Whenever we turn off the Western Highway toward Ballarat, my wife’s reaction is the same. The memories of teenage years lost to white bread rural culture, drunken nocturnal pursuits and country boys doing circle work in vacant paddocks come flooding back; this, to a lapsed resident, is Ballarat.
But there’s always been more to Ballarat than cursory observation would suggest. From the same Neanderthal beginnings as the great rock ‘n’ roll bands of yore, The Yard Apes have evolved into a garage rock band capable of standing on its own two feet. The band’s debut record, Devil’s Road, is a smattering of hokey grits’n’redneck rock’n’roll (Goin’ South), razor sharp Duane Eddy-Mexicana licks (Chain Gang Blues) and amphetamine-charged dirt road speedway rock (Man Overboard).
On the heavy side of the lumber yard, The Yard Apes offer up the stripped back wood panelled beauty (Beg) and slurred surf styling ( Misery); yet whenever the prevailing mood threatens to subside into a slumber, there’s always a psychotic journey into the troglodyte garage ether (Monkey Brains) or the self-referential shrieking good ol’ boy rock sensibility of Yard Ape Stomp. Add to that the swamp-happy Down By The Lake and you’ve got yourself a record that’s oozing quality in a way only the devil’s music can. Even Peter Lalor would be happy.
Key Track: Monkey Brains .
In A Word: Redemption.
If You Like This, You’ll Like: Mother And Son .
