#two aussie bands and one american

[calandrinon]

the crooked fiddle band (only 1346 listeners! they deserve more, they go hard)

the hauntingly beautiful mousemoon (14 listeners) (they were SO good, I saw them live 4 times and the singer really can hold the note that long)

Aa (BiG A little a) (99 listeners)

(god I love percussion)

enough about taylor swift already. reblog and tag the smallest, least known artist you listen to

[more-cardigan-than-woman]

Lonely Hearts

Summary: Jason meets someone unexpected while trying to avoid all the hearts and flowers.

Pair: Aussie!Witch Reader x Jason Todd

Words: 3.8k

Warnings: SMUT 18+, Alcohol, swearing, everyone gets to be a Bi switch, bondage, one night stands, magic, choking, clothes ripping, self indulgent AF, praise kink.

AN: Happy Valentines day. I hate Valentines day, but Jason deserves a nice little treat.

The music coming from inside the club is so loud Jason can see the glass from the door shaking as he approaches. Today is supposed to be a day of love and romance, but all it brought for Jason was memories of mistakes and regrets. He was excited when he heard Amity were playing, it was the perfect thing to distract him from his woes. He's been waiting his whole life for this concert. It's not often that Australian bands even come out to the states, let alone try their luck in Gotham.

“Fuck, I’m late,” he mutters, hearing the vocals of his favourite singer as he steps into the club and sees the crowd in front of the stage. The large sign "The Amity Affliction- One Night Only." hanging above the stage in a dark neon glow.

He steps up to the back of the crowd. The swarm of sweaty bodies writhing so close together that he can’t seem to find a way in. A man in a ripped denim vest, his lean biceps covered in swirling ink almost as tempting as his soft jawline and silky red hair. Jason tries to get his attention but the man disappears into the crowd. Jason takes the opening, slipping his way into the mass of people. He pushes past a small group before the crowd seems to part and a flash of colour in this sea of black catches his eye. A woman, her hair split dyed red and black, her arms covered in fishnets and leather. There seems to be two or three of them, all huddled together at the front of the stage.

"Hey sorry man," someone says, knocking Jason in the shoulder as they make their way past him and towards the front. He lost sight of her in those few seconds, but as he turns back he sees her waving, at him? He turns around, checking she isn't waving at someone behind him. Jason doesn't see anyone, so he waves back at the woman who looks like she’s making a beeline for him.

The crowd seems to funnel her toward him, like a wave rushing to the shore. She makes an abrupt stop, the crowd behind her slamming her into his chest, his hands instinctively clutch her shoulders to keep her from toppling over. It’s then he notices the intricate ink hidden under her fishnet top, snaking their way up her neck and down her fingers.

"Shit, sorry mate." The woman says, her eyes giving him a once over, pausing slightly when she see's his tuft of white hair. Jason tries to recall where he has heard the strange accent before, feeling like it's right on the tip of his brain, "didn't mean ta get me legs all twisted. Ya right?" she smiles in a way that makes Jason shiver, her eyes lighting up in a way that makes him think she's seen him before.

'Right what?" He asks, unsure what exactly she's talking about.

She gives him a confused look before uttering something about Americans under her breath, "See ya later," she shouts, snaking around him and grabbing hold of a smaller woman he hadn't seen. The two women turn, already making their way from him.

"Wait, can I get your name?" He calls out to her as she walks with her friend back into the crowd.

"Ya got buckleys of that mate!" She shouts back, it surprises him that he can even hear her over the roar of the music and the crowd. He sees the woman beside her shoulders start to shake, her head thrown back as if some kind of joke has been told. 

Completely baffed by what the fuck just happened, Jason moves into the crowd. Intent on just enjoying the band he's waited so long to see. They're good. Better than good. Better than he could've ever imagined. But his eyes keep wandering, searching for her. He occasionally catches glimpses, flashes of red in the dark crowd. But never more than that. 

Xx

The night and the party keeps going and going around him. Fuck, he feels like he's just ran all the way to Central city. His legs are aching, he's sweaty and his mouth is so dry. He squishes and squashes his way to the bar. The line is much smaller than he thought and he can hear some kind of commotion. The closer he gets the more clearly he can hear your tone and that harsh accent he had heard from your soft looking lips.

“What's the problem?” He asks, sliding up next to you at the bar.

“Can’t understand her,” the bartender looks with impatience at Jason.

“I got it." You say turning to Jason and he sees an annoyance on your face, “look dude. It's a VCR. It's common, right?”

“A what?” Jason asks, “like cranberry?”

“No.” she shouts somehow offended, “Fuck. Do you have any grenadine?”

“Yes?” The bartender replies.

“Vodka? And coke?”

“Coke?” Jason asks, “are you insane? You can't ask for that at a bar.”

“Ahhh..” you clench your teeth, rolling your eyes, knowing that you should've just bought a flask from your van. “Fine. Just give me a jager bomb. You want one?” You turn to Jason, “come on don't make a girl get maggot on her own.”

“How could I say no?” He smiles, ordering the same and leaning his elbow onto the bar.

“You couldn't,” you reply, clinking your shot glass with his before dropping it into the cup.

“So what's a girl like you doing in a dump like this?” He asks, taking in your wholly black outfit, the artwork he can now see through the holes in your torn stockings running down your legs and your soft lips painted with a dark green lipstick.

“With the band. Who can say no to a free holiday?”

“Are you- like a-”

“A groupie?” You laugh, tapping him lightly on the shoulder, “yeah, nah not a groupie.”

“I didn't mean to imply-”

“Deadset, unless you have a problem with groupies.” you tease, your eyes shining with mischief, “you're cute when ya flustered.”

