THE RETURN OF TURBONEGRO!

Norwegian death-punks Turbonegro return to Australia this December appearing at the Meredith Music Festival and for headline appearances in Sydney and Melbourne. It is the band’s second visit to Australia and their first since 2003.

Turbonegro hit the high water mark in 1998 with the release of their fifth album, Apocalypse Dudes, an intoxicating mixture of glam, punk and US hardcore garnished with a healthy sense of the absurd and ribald and / or tongue in (ass) cheek humour.

“Apocalypse Dudes is the perfect mix of classic 70’s US punk / rock’n’roll like The Dictators, The Heartbreakers & The Ramones… every tune on this release is fucking brilliant”.- Moshable

Despite the relative success of that album, and following two sold-out European tours in the same year, Turbonegro announced that they were breaking-up and collectively and individually withdrew from the music industry.

In their absence a sizeable cult following developed with fanclub chapters, dubbed Turbojugend (Turbo Youth), springing up around the world – Sydney included. A tribute album, Alpha Motherfuckers, was also released and featured performances by Queens Of The Stone Age, Nashville Pussy and Therapy? amongst others.

In 2002, Turbonegro responded positively to a request to reform for a Norwegian Festival and in 2003 announced their intention to continue by releasing their sixth studio album, Scandinavian Leather, and touring Australia with fellow deathpunks, Hard-Ons, for the first time.

Another album, Party Animals (co-produced with Steve McDonald, bassist with L.A. glam-punks, Redd Kross) followed In 2005 and featured arguably the band’s best known track, the anthemic All My Friends Are Dead.

In 2010, Turbonegro were again forced into semi-retirement following the departure of long serving (and long troubled) singer Hank Von Helvete. Determined not to let this setback derail them, Turbonegro quickly announced the signing of Tony Sylvester (formerly of London based hardcore band The Lords Of Nothing) on vocals, alongside new drummer Tommy ‘Manboy’ Akerholdt, debuting the new line-up in July of 2011.

“The Duke of Nothing, owned his new job and killed it… it was a monumental set from the newly reformed band and a big bold statement that “WE ARE BACK!” To be completely honest, I’ve never heard Turbo sound better.” – Volcom

In 2012, their trajectory ever on the up… Turbonegro released their ninth album, Sexual Harassment to a universally ecstatic response.

“Sexual Harassment is an ass-kicking, face-punching, booty-shaking slice of rock ‘n’ roll on par with the group’s best efforts. Even with a new vocalist out front, this is very much a Turbonegro record, and it’s hard to imagine any fan of the band not loving Sexual Harassment.” punknews.org

With long standing members Happy Tom, Euroboy and Rune Rebellion also on board, Turbonegro are excited to announce their first visit to Australian soil since 2003.

“Most rock ‘n’ roll bands start as a riot but end up as a parody. We started up as a parody but ended up as a revolution.”- Happy Tom

Don’t miss the ONLY AUSTRALIAN SHOWS for Turbonegro this time around (extra curricular activity denying anything further).

As the lead singer / songwriter for Paisley Underground-era act The Dream Syndicate, Steve Wynn penned one of the great albums, not just of his or their generation, but of all time. Days of Wine and Roses, featuring the undisputed classics Tell Me When It’s Over and That’s What You Always Say sits nicely alongside Neil Young’s ‘After the Goldrush’ or the ‘Velvet Underground & Nico’ album as a definitive piece of noir-rock. Proving they were no one-underground-hit-wonder, The Dream Syndicate followed that masterpiece with another in The Medicine Show, then a live album and further studio works before calling it a day in 1990. Since then Wynn has appeared as a solo act or as the frontman for The Miracle Three and The Baseball Project (the latter featuring R.E.M’s Peter Buck) and returns to Australia for the first time since 1986 appearing in duo-mode with his wife and drummer Linda Pitmon. It is our pleasure to welcome Steve Wynn back to our shores.

Tuesday 24th April: Sydney, Sandringam Hotel
Tickets $36.00 + bf on-sale now from feelpresents.oztix.com.au, www.moshtix.com.au, all Oztix & Moshtix outlets or phone 1300 GET TIX.

Friday 27th April: Melbourne, Yah Yahs
Tickets $36.00 + bf on-sale now from feelpresents.oztix.com.au, all Oztix outlets or phone 1300 762 545

THE FLESHTONES – SUPER ROCK!

