Meet Special Guest, a post-punk band born from destiny, coincidence and a fender bender.
Let’s start with a disclaimer: we’re unable to verify pretty much any of this story, apart from a few grainy photos that look like they were taken on a Nokia.
We suspect there’s quite a bit of imagination at play here, but, let’s be real—how many rock stories are a cocktail of drugged-up hallucinations and record-flogging egotrips? Exactly. So please read this as you would a story from Moby, Kanye or Johnny Rotten: fuck it… this one’s too fun to ignore.
If you’re deep into the Melbourne post-punk scene, then you’ve likely heard the name Special Guest. The band may have madne its debut just a few weeks ago, but their origin story stretches far beyond the realm of an ordinary musical collaboration. In fact, it’s an almost surreal tale filled with pilgrimages, chance encounters, and even a fender bender.
Special Guest at LIVLOUD
- Sargent Baker | Dental Plan | Special Guest | Winksy + Aus Music Trivia Segment
- Barwon Club Hotel (South Geelong, Vic)
- Sunday, 17 November 2024 3:00 Pm
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It all started with Benny, the band’s lead vocalist, who embarked on a literal journey of self-discovery. Summiting the three peaks of the Everest region—Mera Peak, Island Peak, and Lobuche Peak—this was no simple holiday. Benny’s trip to the Himalayas was a physical and spiritual test. But as fate would have it, the real adventure didn’t start until he arrived in Kathmandu, just two days before his flight back to Australia.
Benny found himself in a bit of a bind, short on cash and unable to afford any of the available hostels. But instead of sulking, he decided to seek refuge at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery. Little did he know, that decision would lead to the formation of a band that would shake up Melbourne’s underground music scene.
At the monastery, Benny crossed paths with Joss, who had been living there for some time, aspiring to become a monastic. They were soon joined by Milo, a traveller with a very different story. Milo had wandered to the monastery not for spiritual reasons but because of a peculiar set of coordinates. That’s right—a psychic medium from Albury/Wodonga had handed Milo a piece of paper with specific longitude and latitude points, and Milo, ever the adventurer, followed them all the way to the monastery. Naturally.
Despite these vastly different paths, the three connected over their shared love for music and post-punk, sparking the idea of starting a band together. It wasn’t long before the dream was solidified, and they agreed to reunite in Australia in a couple of months to make that dream a reality.
Joss’ Fender Bender and the lucky wrong number
Fast forward to Australia. Joss, trying to reacclimate to city life after their time at the monastery, found themselves in a minor car accident. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it left Joss rattled. In their post-accident haze, they wrote down the wrong phone number for the other party involved.
That’s when fate intervened again.
When Joss tried to call the number to sort out insurance details, they ended up dialing a complete stranger—Jett. What started as a mundane misdial quickly turned into an hours-long conversation about life, art, and philosophy. And, as if guided by destiny, it turned out that Jett lived just 45 minutes away from Joss. Not long after, Jett joined Special Guest, adding yet another serendipitous layer to the band’s story.
The cassette tape that found their drummer
But the band wasn’t complete just yet—they needed a drummer. Instead of going the conventional route of posting ads or asking around, the crew decided to leave things up to chance (because why not, at this point?). They recorded a few demos and left a cassette tape out on the streets of Coburg with a note that read: “NEEDING DRUMMER. IF IT’S YOU, CALL THIS NUMBER. IF NOT, LEAVE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE.”
No one knows how many hands the cassette passed through, but eventually, it found its way back to Albury/Wodonga (coincidence? Psychic intervention? We’ll never know). That’s where Tom, who was hitchhiking from Kathmandu to Geelong, stumbled upon it. Intrigued by the music, he called the number, and just like that, Special Guest found its drummer.
Post-punk with purpose
The story of Special Guest is just as post-punk as their music—unexpected, raw, and a little chaotic. The band made their debut alongside Bench Press, Screensaver, and The Maggie Pills at Bench Press’ Australian album tour. On the same day, they also released a live studio recording and video of two songs, Habit Addict and Atomizer, which are now streaming on YouTube.
If their music is even half as wild as their backstory, it’s clear Special Guest is not your run-of-the-mill post-punk band. From psychic mediums to fender benders and spiritual pilgrimages, they’ve already set themselves apart from the pack, both musically and in terms of sheer unpredictability.
If this story isn’t enough to make you want to take a punt on tickets to see them at the Barwon Club, then you’re no reader of ours!