“Cute? Not handsome? Imposing? Sexy?”

“Very cute,” you reach out, touching his arm again, “hold on one tick.” You pulls out your phone typing a quick text to your mates before looking back up at him. “What's ya plans for the rest of the night?”

“After this? Nothing.”

“What about right now?”

“Plan was to get your name at least.” 

“Cheering, we're bout to do the harry.” You takes his hand, pulling him from the crowd and towards the stage entrance.

“Where are we going?” He says, taking longer strides to keep up with you, “I don't wanna miss my favourite song.”

“They haven't played it yet?” You ask, turning to look over your shoulder as you open the door and flashes your badge at the security guard, “they usually play Show me your God and Drag the Lake as an encore.”

“How did you-?”

“They're popular, I reckon we've got maybe 2 more songs,” you say, pulling him into the curtain bay and pressing him into the wall. “You can watch from here if you want, but first-” you catch his jaw pulling his lips down to yours, your arms on his waist as you press yourself into him.

“Hmm.. Don’t even know your name,” Jason mumbles into your mouth, fuck you taste like cigarettes and marker pens. How is that so fucking hot? He circles his arms down your ass, your fishnets feeling like sin on his fingertips as he lifts you, spinning you around until he’s pressing you into the wall. “Where’d you come from?”

“Hell,” you smirk into his mouth, “you been?”

“Yeah, didn’t agree with me.”

“Me neither.” Your long pointed nails scrape through Jason's hair, tugging his face back, “got you all messy, mate.”

“That dark lipstick all over me?”

“Yeah, not sorry 'bout it,” you pull him back in for another kiss, while he presses you harder into the wall, his cock is so fucking hard. God, how's he going to explain this when he has to leave? 

“Can we really do this right here?”

“Not really. But I thought you'd like the view.” Your head tilts to the side, “they're about to play ya song,” you swats at his hands, “don't you wanna see it?”

“I’m pretty happy with this view,” he kisses into your neck as he sets your feet back on the ground. When you go to walk away he pulls you back, “Hey mystery girl,” he tugs you in front of him, “I ah-”

You look down noticing the huge ass fucking tent in his pants and the pouting of his lower lip, “You need some help there?”

“Yes,” he mutters under his breath, “This is your fault.”

“My fault-” you hold a hand to your chest, “Nah, yeah, I guess ya right. Ok. Come on,” you take his hands wrapping them around you as you walk forward. Your body hiding what's poking you in the ass. The hardness sending a tingle through you with every step you take.

“That's making it worse.”

“Shh, they're about to start.” 

The band starts playing and Jason shouts in your ear, “This ones my favourite.”

“Sames. Sorry we can’t mosh here,” 

“This is a great view.” he smiles, leaning his chin onto your head, his hands clinging together around you as you sway together, watching from the curtains as the band rocks out.

You both watch the band and the crowd, the whole place seems to shake with the bass and the beat of the pulsing crowd. The band says goodnight, before heading into the crowd to meet the fans, “Saw the thing now, Happy? Wanna see something else cool?” you ask, peering up and over your shoulder at Jason. Your eyes going wide with how joyful he looks.

“Is it going to kill me?” Jason replies, looking down at you with curiosity.

“If you want, but mostly no.” you turn, taking two steps and grabbing a stray hoodie from one of the hangers and handing it to him, “This should help you with your ah-” your eyes dart down 'problem.'

“Thanks,” Jason says, tying it around his waist. “So mystery girl, where we going?” he asks as you lead him down a corridor and out the back of the club, “Killing me in an alley isn’t very original.”

“Mate, original is the last bloody thing I am,” you smirk, dragging him down past the street lights, into the darkness and towards your van.

“Wow, Mystery Machine, eat your heart out,” Jason jokes, leaning on the van.

“Told ya, you think I'm a fibber?” you quirk your brows.

“You live here?” He asks as you slide the door open and he takes in the dark fabrics hung from the roof over the windows, the shelves of books and the tiny bed hidden in the back. “It's nice.”

“It's a shitheap, but Bertha's my shitheap, goes everywhere with me.” You climb inside, ducking your head and pulling your powder drawer open, “maybe watch your head and give me like one-” you bite down on your lip to help you concentrate until you find the vial you need and pour some of it into your palm, ”Last chance to bolt,” you peer up at him lowering your lips to your hand.

“And miss all the excitement?”

“Get in then,” you direct him, giving him a quick smile as he steps inside, “Shut the door behind ya,” you flick your chin towards it and as he slides it shut you begin to whisper into the powder. With the words said, you release the powder, blowing it out and around you.

“The fuck is this?” Jason asks when the purple powder drifts from your palm and into the air. The mist swirls and swirls around you. 

When the mist clears he’s in a giant canvas tent, the large room centred by a huge bed. The four poster covered in lace and vines, torches dimly light the room, flickering over your pretty face, “That was fucking cool, how'd you did that?” he calls, noticing the distance between you.

“Boss taught me,” you shrug, twirling your arm around the bed post, your finger pointing out and beckoning him towards you, “feel better now you've got the head room?” 

“Definitely,” he growls, stalking towards you faster than he thinks. Picking you up and slamming you both into the bed. He rips and tears at the fishnets covering your body, his nimble fingers quickly finding the clasp on your skirt. “Shit you're pretty,” he smiles down at you as his hands glide inside your thighs. 

“You're taking too long,” you mutter, pulling out some red dust whispering something in maybe Latin he thinks before the mist is swirling around you and you're both naked.

“Where-? I need my clothes to get home.”

“On the hanger,” you point behind him to all his clothes neatly hung on your dresser, “‘sides, who says you're going home? Maybe I'll keep ya.”

