picking up interest further afield, but having decided that the concept had run its course, Equal Local dispanded in early 1982. Richards went on to expand on his side project, the neo-big band Hot Half Hour. [SOURCE: PUNK A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY. THE HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE PUNK SCENE] 

The Fabulous Marquises

The Fabulous Marquises was formed in 1980 by ex-JAB, Teenage Radio Stars and Models bass player 'Mr Pierre'. The band had a sparse and electronic sound and a solitary single, 'Honeymoon / 1,2,3, Factory' was issued in September 1980. The single was initially included as part of the Unforgettable Music Box Set of three singles, alongside Ron Rude's Piano Piano and Microfilm. Ron Rude (head of the Unforgettable Music label) produced The Marquises' single and also included the Marquises' track "From My Heart to My Hands" on the Various Artists album 'From Belgrave with Love' (1981). Edward Clayton-Jones was later in The Wreckery and Chris Walsh later joined The Moodists. [SOURCE: PUNK A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY. THE HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE PUNK SCENE] 

Ron Rude

Back in 1979 Ron Rude knew that he didn't stand a chance of landing a record deal, so he turned his Belgrave home into a budget recording studio, lined the walls with egg cartons from the poultry farm next door, and recorded an album, 'The Borders of Disgrace', which he put out on his own label Unforgettable Music. He made news by being the first artist to finance a commercial release using a $1000 cash advance courtesy of his guitar player, Stephen Clarke's credit card. 

In 1980 Rude, this time with his own credit card and band Piano Piano made another album at home, 'The Vorpal Blade'. To promote it he went on a hunger strike in the window of Missing Link, an alternative record shop run at the time by Au Go GO records founder Keith Glass, and making news again, he demanded that local radio station 3XY play his records, threatening to drown himself in a bucket of water if they did not. His slogan, "3XY or I Die" was intended to show that the major mainstream rock station of the day would be unlikely to give a small-time independent artist a go. TV Channel 10 covered the story, and Rude had the momentum that he wanted. His next move was to make good a threat to drown himself on Hans Christian and Barry Bissel's morning 3XY program. The DJ's relented, and played excerpts of the album as Rude bubbled away with his head in a bucket of water. 

Buoyed by this minor victory, Rude took on ABC TV's Countdown host, Ian "Molly" Meldrum, chaining himself to Meldrum's fence to try to gain a spot on the show. Meldrum acted swiftly, absconding before the TV news crews arrived. Rude's live debut was a masterpiece of comic punk showmanship. Supporting a well-attended conventional rock band, Rude took to the stage clad in greasepaint and leather and charged into the audience playing echo driven guitar solos, and singing "Violence! It's the only way!" His other guitar player, Geoff Martin, played guitar with his teeth, a la Hendrix style, but without the tunes, and the drummer, clad in full Darth Vader regalia eventually knocked over all the drums because the mask obscured his vision. Three amply endowed girl backup singers called The Fanny's bounced their breasts in time to the music, to roars of applause by those in the audience who would be moved by such a spectacle. 

To this day Ron Rude is is considered to be a pioneer of DIY (Do it Yourself) recording and in 2001 Melbourne playwright Kieran Carroll wrote a play called "3XY or I Die" which tells the story of Rude's hunger strike. [SOURCE: PUNK A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY. THE HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE PUNK SCENE]

 

Primitive Calculators

Growing up in the rough working-class outer suburb of Springvale, members of synth-punk band Primitive Calculators met as teenagers in the early 1970's. The Velvet Underground and MC5 were musical heroes, but they were also inspired by lesser known bands like The Fugs, The 13th Floor Elevators and The Godz as well as the writing of obsessive rock journalist Lester Bangs. By 1977, they had deserted Springvale for the more musically liberated environs of St. Kilda -then the centre of the Melbourne punk scene- and formed a punk band called The Moths. 

 

However despite socialising with the likes of Nick Cave from band The Boys Next Door, they remained outsiders to this scene and in 1978 moved to the Northern suburb of Fitzroy. Here they renamed themselves Primitive Calculators and became known for their use of a screeching Mosrite Ventures model guitar, primitive synthesizers (a Wasp and Roland SH2) along with an electronic organ played through effects pedals, and an extra fast drum machine keeping time (Roland CR-78). 

 

This 4 piece lineup soon developed a network of like-minded friends, such as Ollie Olsen and John Murphy of Whirlywirld, and were instrumental in organising a series of gigs named "Little Band nights", where hastily-formed bands would play for 15 minutes each; this led to a compilation EP being recorded. Primitive Calculators released their debut single in 1979, featuring the songs "I Can’t Stop It" and "Do That Dance". Pressed with plain black labels in a stark monochrome sleeve, the single introduced many to the impassioned, atonal, electronic chaos that was the Primitive Calculators’ trademark. 

With the plan to relocate to London, Primitive Calculators played their last gig in March 1980, but seeing how difficult life was for fellow expats The Birthday Party and Whirlywhirld, they decided instead to take an indefinite break. A self-titled live album came out in the early 1980's and the band reformed briefly in 1986 to perform a live version of their song "Pumping Ugly Muscle" in the film "Dogs In Space".
 

