CHAINGANG – ‘Get Off My Stage’

So if you were wondering after yesterday where the punk went from Pinky Tuscadero, it went straight into CHAINGANG which features feisty vocalist Hayley and Mike from PT. Taking the lead from the darker spectrum of ’70s punk, CHAINGANG straddle the line between indie and punk, much like their contemporaries Die! Die! Die! and Young and Restless, though they do it with a slight touch of morosity; almost Nick Cave in its darkness.

Live, Pinky Tuscadero soared mainly due to the impressive stage presence of Hayley, and I could probably guess CHAINGANG will have the same response as she’s a formidable figure live. Combine that with the rawness and bite of the boys behind her, and heads will roll and faces will melt when this four piece hits the stage for the first time in February.

http://www.myspace.com/chaingangpower

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Lions At Your Door – ‘LAYD’ (mp3)

In a split worthy of an At The Drive-In comparison, Sydney’s high energy indie punksters Pinky Tuscadero split in 2006. And just like The Mars Volta and Sparta forming out of the ashes of ATD-I, so did two bands from the demise of Pinky Tuscadero – one of them being Lions At Your Door. The other, CHAINGANG, will be featured tomorrow, so check back yo.

Lions At Your Door feature Dave, Kirsten and Dirk from Pinky Tuscadero playing keys, drums and guitar respectively. Lions At Your Door maintains much of the frenetic dance energy that Pinky Tuscadero had but imbue their music with a stronger sense of rock rather than Pinky’s punk roots. It’s easy to see why Lions have snuck their way into Sydney’s music hearts: infectious, in-your-face and living up to their name – the lions are roaring at your door, are you game enough to let them in?

http://www.myspace.com/lionsatyourdoor

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delSanto – ‘The Best Thing’ (mp3)

One more for the black-clad crowd, delSanto are the new incarnate of former Southern Sydney metallers Tripgauge who had a successful run supporting heavy hitters like Cog, Sunk Loto, Switchkicker, Karnivool and Full Scale… not a bad list of names for any band to be sharing the stage with.

But the boys have laid off the blugeonding Sevendust-esque riffs and given way to more melody with this first offering from delSanto, a demo version of their tune ‘The Best Thing’, mixing Butterfly Effect style riffs and anthemic choruses with Matt Bellamy-like vocals. Expect to see them supporting some of the big names in the alternative crowd very soon if they keep up this kind of quality.

But first, you can catch them at their debut show at Caringbah Bizzos in Sydney this Friday January 19.

http://www.myspace.com/delsantoband

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In a song that sounds like Fugazi covering Autechre, Sydney’s [insert gushing superlatives here] Pivot (in dual Pike Bros mode) demonstrate why they’ve become one of Sydney’s must-see bands.

Performing at the amazing new venue Oxford Art Factory, ‘Didn’t I Furious’ offers a glimpse into the band’s forthcoming album, the release date of which – though unannounced – is not soon enough for this self-confessed fanboy.

http://www.myspace.com/pivotpivot

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… good, because I never liked you either Rogue Traders. Bernard Zuel from the Sydney Morning Herald wrote one of the best reviews of 2007 when he labelled Rogue Traders Australia’s worst band during his tirade on their woeful Better In The Dark album.

Both this song and the clip, which seems to be blatantly ripped off from Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ video, are vomit-inducing. Natalie Bassingthwaite doesn’t even show her legs enough in this filmclip for it to be mildly palpable.

http://www.roguetraders.com.au
http://www.myspace.com/roguetraders

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Lakoda – ‘Forget It All’ (mp3)

From the forgotten state of Australia, Tasmania (for our international visitors, that’s the little island at the bottom of Australia… and no, not New Zealand), comes Lakoda. Tassie bands traditionally haven’t featured much on the musical landscape because, to put it bluntly, they’re fucked geographically. Whereas bands on the main part of our continent can travel easily (albeit far distances) to different states to reach new crowds, Tassie bands have to travel over water, which means you have to have lots of cash! This isolation means word of your band doesn’t travel much further than the pub down the road.

So I was surprised to find out that Lakoda’s 2005 debut EP – from which ‘Forget It All’ comes from – was recorded at the now defunct (which is a tragedy for the Australian music scene) Modern Music Studios in Brisbane. This band reminds me a lot of current Queensland darlings Nina May with their female vocals, anthemic hooks and love of pop punk and progressive rock sounds. Sadly for Lakoda, that kind of competition is very much a David vs Goliath musical battle, but Lakoda have elements in their music which show a lot of potential. We’ll see what they’ve been cooking up for the last two years when they unveil some new material in the first quarter of ’08.

It’s just a shame for them that they’re stuck in Tasmania.

http://www.myspace.com/lakodaspace

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Talons – ‘Squid’

Sydney-based record label Chatterbox Records has become a domicile for the East Coast of Australia’s burgeoning new-wave punk scene. Chatterbox plays home to noisy bands such as Further, The Hard-Ons, Laura Imbruglia (of the same ilk as Natalie) and Regular John to name but a few. It’s a sign of the growing popularity of what some have been known to label as “dance punk” – punk you can dance to, obviously – and bands such as Young and Restless and former Mess+Noise cover boys Ohama have been its kingpins.

Talons slot in nicely with their punky brethren: Monotone shouted vocals, dirty bass that’s high in the mix, thumping four to the floor drums, topped off with an infectious, top-tapping energy. Ducats is their recently released EP and ‘Squid’ is the standout track which captures what these guys are all about.

http://www.myspace.com/talonsband

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