“You can keep me right here,” he says as he presses his fingers into the dripping mess of your pussy. “Soaking,” he growls tilting over you so he can catch your lips in his. His hard cock is so swollen that it looks like it's been throbbing for hours. Well, at least 30 minutes by your count. He presses it down into your stomach, his fingers patting you from the inside and flattening his palm, giving you something to grind on while he assaults your lips. “Tell me how you like it,” he moans into your mouth.

“Messy, rough, quick, no strings.”

“Got any magic powder to help?”

“No, but-” you turn to the left, mumbling a familiar phrase into the pillow while your fingers reach up and press into the headboard, “how do you feel about restraints?”

“Can be fun,” 

“Good.” you press the last piece of the puzzle and watch as the vines start to twirl from the canopy. “Kay, mate. On your back.” you push at his chest, rolling over, “I like to be on top.”

“Alright, mystery girl, don’t know how I’m going to tie you up while you're there.”

“Who said I was being tied up?” you tease him, holding onto his wrists and pushing them up to the edge of the bed. 

“You can’t really think you’re stronger than me?”

“I don’t. But I know you’re not putting up a fight,” you smile as the vines tangle around his wrists, “Now be a good boy and sit still,” you perch on his thighs, your hands skating up the scars covering him, “Hmm, so the stories are true,” you whisper, your lips, tongue and teeth skating up the soft flesh of his stomach.

"What?" He asks breathlessly, his wrists tugging on the vines, while his body pushes up into your mouth. "Ah, fuck," he moans as your lips grow closer and closer to his throbbing cock. Your hands skating down his thighs, nails digging in gently to his flesh.

"Look at me, pretty boy," you say in a low voice, stating up at him from between his legs, "good." Your fingers start to travel the muscle lines of his thighs, "if you want me to stop, just say the word and it stops."

"Okay," he pants, his hips trying to thrust up towards your mouth.

"If it gets to much or wrists start to hurt you tell me to stop. Be a good boy and Repeat that back to me so I know your listening." His cock bounces at that and you feel like you've won the lottery.

"Stop means stop."

"Good job," you smile devilishly at him, your mouth ghosting over his cock as your tongue darts out to lick at him, "going to paint you so pretty with my lipstick, pretty boy." His cock throbs, a sneaky drop of pre leaking out.

He squeals so cute as you take him in your mouth, the salty tang of his pre cum salivating your mouth, his hips already moving to meet your every bob. "Pretty boys got such a tasty cock." You moan as you come up for breath and plant your hand at his base. Sliding your spit down the shaft, "what a good boy, can you thrust up into my mouth harder for me?"

"Ye-." He nods, the world barely audible as his teeth clamp down on his bottom lip. "What are you- don't stop," he begs as you pause leaning up to pull his lip from his teeth.

"So soft, don't do that, I want to hear you," you pump down on his cock with your fist, making him moan into your mouth, "how else will I know I'm doing a good job?"

"Fuck, sorry. I- that's so good," he moans thrusting up into your hand.

"Good boy," you slink back down taking him once again in your mouth, your tongue dancing along his long shaft, your spit spilling down while he fucks up into your mouth. Jason's moans fill your ears, his breathing getting heavy and his thrusting growing faster, But it's those short little pleas for more that tell you all you need to know.

He groans when you pull off his cock, crawling your way up his body  "you did so well," you coo, cupping his face and bringing his lips to yours, "do you know how good you taste?" You ask him as you stick your tongue down his throat.

"Taste better on you," 

"Tell me what you want, pretty boy." 

"You."

"How do you want me?"

"I want to be inside you." 

"You just were."

"Your pussy, I want to fuck you."

"Ask nicely."

"Please, mystery girl. Please fuck me."

"How can I say no when you pout so pretty." You scoot down, your pussy hovering over his cock before sinking down. Your brain buzzing as his huge dick stretches you out, your pussy pulsing around him. "Fuck, ya filling me so good." You moan as he bottoms out, your hips already starting to mindlessly grind into him. Your nails digging into his chest for stability as you bounce on him.

"Hands are..fuck." He groans, tugging on the vines.

"They sore sweetheart?" 

"So sore," he lies, he needs to het his hands on you, fuck he wants to touch you so badly. 

"2 seconds," you mumble, leaning up over his head, the tip of his cock just barely inside you, your tits right in his face. He takes the opportunity to suck and bite at them, "I need to concentrate," you moan as his teeth bite into your nipple, trying to think of the words to dispel the vines as your thoughts start to swell. "Fuck it." You hit the dagger sigil on the headboard. It appears in seconds in your hand and you slice away the vines.

The vines go loose and Jason takes his opportunity to flip you. His cock thrusting up into you as he pins you beneath him. His hands move quick to pin yours to your side while his mouth moves to yours, "what's wrong mystery girl? Did I ruin your plan?"

"No, not at all." You moan as you wrap your legs around his thighs and tilt your hips up, fucking back into him, "God that feels fucking good."

"Fuck, keep telling me-" he moans releasing your hands. He takes one thigh in his hand and presses it up into your chest.

"That you're pretty? Sweetheart, you're fuckin stunning," you hold onto his face making him look you in the eye when he tries to turn away, "fuckin me so good," you moan, "yeah- grind, fuck, like that, pretty boy."

"Holding me so tight," 

"I'm getting close," you moan, arching your back up, "choke me, put those strong hands on me."

"So fucking happy you asked," his hand clasps around your neck, gently pressing in at the sides where, "that's a good look on you."

"I look good on you." 

"Yes,"

"You going to-"

"Yes, you?"

"Together?"

"Please, please, plea-"

"Such a good pretty boy, begging for my cum without even asking," "Fuc- I'm nearly, Jason, fuck, cum. Cum" your pussy pulses, squeezing down on his cock, "cum with me. Do it. Now."

"Yes, yes. Yes. So ahhh-" he screams, as his cum pulses, more then he's ever felt before floods your guts.

"Keep going, just-" his pace starts to slow, "yeah. Like that. Good boy," your push his sweaty curls from his hair. 

"From hell you said?" He jokes, pressing his forehead into yours, "I believe it now."

"Something like that," you say, "you want some water?" 

"Please," he says, finally stopping and rolling down into your soft pillows. His hand wiping the sweat from his brow. His eyes locked on the intricate tattoo, which seems to be swarm of ravens that fly down your legs as you stand. You lean over a bench grabbing two bottles of water. As you turn back his eyes trace over the intricate pattern of the night sky on your right arm, stars and moons aplenty. He wishes he had time to explore them more, to ask about the black cat that rests in your shoulder dip.

"They're a bit wet," you say, pulling his attention back to you. Wrapping a tea towel the water, before grabbing another to clean yourself up before climbing back into bed. "You alright? How are your wrists?" You ask taking them in your hands and turning them over, "Sorry they're so red." 

"It's fine." He tries to pull away, but your soft finger tips, covered in tiny letters he doesn't recognise graze over the marks, a tiny white glow pulsing from them that he nearly doesn't see.

"That better?"

"Much actually, what was that?"

"Just a little something I learnt from a mate."

"Oh," he sighs contently, definitely not jealous as his brain quiets down as you bring his head to your chest, "you're going to be gone when I wake up aren't you." He realises as you gently toy with his hair.

"Yes, Jason. I am."

"Can I call you?"

"No," you start and he lets out a petulant whimper, making you roll your eyes, "but you can have this," you pull a card from the air, "just light it up and I'll find you as quick as I can." He reaches for it, but with a swish of your hands it's gone.

"Where-"

"It's in your coat, you don't need it right now. I'm right here with you. Just get some rest, you earned it." You kiss into his forehead, watching as he drifts off into a dreamless sleep. Noone dreams in this dimension, it's the reason you chose it.

Xx

Waking with a start, Jason pats the bed around for you. Only to find his pillows and the gun safely tucked underneath. Shit. He didn't even get to say goodbye. He bolts up, noticing how rested and relaxed he feels even if he had passed out in his jeans. Fuck, did he dream it. Dream about you? The tattooed, sexy witch who'd made his dreams come good for once. 

Patting himself down, he tries to find evidence. The card, he thinks you put it in his coat and sure enough, tucked inside his inside pocket is a small card with a note wrapped around it. He almost tears his jacket to get it out. The note reads "Thanks for a good time, Zombie Boy. It was good to finally meet you." How did you?- But as Jason stares down at the card, he realises that he didn't tell you his name. He's pacing his room going over every detail, the card hanging loosely in hand when he figures out where's he's heard your voice before. His eyes dart to the gold lettering shimmering in the morning sunlight Costantine & Co Aust. Dept. Light for help.

Taglist: look i know you guys know im shit at tagging. all i can do is apologise.

@megumisbabymomma @nutmeg030

[readingoals]

Getting ready for the Booklr Reads Australian challenge. These are a selection of Aussie books I own (fiction on the left, nonfic on the right) which I'll be choosing from during the month. I'm a mood reader so I have no idea what I'll actually end up picking but I'd like to get through at least a few of these.

List of titles and brief descriptions of each is below the cut for anyone looking for ideas for their own Australian reads.

The open book is The Tea Chest by Josephine Moon (my current read.) It's a rather sweet novel revolving around four women who's lives in Australia have been disrupted and who come together to open a tea shop in London.

A true History of the Hula Hoop by Judith Lanigan The book weaves together two parallel stories, one of Catherine, a struggling Aussie hula-hooping performance artist, and the other of Columbina, a feisty 16th century Italian female clown travelling through Europe with the first ever commedia dell'arte troupe, while also weaving in the history of the hula hoop.

Without Further Ado by Jessica Dettmann A romcom inspired by/paying homage to Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, in which the protagonist loves the Kenneth Branagh adaptation and finds her love life mirroring the plot.

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne A romance inspired by Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, in which Victor Frankenstein's sister Angelika is anxious for love and decides to take matters into her own hands and create a suitable suitor.

Empires by Nick Earls This novel spans continents and centuries. It's split up into 5 parts, each occurring in a different time and place, but which all intertwine and connect. It's about two brother from Brisbane who've lead separate lives, but its also about humans in strange and difficult times, the way people see themselves, and the interconnectedness of all things.

The Tea Ladies by Amanda Hampson A cosy mystery set in 1965 Sydney. It follows a group of tea ladies who work in a fashion house getting tea and biscuits for the staff. Until a murder occurs in the building and the tea ladies become accidental sleuths.

Top End Girl by Miranda Tapsell Larrakia Tiwi actress Miranda Tapsell's memoir about her work and life as an Aboriginal woman and how she combined both when creating the film Top End Wedding.

Girt by David Hunt A humorous look at Australian history, from megafauna to Macquarie. Full of strange, ridiculous and bizarre stories.

Harlem Nights: The Secret History of Australia's Jazz Age by Deirdre O'Connell This is the story of the Sydney and Melbourne legs of American jazz band The Colored Idea's ill fated Australian tour in 1928. It's about the international rise of African American jazz, the history of Australia's entertainment industry and modernism in the arts in Australia, and the influence of the White Australia Policy beyond immigration issues.

Flash Jim: The Astonishing Story of the Convict Fraudster Who Wrote Australia's First Dictionary by Kel Richards This is a biography of conman, pickpocket and thief James Hardy Vaux who was sent to Australia as a convict. Not only does it go into explanations of his numerous crimes but also the origins of Australian English as Vaux also created a dictionary of the criminal slang of the colony, some of which can still be seen in modern Australian language.

Great Australian Mysteries by John Pinkney A collection of Australian true crime mysteries including inexplicable disappearances, unsolved murders and scientific enigmas.

Notorious Australian Women by Kay Saunders This book celebrates the lives of some of Australia's most fearless, brash, and scandalous women, including bushrangers, courtesans, and writers, amongst others.

[resident-gay-bitch]

Modern au where the girls meet in college and get assigned random roommate and they’ve never met before because they are all study abroad students spending a year in the US. Lily from England is with Dorcas from an African country ( I don’t know which one to choose if I don’t choose mine lol so I’ll leave that to you). Mary ( not sure which country but I’m getting middle eastern vibes) is with Pandora ( I kind of want to give her mythology roots like Greek yk ? ). Marlene ( I want to give her Indonesia what do you think ?) with Alice ( definitely Europe vibes here )

Anyway they meet and bond about discovering American culture and how ridiculous some of the stuff is and they do make American friends but they keep coming back to each other and they become closer and closer but also the time comes that they each have to go back to their countries and you have a really tearful/angsty goodbye

Just feel like giving them really different backgrounds because it’s women history month and women from all around the world should be celebrated and also people from a lot of different countries are just really cool as a friend group

Anyway some head cannon for this au

Each of their dorm is fully decorated to the point you can see their personality when you enter the room

Mary is the kind to stay up to do homework and Pandora wakes up really early which creates some funny situations between them

All of them fight over who has the best cultural food ( Lily is not allowed to participate she is British/lh)

They do the American college thing to the full extent like going to football games, having parties and stuff and still aces their classes somehow

That was really long but oh well here are my two cents lol hope you like it <3 I really like your writing btw

Hi hi!!! Sorry for taking so long to respond to this, I saw it a few days ago and was too tired to respond and I’ve just been in a state of brain mush ever since.

Okay, I love this idea SO SO much! Especially them all coming together to be confused about American culture lol, I think that’s so funny.

I 100% agree with all of these ethnicities for them as well, I can see it all clearly (the Pandora being from Greece just makes sense idk why more people don’t HC this).

One headcannon I’ve been having lately is that Marlene is Australian because like, she is literally the definition of an Aussie bogan in my head (if you’ve never heard of Amyl and The Sniffers go check out their music because I think they’re SO Marlene Band Au coded).

And any Aussie out there will know this well and true, but for some reason all aussies just dip to Indonesia (specifically Bali) every winter to escape the cold, like it’s actually amusing how many just disappear over there. SO many of my friends have gone on Bali trips it’s ridiculous.

Anyway, you suggesting Marlene be from Indonesia just popped the best idea in my head where like her dad is Australian and took a trip with his mates to Bali. I’m thinking they would frequent the bar next to their hotel and get drunk there every night and he fell in love with one of the bartenders that snuck him free drinks every time he complimented her and then they hooked up one night and she got pregnant without realising and then he went home and she freaked out. Luckily she got his number because they fell in love and then like she moved to Australia to raise Marlene. I think that’s such a funny cute way to tie our headcannons together.

And yes Mary is 100% the type to stay up so late where as Pandoras in bed by nine and up with the sun.

Their rooms would be the swankiest rooms you’ve ever seen.

They would 100% all bully Lily for her comfort meal, which is beans straight out the can, and would all shove their fav foods down her throat. She’d love it though and pretend to complain about it all the time so all her friends would keep making her all these amazing snacks and meals.

They definitely would get involved with the whole American college experience but no one is prepared for how Marlene acts at the college football games. She’d spend one third of the game complaining about how this isn’t real football (Insert AFL which she grew up watching with her dad - footy), a second third of the game skulling beer and challanging random college boys to drink offs and shoeies (idk how to spell it, when you drink out of a shoe), and the last third screaming so hard when their team gets a point or goal or however it works and going balisic and booing the opposition and screaming about the unfair umpiring, and she’d 1000% be the loudest there.

Sorry, I’m passionate about Marlene.

But yessss this is such a good idea lol I love it! Thanks for sending in the ask, I really appreciate hearing about the girls <3

[dougwallen]

The Chills feature for Inpress (2010)

By Doug Wallen

For long-suffering Australian fans of New Zealand’s iconic Flying Nun Records, the chance to see The Bats twice in less than a year was a treat that helped offset the lack of the label’s in-print releases. Now come The Chills, another landmark Kiwi band who released their fair share of great albums on Flying Nun. Playing their first Aussie shows since the mid-’90s, The Chills today have a steady lineup fronted by mainstay Martin Phillipps. In fact, the band will be a touring five-piece for the first time since 1992, thanks to singer/multi-instrumentalist Erica Stickbury, guitarist/keyboardist Oli Wilson, bassist James Dickson, and drummer Todd Knudson. The latter two have played in The Chills for the last decade, while Wilson took over for Stickbury when she moved to San Francisco. Yet she’ll bolster the band for its dates in Melbourne and Sydney.

With a violinist, backup singer, and auxiliary guitarist/keyboardist in Stickbury, The Chills should be able to revisit most of their sterling back catalogue. “We’ve been looking at which songs would suit which arrangements,” confirms Phillipps, talking by phone from his home in Dunedin. “We’ve done a cross-section that goes back to very early Chills, including some songs that weren’t even recorded, right up to new stuff.”

Asked if there are certain songs that aren’t possible to play live, Phillipps admits, “Some songs I’m less comfortable with playing. It’s easy to get into the mindset of a song like Pink Frost, which was only ever meant to be like a little Edgar Allan Poe horror story explaining the atmosphere. But [others] are more specific, like Doledrums, which was about being unemployed in a very sort of middle-class environment, just playing piano and getting the dole and going out drinking with my friends. It was actually a very good time, but I can’t honestly stand up in front of an audience [now] and sing that with any sort of conviction. So that’s one song we’re not doing.”

Both songs he mentioned date back to 1984, and each charted in the New Zealand top 20 at the time. Pink Frost is arguably the band’s signature, and along with the 1990 single Heavenly Pop Hit, has managed to get passed along through new generations since its release. It’s a breathy calling card that has sent fans seeking out stray copies of the band’s classic albums Brave Words, Submarine Bells, Soft Bomb, and the early singles/EPs collection Kaleidoscope World. (All of which will hopefully be reissued on Flying Nun now that original co-owner Roger Shepherd has regained control of the label.) The song was also the namesake of The Chills’ 1994 retrospective, Heavenly Pop Hits.

“I guess it’s on a case-by-case basis,” says Phillipps of the endurance of certain songs. “I’m not surprised with Pink Frost, because I always thought that had a timeless quality to it. But with Heavenly Pop Hit, I could never tell. It was very much a large pop song inspired by my love of not just the Beach Boys but other bands who were really trying to do something large and beautiful in the ’60s. It clicked for some people, but when it was released, it was up against the peak of grunge.”

He adds that the song is performed with much more strength live, and that The Chills overall are considerably more intense in person than their somewhat timid recordings. It helps that the band has been gigging around New Zealand the past two years, including Dunedin, which one birthed the Flying Nun-documented “Dunedin Sound.” Phillipps has lately been trying to get The Chills over to the U.S. and the UK, where the band still has a loyal following thanks to being based in London, Los Angeles, and New York between the mid-’80s and mid-’90s. In fact, The Chills were once a hot international property, signed to Slash Records in the States and cutting Peel Sessions in England. Although the band never scored a U.S. hit, it was a regular in the college rock scene at the time, and the American indie rock band Superchunk covered The Chills’ Night Of Chill Blue.

“We put a lot of work into establishing ourselves in those countries,” agrees Phillipps. “From that point of view, I’m not totally surprised there’s still some residual impact.” He says the band was invited to play SXSW last year, but the money wasn’t there to get them over there in time. Similarly, The Chills have been offered a full U.S. tour but still need to raise the money for airfare. “It’ll definitely happen,” he assures us. “To some extent, going to Australia is part of getting the ball rolling. I think people will see that we are able to travel beyond New Zealand, and I would hope the reputation would spread as we get further afield.”

Besides a lineup perpetually in flux, one thing that kept The Chills from greater commercial success was the constant evolution of its sound. Keyboard-laced post-punk and new wave gave way to jangly folk-pop and moody ballads, sometimes all on one record. “One of the best problems we’ve had,” admits Phillipps, “is that I tend to write in a lot of different styles. I love the intensity of playing good, hard rock music live, and at the same time, I love being part of a big atmospheric song. Then there’s the quirkier songs and the folk music side. The end result has been a very confused audience, wondering what the hell we are.”

For that reason, as Phillipps begins to compile demos and consider releasing new material, he’s thinking about releases that are more thematically consistent. That said, he claims to have more interest these days in music that defies traditional song structure. “I’m more interested in experimenting more with sounds,” he explains. “And then within that, using these melodies and lyrics I’ve got. I think I can find something which will satisfy myself in terms of exploration but also sound like a continuation of The Chills. That’s basically what’s about to happen. The band and I will go off somewhere and really tear the songs to pieces and see what we can do with them as a group.”

Even in what many consider today’s post-album world, Phillipps remains fond of the format. “Whatever I choose to say over the next record,” he concludes, “I’d like it to be well thought-out statements without getting too intellectual. I do believe in the spontaneity and energy of writing music. That’s part of my dilemma: I’m part Randy Newman and part Ramones. So it’s a fine line to walk.” Photo credit: Chris Sullivan

[blubushie]

How easy is being LGBT in Australia, more specifically the rural areas? Where I live (northern USA) it's pretty easy in the urban centers but harder in the small towns- still worth it though, small town gays are amazing

Cities suck since people make it their entire personalities to the point you can't have a conversation without them bringing it up in some way. In the Outback towns no one gives a shit. At worst you might get a few looks or be called a nance as a passing comment but there's never any violence or anything that I've experienced, seen, or heard about. Aussies are very "to each their own" and frankly couldn't care less about something unless it directly affects them. One of my customers is gay and I had no idea until I met the bloke because despite going to a few barbies (courtesy of the pigs I'd hunted on his property) I'd thought his boyfriend was a stationhand until he clarified that they're dating. It's just never brought up. You'd never know someone was gay until you hear a bloke go "Yeah I was talking about that with my bloke the other day" and then you realise.

The effeminate gay bloke stereotype is heavily prevalent in cities especially more affluent areas. I have never met one in an Outback town. Gay blokes act like straight blokes with the only exception of liking other blokes. Gaydar is non-existent out there.

Also in Outback towns we're generally a lot friendlier so sometimes blokes will kiss each other as a joke. An American would visit and assume they're dating or at the least flirting when nah, they're straight and just expressing mateship. With blackfellas in particular it's common to peck a mate on the lips if you haven't seen him in a long while, and I've personally witnessed strangers play gay chicken with a passion so you really can't gauge who is or isn't LGBT unless they tell you outright.

