Month: May 2018

San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Death Angel played Melbourne’s 170 Russell on Tuesday 15 May 2018 to kick-off their Australian Tour. The Californians are touring behind their eighth studio album The Evil Divide that was released in 2016 and reached number 80 on the Australian ARIA album charts. The band was initially active between 1982 and 1991, and now again since 2001. The line-up has remained the same over the last 9 years, which includes original lead guitarist Rob Cavestany, singer Mark Osegueda, rhythm guitarist Ted Aguilar, bassist Damien Sisson, and drummer Will Carroll.

After two sell-out Australian tours, legendary voodoo guitarist for seminal sexy bands like The Cramps, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and The Gun Club, Kid Congo Powers returned to Australia in May 2018.

Bringing back a heady mix of fuzz guitar, New Orleans drum beats and bass lines dripping with soul, Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds “cast garage-surf-spaghetti-western-retro-futuristic magic”.

One of rock n’ roll’s true legends.

From deep down in Melbourne’s rock pool, crustacean-sensations, Shrimpwitch have emerged from the waves to blow landlubbers away with their debut shrimp-charged garage punk and mock rock EP, Eggs Eggs Eggs, out May 5 on Hysterical Records.

The fabulous two piece, Georgi Goonsack and Kim Prawn, are the first release from the Hysterical Records label. Their ferociously raw and high-energy rock and roll performances explore the hardness and softness of the Shrimpwitch shell with uproarious banter, rock outfits and humour.

Legendary voodoo guitarist Kid Congo Powers – best known for his work with Gun Club, The Cramps, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – played The Croxton in Melbourne on Saturday 12 May 2018, as part of his Australian Tour, following on from two previous tours Down Under that sold out. The 59-year-old Mexican-American was president of the Ramones fan club in 1976, and then formed the Gun Club in Los Angeles a few years later. He left that group before their recording debut, instead taking his fuzz guitar to New York-based band The Cramps in December 1980. Powers rejoined Gun Club in 1983 and toured Australia, returning again in ’85, and ’88, at which point he then joined Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in Berlin for several albums and corresponding tours.

Australian alternative rockers Rocket Science played The Croxton in Melbourne on Saturday 12 May 2018. After forming in Melbourne during 1998, the band went on to release four albums between 2000 and 2008, when they disbanded late in that year. A benefit concert performance in 2014 reignited the band that comprises energetic front-man Roman Tucker on vocals and keyboards (and theramin), Paul Maybury on guitar, Dave Gray on bass, and Kit Warhurst on drums. Rocket Science says they play trashy-psychedelic-garage-punk with new wave, no-wave art-punk enthusiasm.

Tex Perkins needs no introduction to Australian audiences, he is a legend within the Aussie music industry and is revered as one of the country’s rock n’ roll outlaws. It is said his affinity with Johnny Cash started in his earliest band and is an enthusiasm he hasn’t relinquished. After fronting The Cruel Sea, Beasts of Bourbon and touring with Tex, Don and Charlie and The Dark Horses, Tex Perkins has had an incredible and varied music career.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s London Palladium production of the world’s favourite musical The Wizard of Oz had its Australian Premiere in Brisbane in November, then moved to Sydney in January followed by Adelaide, and is currently playing at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne.