Essential listening for any true punk fan.
Since the establishment of punk rock as a defined musical style in the mid-‘70s, Australia has had no shortage of world-class bands in a sound more typically dominated by the UK and the US.
With the explosion of punk-rock and alternative music into the mainstream in the ‘90s, the Australian scene remained strong with old bands continuing their craft as strong as ever, and newcomers bringing fresh blood into the scene. Here are the five best records of that era that define the shape and path of Australian punk-rock in a crucial time of its development and popularity.
Hard-Ons – Yummy (1990)
One of the longest-running and continuously evolving punk bands in Australia, Sydney’s Hard-Ons have explored everything from pop-punk to death metal and everything in between. Already established as front-runners of Australian punk in the ‘80s with seminal albums like Dickcheese and Love Is A Battlefield of Wounded Hearts, 1990’s Yummy saw the band consolidate their sound into a full length of hook-filled pop-punk. While the band never quite crossed over into the commercial success of later bands like Bodyjar or Frenzal Rhomb, their underground following remains strong in Australia and around the world.
Frenzal Rhomb – Meet The Family (1997)
With several singles and the excellent debut full length of 1996’s Not So Tough Now, Sydney’s Frenzal Rhomb brought their signature sound and style all together on 1997’s Meet The Family. Combining pop and skate punk with a heavy Meanies influence and sharp wit and humour, Frenzal marked themselves as one of the defining punk bands of the Howard years. Filled with fan favourites and setlist staples, Meet The Family still sounds fresh after over 20 years since its release.
Cosmic Psychos – Blokes You Can Trust (1991)
Representing a side of Australian punk-rock that is arguably more popular now than the prevailing skate-punk sound of the ‘90s, the stripped back, beer soaked, straight-to-the-point pub punk created a uniquely Australian style. Taking influence primarily from the band members’ rural farming background and pub culture, their sound has come full circle with almost every current Melbourne punk band taking cues from the Psychos’ style, sound and image.
Powder Monkeys – Smashed on a Knee (1993)
If there was one band that summed up the dark and dangerous side of the Australian pub punk scene, it would no doubt be Melbourne’s Powder Monkeys. Dirty, raw and loose, Australia has produced few other truly dangerous rock ‘n’ roll bands of this calibre. Unfortunately ended by frontman Tim Hemensley’s death from a heroin overdose in 2001, the band are rightfully remembered as Melbourne legends.
TISM – Machiavelli and the Four Seasons (1996)
While the musical style of TISM may not be punk in the conventional guitar/bass/drums sense, the band’s lyrics and antagonistic attitude towards all things corporate and traditional in the music world is arguably leagues ahead of any of their contemporaries. While the band had been a cult favourite for years before, Machiavelli launched them into much larger Triple j backed spotlight, cementing them as an iconic Australian band.