Also worth noting: at B&S balls practically everyone is straight but what a lot of places are starting to do is give you wristbands depending on your sexual preference. If you're looking for a sheila you get pink, if you're looking for a bloke you get blue, if you're looking for both you get green or two bands of pink and blue, and if you're looking for neither and just there for the piss you get yellow (for the colour of beer).

[modern-day-classic]

Hmmm lately I've been on a Paramore kick, so maybe like pop/punk? As long as it's upbeat and won't put me to sleep is my main deal right now lol

OH WE LOVE PUNK POP!

Okay sooooooo……

Blink 182 a MUST

Sum 41

The Offspring

My Chemical Romance

Jimmy Eat World

Silverchair and The Living End are two of my fave Aussie bands for this - specifically Silverchair’s Anthem for the Year 2000 and The Living End’s Prisoner of Society

Oh another fantastic Aussie one is Killing Heidi

All-American Rejects

Clearly the 90’s is my fave decade for pop punk

For older:

Ramones

The Sex Pistols

The Clash

Buzzcocks

Patti Smith

Talking Heads

The Runaways

[so-idialed-9]

7 Masterpost

Uses of 7 (and 7 in groups of 4, 7x4 = 28) by Harry and Louis. I will continue updating this post with new 7s. Updated 7.14.24.

"Harry Styles joins James Corden and Louis Tomlinson" headlines on 7.14. First Larry public appearance in 7.5 years - the Euros VIP box, with photos. Articles imply they connected off-camera. July 14, 2024

Harry wore the peace ring to perform at HSLOT on September 7, 2021. The ring is seen as a commitment ring or symbol of Louis' and Harry's relationship. Some theorize they trade it back and forth when they meet up. He doesn't wear it again until exactly a year later, September 7, 2022

Louis covered 7 by Catfish and the Bottlemen, which starts out with the word Larry, in every show on LTWT22, for the first time again on the final show of the North American FITF Tour 7/29/23 in Forest Hills NY and calls extra attention to it, at AFHF 2023, and at FITFWT Barcelona 10/6/23 the day photos were published of H in London wearing the shared Umbro jumper

I Will Survive at Coachella 2 (4.23.22) was 7 years after 1D performed it in Manila - as a celebration of the Elounor stunt BUA

Harry uses his hands to display the number 7 for Pleasing and bonus! The nails are in 4 colors, 6.30.22

Late Night Talking mv has the private, real relationship as a man in a blue shirt with 4 7s on his sleeves, premiered 7.14.22

7 in the back of Louis' blue sun/sol azul tour shirt for Brisbane 1, 7.19.22

Harry scored the crowd a 7 at singing Kiwi at HSLOT Krakow, 7.19.22

7 years in the Aussie The Project interview for Louis, 7.20.22

7 in Louis' Australian Today interview - the interviewer mentions its been 10 years since he's been on the show and he responds it's been 7 years since the band toured there, 7.21.22

Harry posted 7 on IG of this bts photo for HSLOT Krakow, posted 7.20.22

John Delf’s Louis Tomlinson Changeover playlist on Spotify was updated to remove 28 songs and add 7 songs.  7.30.22

7 of the John Delf LT Changeover playlist songs are also on HSLOT’s pre/post-show playlist. 7.30.22

LT2 vinyl has 7 tracks on each side from the Amazon 'leak' 8.11.22

LT2 Amazon vinyl release scheduled for 11.11.22, 28 months after Louis announces Syco contract end

L and H saw Ed Sheeran in Manchester where Lego House was the 7th song on the setlist. All Along lyrics are "we saw Ed in Manchester, I held you while he played."

Bonus! Lego House is an exit song twice for LTWT22, and one of those times is the day HS3 is released.

Louis' Bigger Than Me promo reel features this image of 7 Louis photos and 7 28's, and Louis with a green eye. 8.31.22

Louis' friends and family referencing the number 7 on social media

September 7, 2022, Harry wears the peace ring to perform at MSG

Louis' F1 playlist released Sept 7, 2022 has 7 by Catfish and the Bottlemen and the Arctic Monkeys' 505, which had a chorus referencing 7 9.7.22

Helene Horlyck posted an IG photo with Louis and Lottie at Taylor Swift's party. It was taken post-Haylor stunt on May 19, 2015. Helene captioned it 7 year hop with orange hearts. 9.9.22

Harry's diamond ring has 7 stones

"All Of Those Voices" premieres at 7 pm local time everywhere, 3.22.23

Louis gets 4 finger tattoos, making the number of tattoos on his hands 7. 4.5.23 His two ring fingers are the 8/♾️ and pyramid/🔺️

Louis covers Arctic Monkeys' 505 on FITF tour, about wanting to get back to your lover waiting in a hotel room, even if it takes a 7 hour flight, starting 5.2023

Louis sings and dances to 7 Nation Army to celebrate his team's birthday, FITFWT Woodlands TX, 7.8.23

Z8/28 on the saddle of Harry's horse in the Daylight mv, released 7.19.23

77 days between the mv release of Late Night Talking and Sept 28, and 77 days between Sept 28 and Daylight mv release.

Louis switches up his setlist for the final show of the North American FITF tour leg in Forest Hills NY by singing 7 again with the intro "I don't want to introduce the next tune, but I don't really know how to close this without her. Enjoy the next tune!" 7/29/23

Louis sings 7 again at Barcelona for the UK FITF tour leg, the same day photos appear of Harry (from 10/5/23) wearing the infamous boyfriend Umbro shirt, 10/6/23

Louis' website is updated to celebrate Faith In the Future One Year On; the source code includes a massive 369 (made out of 3s, 6s, 9, and colons) that begins on line 7, 11/11/23 thank you to @wendersfive for the addition!

