New Christs

The New Christs are an Australian rock and roll band, led by Rob Younger, with various lineups through the 80s, 90s, noughties. Younger was the singer in the influential Australian band Radio Birdman, and too of New Race, Bad Music, The Other Side and Deep Reduction.

The current line-up (almost unchanged since 2006) has released a new LP, Incantations in June 2014.

1980–1981

The first incarnation of New Christs was formed in 1980. This line up never performed live but they did release one highly collectable single, "Waiting World" / "Face a New God" in 1981.^[1]

• Rob Younger – vocals
• Clyde Bramley (The Hoodoo Gurus) – bass
• Bruce "Cub" Calloway (The Saints)- guitar
• John Hoey – keyboards
• Don Mc Glone – drums
• Ken Doyle – drums (appeared on the single)

1983–1984

A new line up of New Christs formed in 1983 to support an Australian tour by Iggy Pop. Younger decided to keep the band going and they recorded two more singles before breaking up in 1984.^[1]

• Rob Younger – vocals
• Chris Masuak (The Hitmen, Radio Birdman) – guitar
• Mark Kingsmill (The Hitmen, The Hoodoo Gurus) – drums
• Tony Robertson (The Hitmen) – bass
• Kent Steedman (The Celibate Rifles) – guitar
• Richard Jakimyszyn (Lime Spiders, The Hitmen, Molten Universe) – guitar (replaced Steedman)

1987–1990, 1991

The next line up formed in 1987. This line up released an album in 89, Distemper, which reached #1 on the Australian Alternative Charts and toured Australia and twice Europe (1988, 1989). They broke up in February 1990 but reformed in 1991 to support a Ramones gig in Sydney.^[1]

• Rob Younger – vocals
• Charlie Owen – guitar
• Jim Dickson (Railroad Gin, The Survivors, The Barracudas, The Passengers, Deniz Tek Group, Radio Birdman) – bass
• Louis Burdett – drums
• Nick Fisher – drums

1992–2001

The next version of New Christs formed in 1992. This lineup went through many line up changes and temporarily put on hold in 1996 while Younger toured with the reformed Radio Birdman. They toured Australia and Europe.^[1]

• Rob Younger – vocals
• Bill Gibson (Hellmenn, The Eastern Dark, Pyramidiacs, Loose Pills) – guitar
• Christian Houllemare (The Someloves, Happy Hate Me Nots) – bass
• Stevie Plunder (Plunderers, Whitlams) – guitar
• Peter Kelly (Flies, Vanilla Chainsaws, No Man's Land) – drums
• Tony Harper (Voodoo Lust) – guitar (replaced Plunder)
• Mark Wilkinson (Lime Spiders) – guitar (replaced Gibson)
• Al Creed – guitar (replaced Harper)
• Nik Reith (Celibate Rifles, Tumbleweed) – drums (replaced Kelly)
• Stu Wilson – drums (replaced Reith)

2006-

A new version of New Christs formed in 2006 and toured Europe several times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013).^[2] A new LP Gloria was released in May 2009. That same year, The New Christs played at the Azkena Rock Festival, the most prestigious festival in Spain and one of the most important in Europe.

The same line-up, except for Stu Wilson, who has been replaced by Paul Larsen (also with The Celibate Rifles) some time in 2013, released a new LP Incantations in June 2014.

• Rob Younger – vocals
• Jim Dickson – bass
• Dave Kettley (Supa Mojo, The Steaming Jeans, Shifter) – guitar
• Brent Williams – guitar, keyboards
• Stu Wilson – drums
• Paul Larsen (aka Paul Loughhead) (The Celibate Rifles) – drums (replaced Wilson)

Discography

Albums

• Distemper (1989) – Citadel
• Lower Yourself (1997) – Citadel
• We Got This! (2002) – Laughing Outlaw
• Gloria (2009) – Impedance
• Incantations (2014) – Impedance

Extended plays

• Pedestal (1994) – Lance Rock
• Woe Betide (1995) – Lance Rock

Live albums

• Live 2011 (2011) – Self-released. Recorded live at the Excelsior Hotel, Sydney, Australia, 7 May 2011.
• Live (2014) – Pitshark

Compilations

• Detritus (1987) – What Goes On
• Divine Rites (1988) – Citadel
• Born Out Of Time (1995) – Lance Rock
• These Rags (2002) – Citadel

Singles

• "Waiting World" / "Face a New God" (1981) – Green
• "Like A Curse" / "Sun God" (1984) – Citadel
• "Born Out Of Time" / "No Next Time" (1986) – Citadel
• "The Black Hole" / "Addiction" (1987) – Citadel
• "Dropping Like Flies" / "Dead Girl" / "I Swear" / "You'll Never Catch My Wave" (1987) – Citadel
• "Headin' South" / "I Saw God" (1988) – Citadel
• "Another Sin" / "The Burning of Rome" (1989) – Citadel
• "I Swear (live)" / "The Black Hole" (live) (1989) – Romilar-D
• "Groovy Times" / "On Top Of Me" (2001) – Munster
• "Bonsoir à Vous" / "Animalisation" (2009) – Pitshark
• "The Ledge" / "Meanwhile" (2011) – Pitshark

References

External links

• Divine Rites
• The return of The New Christs in 2006 at I-94 Bar
• Reviews of The New Christs albums at I-94 Bar
• Death of Mark Wilkinson at The Music
• Death of Christian Houllemare at National Film & Sound Archive
• Death of Christian Houllemare at I-94 Bar
• Review of the single Groovy Times at Pop On Top