Mungabeans
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The Mungabeans were a Brisbane, Australia indie rock band. They formed in 1984 and disbanded in 1993. The band was led by songwriter/drummer/producer Mike McCann aka "Lord Mike" and songwriter/guitarist Paul Grogan.
The "Beans", as their fans called them, were named by original band leader Chris Flynn who left shortly after to form the Headstones. Their musical influences included Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone and the Velvet Underground. At a time when the Brisbane music scene was dominated by such names as the Vampyre Lovers, Screaming Tribesmen, the Ups & Downs and the Headstones, the band were a breath of fresh air with their outlandish clothes and over the top stage show and were soon a major rival to their contemporaries. At an early gig they went head to head with a Nick Cave show on the same night and managed to draw an equivalent crowd. They paved the way for the next wave of Brisbane underground bands such as Who’s Gerald and the Melniks who did not feel the need to take themselves too seriously. All of the Mungabeans records did well in the Australian independent charts.
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[edit] History
After Flynn departed, the lineup stabilised as Mike McCann (drums), former sex shop worker , Paul Grogan (guitar), Guy Mansfield (bass), and Evan Clarry (guitar). They recorded the single "Expensive Taste", designed to be as offensive as possible, fundamentally being a four minute exercise in swearing. On release in 1986 it achieved its aim as it was immediately banned by the only Brisbane independent radio station of the time, 4ZZZ. Despite this it sold more than ten thousand copies in Brisbane and Sydney. The cult status of the band continues to grow.
The interest in Sydney led to the band moving there in 1986 (as had the Headstones, Tribesmen and Ups & Downs). Successful gigs at Selinas, The Trade Union club and the other leading inner city venues with the likes of The Church, The Trilobites and their fellow Brisbane immigrants led to the band producing an album A Much Sweeter Gag, released 1988. The album took its name from a pornographic movie and sold over two thousand copies worldwide through Au Go Go Records.
Like many Australian independent acts of the 1980s, the Mungabeans gained more popularity overseas than in their own backyard. In their case Germany and England took to the band. Unfortunately, the band never toured outside of Australia, and as the Grunge scene of the early 1990s took hold, the band split in 1993.
Grogan and McCann formed World Dog in 1994, recording a CD that was produced by Skyhooks songwriter Greg Macainsh.
McCann and Grogan now produce and release music throughout Asia through their production company and have scored major success, while Clarry is a director who has produced two feature films. Guy Mansfield is now a TV producer, recently completing a documentary about ambulance drivers for SBS.
[edit] Discography
[edit] LPs
- A Much Sweeter Gag (Au Go Go) 1988
[edit] Singles
- Expensive Taste (Sundown) 1986 (Produced by Mike McCann and written by Paul Grogan)
[edit] Compilation Tracks
- "Too Late To Turn Back Now" on Urban Sounds 1994
- "It’s Gone" on Brisbane Overboard 1996
[edit] References
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