In 2004 and 2007 Chapter Music reissued and released 'Primitive Calculators' and 'Primitive Calculators and Friends 1979-1982'. [SOURCE: PUNK A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY. THE HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE PUNK SCENE]

Ash Wednesday

Innovative Australian synth pioneer and a member of self-styled groups Jab (1976-1979) and Models (1979-1980), Ash Wednesday combined experimental analog synthesizer textures with punk/rock rhythms. In 1980 he recorded and released an independent solo single, 'Love by Numbers/Boring Instrumental'. He produced also 4 songs with Karen Marks including what was to become the retro cult classic "Cold Cafe". Around this point of time he was to join Al Webb and Andrew Picoleau to complete an experimental recording project The Metronomes (with two singles and two albums on Cleopatra Records). 

 

Concurrently, Wednesday was to collaborate with Nuvo Bloc member T.E. Power on a project titled Thealonian Music. Although almost clandestine by nature, this excercise in spontaneous composition was to strongly influence much of Wednesday's attitude to subsequent projects. He continued experimenting with electronics throughout the 80's with numerous and diverse, but relatively low profile projects -most notably, perhaps, being Modern Jazz, an impromtu assemblage of electro-based musicians, performing live on stage to a randomly programmed techno beat, although at this point of time (early 80's) the term "techno" was yet to be invented.

 

In 1988 Wednesday was to apply his approach to digital sampling, initially culminating in Crashland, another very self-styled group of considerable impact and live popularity. In 1990 Ash contributed keyboards to the live performances and recordings of the iconic Melbourne group The Brotherhood of John Lawrance. From 1992 to 1997 he was based in Berlin, where he was a member of the production team for Nina Hagen's 1995 album 'Freud Euch'.  CD (RCA Deutschland). In 1997 he began working (in a live performance capacity) with the legendary Einstürzende Neubauten -a position he was to occupy until late 2013. In 1999 he returned to Melbourne, Australia where he re-united with ex-Crashland vocalist Lyn Gordon to form The Tingler. [SOURCE: ASH-WEDNESDAY.COM] 

The Apartments

The Apartments are an Australian indie rock band led by singer/songwriter Peter Milton Walsh whose reputation as a pop cult figure dates back to the early 1980s. With an evocative sound that has traversed delicate chamber pop, jangling indie rock, and post-punk, The Apartments have worked in fits and starts with multiple different lineups supporting Walsh over four decades. Although based out of Sydney, their most enduring fan base has remained in France, where their 1985 debut became a cult hit. A string of well-received mid-'90s releases earned them some additional visibility, after which they went on a lengthy hiatus until 2015's acclaimed comeback 'No Song No Spell No Madrigal'. Since then, Walsh and The Apartments have enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in the indie world, returning again in 2020 with their seventh album, 'In and Out of the Light'. 

The Apartments were formed in Brisbane 1978 by Walsh, guitarist Michael O'Connell, bassist Peter Whitby, and drummer Peter Martin. Soon after the band's formation, Walsh was asked to join The Go-Betweens. While his tenure with them was short-lived, it resulted in The Apartments' first EP, 'The Return of the Hypnotist', being released by their Able Label in 1979. Around that same time, Walsh left Brisbane, effectively ending the band's original incarnation. After his next band, Out of Nowhere, failed to find traction, he spent some time in New York, briefly teaming up with future Go-Betweens Robert Vickers as a member of a band called The Colors. 

 

By 1984, Walsh was living in Sydney and re-formed The Apartments with members from his Out of Nowhere project. After signing to Rough Trade on the strength of a six-song demo tape, the band's debut album 'The Evening Visits...And Stays for Years' was released in 1985. Although it didn't make a big impact in Australia, the album hailed by critics in the U.K. and subsequently became a cult classic in France. With yet another retooled lineup, The Apartments' sole output for the remainder of the decade was the 1987 single 'The Shyest Time' which appeared in the John Hughes film "Some Kind of Wonderful" a year later. 

Released seven years after their debut, their 1992 follow-up 'Drift' received similar exposure, earning praise in France where the band toured to promote it. 1995's 'A Life Full of Farewells' kicked off a prolific period which yielded the stripped-down acoustic album 'Fête Foraine' (1996) and 'Apart' (1997). The Apartments even gained American release on Twin/Tone Records. When Walsh's young son was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, he put the band on hold in order to care for him. Following his son's death in 1999, The Apartments entered a hiatus that would last for most of the next decade. 

Slowly, over a period of several years, Walsh resumed occasional touring under The Apartments name, playing a handful of Australian and French dates with various lineups and in 2011 released a single called 'Black Ribbons'. A live session for Radio France was released in 2013 by French label Talitres under the name 'Seven Songs'. As interest in the band began to increase, a new lineup came together and entered the studio to record 2015's 'No Song No Spell No Madrigal', The Apartments' fifth studio album and first in eighteen years. A lush and introspective set, it was a critically lauded return to form that ended up on numerous year-end lists in Australia and France. A concert recorded during a 2015 French tour was later released in 2019 as 'Live at L'Ubu'. Walsh's next Apartments release, the impressionistic 'In and Out of the Light', arrived in 2020. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]