Rock. Punk. Caberet. 

All of the above? None of the above?

Who really knows? But whatever the classification is, DISGRACELand are definitely one overdosed, in-your-face slab of entertainment plus.

Predominantly a northern beaches band, with a legacy that incudes Mergatroid, Sludge Buzzard and Orange County, they mix garage and madness to produce a unique slab of visual and aural insanity.

Frontman Carl is a certified lunatic, and like some evangelistic street preacher, he winds his way through the beer garden and doesn’t give a shit about anything in his way. 

Tables, chairs, umbrellas, crowd…it matters not. The poor old picnic table hasn’t been the same since he straddled its top.

With some nice musical nods, including The Only Ones’ Another Girl, Another Planet, The Cramps. And The Damned… all slotting nicely into the jagged dual guitar driven onslaught…this is one powerhouse debut for these ears.

Two sets. One almighty bludgeon!

Ten track CD out real soon.

Mark Fraser- redbackrock.com

Second time at the Link for The Tryouts. A two piece that dishes up simple, subtle, gentle, raw pop in the most affable of ways. 

A cooler than cool rendition of The Dandy Warhols’ Bohemian Like You… and more than a nod to the pop essences of yesteryear.

Guitar and drums. A nowhere to hide honesty.

And a little bit of trivia, drummer Chelsea’s dad was a former stick man with 80s mod poppers, The Introverts.

Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes are unique in that they so effortlessly blend indie rock, alt country and ragged dusty pop to create their own jangly, roadside flavour.

Fringe country with more than a tad of pop sensibility.

Tonight we cop all the DF classics, such as The Truth Got in The Way, the cruisy pop genius that is There Goes The Neighbourhood, and the catchy as all hell, Part Time.

The Saints’ Just Like Fire Would may have only had the one run through with their new drummer, but comes off sounding pretty damn fine on this Friday evening in the Woy.

A rusty but cool tail ender, ahead of the rollicking, drunken throes of The Girl in the Upstairs Apartment.

And if you haven’t yet got a copy of the awesome Dave Favours & The Roadside Ashes album-Not Your Average Country Band, do yourself the proverbial. It’s out now on Stanley Records.

Mark Fraser- redbackrock.com

Newcastle’s The Not Nots blend pop and garage guitar so beautifully. 

A snap-tight three piece that are engaging from the word go.

“I can tell you’re talking shit cos your mouth is movin’. Just gold.

Catchy 2-3 minute pop punk nuggets that just keep on keeping on. 

A slab of The Jam’s Pretty Green comes off sounding more than ok. Too short a set.

The Not Not’s self titled EP is out now and available at the Link and Pin record bar. 

Haven’t seen Lion Island for over a year.

Local boys that deliver that perfect Replacement-esque jangle pop in its own irreverently snarled way. 

I Had Your Mumma in the Back of my Hummer...perfect. 

A song about Val Kilmer called... wait for it..I Hate Val Kilmer. Haha. Funny fucks.

I love melody-riddled serrated pop and Lion Island do it so popnificently well. 

Joanie’s on Crak...beautifully barbed slow burner that has ‘hit’ written all over its ragged, wretched hide. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is still a very strong Westerberg influence in the Lion Island sound.

And what’s not to love about that? 

I Saw The Clash in the Supermarket...vox getting a tad more gravelly...homage plus.  Even a touch of Sonic Youth. 

Beautifully bedraggled... and so much fun!

Nothing short of awesome. Yep I’m a fan!

Check em out at bandcamp. https://lion-island.bandcamp.com

Mark Fraser - redbackrock.com

Fricken PA decides to shit itself second song into Drugs In Sport’s set. Ma from Guns soon has it sorted, and we’re back on track.

Beautiful pop sensibilities are what Drugs In Sport are all about. 

Catchy riffs... perfect pop throes...pure bliss!

Straight from opening up the Thrashville festival up Hunter way, DIS are suitably  primed.

With ex Muzzy Pep honcho Errol up front, it’s an instantly addictive sound that fills the inside aisles of Link and Pin tonight.

