Rocks 1977-1978
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ROCKS line-up 1977
Bill Posters - Lead Vocals/Drums
Peter Davie - Guitar/Vocals
Steve Vanderschoot - Bass/Vocals
ROCKS line-up 1978
Bill Posters - Lead Vocals
Peter Davie - Guitar/Vocals
Steve Vanderdchoot - Bass/Vocals
Greg Morris - Drums/Vocals
Hailing from the Sutherland Shire in Sydney’s southern suburbs, Rocks first began in the early seventies with Bill Webb aka Posters, Peter Davie and Steve Vanderschoot. Bill and Pete were school friends and also neighbours who would sit around with guitars and play the easy bits of various songs from their favourite bands of the day. A chance meeting with Steve who coincidentally lived in the same street as Bill resulted in them deciding to form a band after Steve offered to play bass, now with the three of them playing the easy bits of various songs from their favourite bands of the day.
The line-up consisted of Bill and Pete on guitar and Steve on bass. Unable to find anyone else to fill the position Bill eventually took over lead vocals and drums.
After mastering the intros and endings of a handful of songs by the likes of Status Quo and Slade, it became apparent that they wouldn’t be sharing the stage with Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath any time in the future. Their career as a band of any sort seemed doubtful to say the least. This soon changed when they heard The Ramones’ first album and like so many other kids around the world who heard it they were inspired to carry on doing what they could with what they had.
Pretty soon they became totally immersed in Punk music which made no demands of musical perfection and they could play on regardless of any technical shortcomings. The Punk scene in Sydney was small and venues non existent, with the exception of one pub on Sydney’s Broadway, called the Grand Hotel, which became the focal point of Sydney Punk Rock.
At this time there was a Sydney band called Johnny Dole & The Scabs who were being touted as Australia’s Sex Pistols. The Scabs’ drummer Greg Morris was a high school friend of Bill’s and during their school days Bill and Greg often got together at Greg’s and played the easy bits of various songs etc. The Scabs were booking the bands at the Grand Hotel and Greg rightfully suspected that Bill would be into Punk music and one day tracked him and Pete and Steve down at their rehearsal hall.
Greg offered the guys, who by now were calling themselves Rocks a gig at the Grand Hotel and Rocks played their first gig (if you don’t count an earlier performance at a pinball parlour) on the 12th November 1977. They played a number of times at the Grand Hotel and also at a few other places like Blondies at Bondi Junction and The Last Resort at Darlinghurst, two venues which were beginning to open their doors to Punk bands.
Eventually Greg was kicked out of the Scabs and joined Rocks, playing his first gig with them ironically as a support for the Scabs. The new four piece Rocks now consisted of Bill on vocals, Pete on guitar, Steve on bass and Greg on drums. This line-up was unannounced and went down a storm, which did not sit well with the Scabs’ manager who made his feelings known to Greg rather forcefully.
Prior to this Rocks had acquired a manager named Laurie Brown who had booked some studio time for the guys to do their first record. Greg’s joining couldn’t have been timed better. In May 1978 Rocks released their debut six track EP entitled You’r So Boring which stands today as one of the first Punk records to come out of Australia from that period and is highly sought after by collectors.
Due to internal problems Rocks disbanded a few months after the record’s release.
YOU'R SO BORING - ROCKS
Six track EP Released May 1978 2 runs of 500 produced.
Recorded at Axcent Recording Studios Kogarah NSW
Engineered by Ross McGregor
Produced and mixed by Rocks.
SIDE ONE:
1. You'r So Boring (Posters)
2. Damn You (Vanderschoot)
3. Chaos (Posters)
SIDE TWO:
1. Kick Her Out (Posters)
2. Too Bad (Vanderschoot)
3. Hangin' On (Vanderschoot)
VENUES PLAYED
Blondies - Bondi Junction
The Grand Hotel - Broadway
The Last Resort - Taylor Square
The Paris Theatre - Museum
Categories: Punk rock in Australia