The Fleshtones: they’re one of my all-time favourite bands. I’ve seen these guys perform more than I have any other artist ever! – Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus)

Formed in 1976 in Queens, New York by vocalist Peter Zaremba and guitarist Keith Streng, The Fleshtones combine fuzzed guitar and Farfisa organ with 50s rockabilly and 60s R&B into a potent retro stew they called “Super Rock”. Contemporaries of Suicide and the Cramps on the late-70s NY scene, the group became a huge influence on early ‘80s garage-rock revivalists Dream Syndicate, Plimsouls, Hoodoo Gurus etc.

“I first saw The Fleshtones in NYC in 1979. That night they gave me an object lesson in how to deliver high-energy, soulful rock ‘n’ roll. I’ve seen them dozens of times since then all over the world and sometimes I’ve even had the privilege of joining them onstage for a few songs. In all those times I’ve never seen a bad show. The Fleshtones play music as if their lives depended on it – and they’re still showing the rest of the world how it’s done”. –  Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus)

Early Fleshtones albums like Roman Gods and Hexbreaker are classics of their genre but the band have delivered in excess of 15 studio albums and countless compilations all packed full of garage-rock, or Super Rock goodies, resulting in one super energy-charged show.

“I’m always thrilled, but a little bit scared, to play alongside The Fleshtones: scared because they’re quite capable of blowing us offstage, they just take no prisoners when it comes to their live shows.” – Brad Shepherd (Hoodoo Gurus)

Last here in 1993, The Fleshtones have been confirmed to return appearing at the behest of the Hoodoo Gurus for Dig It Up! and now Feel Presents are pleased to announce two headline shows for these ‘Super Rock’ pioneers.

Tuesday 24th April: Sydney, Sandringam Hotel
Tickets $36.00 + bf on-sale now from feelpresents.oztix.com.au, www.moshtix.com.au, all Oztix & Moshtix outlets or phone 1300 GET TIX.

Friday 27th April: Melbourne, Yah Yahs
Tickets $36.00 + bf on-sale now from feelpresents.oztix.com.au, all Oztix outlets or phone 1300 762 545

You Tube: Shadowline

And joining The Fleshtones on both shows will be former Dream Syndicate front-person and another invitee of the Hoodoo Gurus on Dig it Up! Steve Wynn. Mr.Wynn, of course, is responsible for two of the Paisley Underground-era highlights in the Dream Syndicate albums, Days of Wine and Roses and The Medicine Show. In more recent times he has headed up The Baseball Project which also includes R.E.M’s Peter Buck.

You Tube: Tell Me When it’s Over

Don’t miss this exceptional line-up: The Fleshtones and Steve Wynn, intimate and exclusive. Tickets for both shows on-sale now!

REDD KROSS PLAY BORN INNOCENT AND THE POSH BOY EP.

Californian deities Redd Kross will perform their genre-defying classics Born Innocent and the Posh Boy ep as side shows to the inaugural Dig It Up! series of events this month.

Released in 1980 and featuring teenage brothers Steve (12) and Jeff (16) McDonald alongside future Black Flag singer Ron Reyes (on drums) and future Circle Jerks and Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson, the Red Cross or Posh Boy ep as it has become known is more snot-nosed punk than the hardcore their credentials might suggest, indebted to the sounds of late seventies New York and L.A with their own teenage mentality thrown in. Song titles like I Hate My School, Clorox Girls and Standing in Front of Poseur both showed and belied their age and at little more than six and half minutes, Red Cross was an audacious debut suggesting great things to follow.

Born Innocent took the formula further (though not much) and upped the obnoxious quota with a cover of Charles Manson’s Cease to Exist and their own Kill Someone You Hate alongside trash obsessed nuggets in Linda Blair and Look On Up at the Bottom (the latter a cover from the low-budget movie Beyond the Valley of the Dolls) paving the way for future Redd Kross releases and in the process cementing their identity in the canyon of rock ‘n’ roll visionaries.

Having already been performed in the USA as part of the ATP Don’t Look Back series, Feel and Dig It Up! are more than chuffed to present one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most iconic and identifiable bands in their first Australian visit since 1993. Ladies and Gentleman, Redd Kross!

Tickets on-sale now!

REDD KROSS PERFORM BORN INNOCENT AND THE POSH BOY EP & MORE.

Tuesday 24th April: Sydney, Oxford Arts Factory + Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys and Bloods.
Friday 27th April: Melbourne, Northcote Social Club + Iowa

Hear the entire Red Cross ep here