Punk rock in Australia

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Main articles: Australian rock and Punk rock

Australian musicians played and recorded some of the earliest punk rock. Perhaps the most notable example were The Saints, who released their first single in 1976. Bands playing sub-genres or offshoots of punk music, such as local hardcore acts, still have a strong cult following throughout Australia.

[edit] Proto-punk, 1974-76

Kid Galahad & the Eternals — the earliest incarnation of The Saints — were formed by Ed Kuepper (guitar) and Chris Bailey (vocals) in Brisbane, Queensland in 1973. They shared a background in immigrant families (Kuepper's German and Bailey's Irish), and an admiration for high energy 1950s and '60s music, such as the Detroit rock of The Stooges and The MC5. Queensland at the time was controlled by the conservative, authoritarian Country Party regime of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen — an environment with plenty of inspiration for creative and alienated young people. The result was a frenetic, pulsating sound, topped with Bailey's sardonic lyrics. Unable to get regular gigs, they played at a house in inner city Petrie Terrace, where they soon attracted unwanted attention. Police arrested fans for trivial offences, often in a brutal fashion, but their approach only created more interest in the punk scene. The Saints gigs' got bigger and their fans started to form bands, both punk and dissimilar in sound.

During 1974, Radio Birdman began to form in Sydney, led by another immigrant, a Detroit-born and bred medical student named Deniz Tek. They too shared an interest in The Stooges and MC5, albeit with a result arguably more akin to hard rock than punk. Their dynamic live shows soon gained a fanatical following at inner city venues.

Many art rock bands, like Melbourne's Boys Next Door, formed by Nick Cave and Mick Harvey at their school in 1974, later attended gigs by The Saints and Radio Birdman, and would adopt elements of their sounds. However, the Boys Next Door (later renamed The Birthday Party) are usually regarded as post-punk, rather than punk.

In Perth — a geographically-isolated city with social and political similarities to Brisbane — young musicians like Kim Salmon, Dave Faulkner and James Baker were heavily influenced by New York proto-punk figures like Lou Reed and the New York Dolls. Salmon led the Cheap Nasties, and then The Scientists, before embarking on a solo career (and is regarded as a pioneer of grunge). Baker was in a short-lived act called The Geeks, before forming The Victims with Faulkner in 1977. They recorded an acclaimed single, "Television Addict", before breaking up. Baker later joined The Scientists. (He and Faulkner later founded a highly successful retro rock act, the Hoodoo Gurus.)

In 1976, The Saints recorded and distributed copies of their single "(I'm) Stranded". In the UK, Sounds magazine was sent a copy, and declared it: "single of this and every week". The band was signed to a three-album contract with EMI. Later the same year they recorded their first LP, which was also called (I'm) Stranded. Hampered by poor production and the indifference of radio stations, the LP failed commercially. Radio Birdman released an EP ("Burn My Eye") and album (Radios Appear) with better production values, but similar sales.

After the British punk scene took off in 1977, both The Saints and Radio Birdman moved to the UK. This proved to be disastrous for both bands. Neither of them fit in with, or were inclined to adjust to, the fashion aspects of the London scene at the time. Radio Birdman were dumped when their record company got into financial difficulty, and soon broke up. Later recordings saw The Saints adopt tinges of soul and jazz, although their most successful single, "This Perfect Day" — which reached number 34 in the UK pop charts — was typical of the band's musical style. After another acclaimed single, "Know Your Product", and second and third albums failed to make an impression, EMI dropped The Saints. Kuepper left in 1979 and Bailey beagn to pursue a more mainstream musical direction.

[edit] Post-punk and hardcore

Main article: Australian hardcore

Following the punk movement several influential bands of this so-called post-punk era were The Birthday Party led by the Nick Cave formed in 1978 and disbanded in 1984 and a new band formed that same year by Nick Cave and Mick Harvey, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Punk rock around the world
Argentine punk- Australian punk - Belgian Punk - Brazilian punk - British punk - Celtic punk - German punk - Greek punk - Japanese punk - Malay punk - Scandinavian hardcore