Serious cosmic shit!

And despite the earlier  sound adversities, they punch out one infectious, slickly polished set. 

True professionals and roud ppurveyors of that perfect, guitar jangled pop sound.

Owen Guns...a total rumble in the jungle.

The killer ratatat of Cheeto Hitler...rapido punkestry plus.

Beautiful irreverence wrapped snuggly in a cloak of ‘don’t give a fuck-itis’...

Sean’s forever menacing presence.

Brutal sounds that just keep erupting in their own angry way. 

Political stabs that know no boundaries... cos that’s how  it should be..

Fuck cyclists. Fuck stoopid people. Fuck oppression.

“Shut the fuck up...”

Attitude plus, with the balls and the beats to back it up!

Owen Guns new single Sick is out now on all digital platforms.

Mark Fraser-redbackrock.com 

The Grounds kick off tonight with an aural assault that hits you right smack in the face and doesn’t let up for a second.

Raw, guttural vox...guitars that burn into the early night and a drilling sound that’s as chunky as a fresh bowl of PAL.

Some nice dynamics with some slick lead breaks keep it interesting. 

Another great Newie export.

I Hate People. Just wow!

They don't give a shit... love to offend, and pack it up beautifully in the most brutal kickarse triple punch this week!

Fuck religion. Fuck Government. Fuck people.

Rebel Yell! WTF? Suitably savaged.

And with a final kicker in Monty Python’s Always Look on The Bright Side of Life.. you know there’s some serious tongue-in -cheek in there amongst the vitriol.

Fuck, what a band. Beautifully inappropriate!

Mark Fraser-redbackrock.com

From kick-butt solid rock lords through to moody rock stalwarts... that’s what you get from central coast’s own Sand Viper. 

Self confessed stoner rockers, their sound is slicker than Elvis’s quiff and rock solid to boot.

Airing their debut EP, we cop the beautifully mental Insane Love...the intense airs of Think About it...and the garage cranker that is I Want It.

Fox's dark emphatic vox, that solid rock backbeat...suiting the beer garden crowd perfectly, SV are as tight as the proverbial, and kickarse from the word go.

And man, can Andi hammer those skins!

Tshitaki. Words are not enough.

Guttural raw power in every sense.

Their Northern Beaches, three way sheer carnage, drills into you like you won’t believe.

Faaark what a mighty beast!

The only other Oz bands that have come close to such intensity, would be Nunchukka Superfly amd the mighty Mark of Cain.

Tshitaki sit proudly on that same echelon.

Just wow! Mind blown! 

Their equally killer album- World Keeps Turning - is out now.

Mark Fraser- redbackrock.com

38 degrees and not a breath of wind. Tinnies on ice. Burgers in abundance and a full house in the Gabba Gabba Hey beer garden.

If it’s loud gnarly fun you’re after, then the mighty Froth Dogs are the perfect kick-start to today’s Oz Day lineup.

Heaps of fun. 

Froth Dogs sport a three way razored edge that pumps out perfectly irreverent tales of meat pies and dog shit.

Sweaty blitzkrieg beauty at its best.

What a set. 

Fellow locals, The Bleeding Caterpillars are virtually the GGH house band. We love having them back.

We can’t get enough of them, and today, they are totally smashing that noisy punk cool they do so well.

Razored. Raucous. Roudy.

Sharing the vox, snarling the guitars... and keeping it foot to the floor all the way. 

Fast furious fun.

With those summer beers doing a number on the crowd, RUST hit the stage and hook straight into that thumparama punk they do so well. 

Sheer raw energy on all fronts, it’s not hard to see why they are considered true urban legends.

Oz to the core and one powerful rock unit to boot.

A new guitarist in the mix, and it’s a whole other level of thrash today.

Tight. Incisive. Electricity plus. 

Punk runs through the veins of frontman GC, and the conviction and sheer ferocity in his delivery is second to none.

One enthrallingly visual and aural treat on all fronts. 

Mark Fraser- redbackrock.com