Plus let's not forget all the twisted DNA strand sunburst/kiwi clothing/checkered flag shit

But don't stop now! Bring on the cryptic numerology, drive us insane please - we love it.

At this point, with the 28 and 4 7s and 369, the only numbers they haven't claimed are 1, 5, and 0.

[mrghostrat]

hi tumblr, i'm a writer with adhd who cant stop making stories and these are some of my wips 👉👈

🔮black vitrum (complete, 85k words) set in a modern fantasy world where witches, ghosts, demons and spirits are commonplace, but the main character mads has paid no attention until now. all in one night he's attacked by a demon, learns he has a guardian angel, and a dormant ability to capture spirits, while he just wants to get through his classes and talk to the cute boy in the demonology department.

📹paranomads (complete, 138k words) currently half way through posting on tapas! a trio of sceptical aussie paranormal investigators travel the american pop culture convention circuit to promote their show. the camera man, beau, has been deeply in love with the host for over 10 years, but each think each other is straight. so much slow burn, close calls, closet queerness and friends-to-lovers goodness

🏴‍☠️temptations adrift (wip, currently 75k words) a tumultuous erotic love triangle between two pirates and their captain, need i say more?

⏱the tailor and the clockmaker (wip, 5k words) a bespoke tailor happens upon a clockmaker's studio when his heirloom pocket watch breaks in the middle of the night. a short, bottled love story where an autist meets an adhder and they slowly fall in love over the course of their conversation.

🐎the lightkeeper (aka aussie cowboys) (idea, chomping at the bit to start writing already) a grumbling pessimist of a city boy in 1890s australia becomes an orphan overnight and is sent to live with his aunt, the keeper of a lonely lighthouse. struggling with the transition to country living, he reluctantly befriends a golden retriever-esque drover (cowboy) who helps him with the lay of the land and his duties as the new lightkeeper. they fall in love

🎸supernatural rock band (idea, sequel to black vitrum) after the events of black vitrum, mads' guardian angel is left wandering earth without a ward. unused to mortality, a human saves their life and ropes them into a reverse "deal with a devil" to make his rockband famous. just fun shenanigans with a 10 foot, 4 armed angel playing drums for a set of british twins whilst hunting down a lost demon in their spare time.

🧛🏻‍♀️vampgrammers (idea, instagram comic) modern fantasy world where supernatural creatures are commonplace, jo and december are two highly popular instagram influencers. and vampires. enemies to friends to lovers with a bit of secrecy as they try to keep their relationship out of the public eye

[witchthewriter]

Ok so I'd like a ship for a stranger things man! iirc six rbs is enough? I've never seen the show rip but your moodboards have me interested now

Want one? Here be the rules 🦋

Ah ha! I have INFLUENCED YOU! Consider yourself influenced <3 I honestly thought you'd seen stranger things tho

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Steve Harrington. The love you have for all things girly and feminine make him a great match for you. In the sense that he would love doting and buying things for you. He's actually a really lovely person/character. He's known as the Mum™ (or Mom™ in the american version, I'm Aussie lol)

He looks after the Hawkin's gang and is constantly the babysitter. He's very good at it too.

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・Always opens doors for you, pulls out chairs and drives you EVERYWHERE. He will literally NEVER let you use public transport. You are his PRINCESS and you'll never be treated as anything less

・He always has water, mints and/or hair bands in his car for you. 

・Steve is all for PDA, he doesn’t care about others at all. He used to, but since encountering the Upside Down, all things seemed trivial. 

・Is the type of boyfriend to take his jacket off and put it around your shoulders. Even if it’s not that cold, he’ll do it because his Mum™ senses are always tingling 

・He actually loves it when you create outfits for him. Especially if you match your own with his. He doesn’t care about anything corny, he just loves you so much

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢

✶ Your love for creativity and your imagination. The things that you come up with, while his brain is pretty much a desert - blows his mind. How do you create stuff? Where do you get your ideas? 

𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑

✶ I think your best friend would be Robin, I think you have this sassy and sarcastic side that only some people understand. Robin loves being blunt, and you two would bond over that. 

[daggerzine]

Throwback Thursday #16- Died Pretty- Free Dirt (Citadel)

Back in the mid- to late 80’s I was discovering a ton of bands from overseas. Don’t get me wrong there were plenty of great American bands as well, but Australia seemed to be where I was pointed toward and they rarely disappointed (American fanzines helped out a lot too, especially a great one out of San Diego called Noise for Heroes where the editor Steve Gardner seemed to have a lock on great Aussie bands). Not sure how Died Pretty came on my radar, but I’m thinking through my pal Bob (or maybe a zine). This was the band’s debut that was released in 1986 and man, what a record! I can still put this record on today and it sounds as great as when I first heard it nearly 40 years ago. The songs seemed to have equal parts tension and melody and you can hear a bunch of influences from 60’s rock, to country to psych and the like and the production by Rob Younger is full on and fantastic. Ron Peno’s vocals were certainly unique, raspy and soulful while Brett Myers was masterful on guitar and the keyboards (by Frank Brunetti) always helped to flesh out the songs as well (terrific rhythm section as well, Mark Lock on bass and Chris Welsh on drums). The energetic “Blue Sky Day” with mandolin and violin is a great opener while “Wig Out” with manic drumming and some of Peno’s wildest vocals yet take the band to new places while they tone it down on the equally as great “Through Another Door” (sung by Myers). Elsewhere “Life To Go (Landsakes)”  is just about perfect and the stirring “The 2000 Year Old Murder” brings it to another murky direction (as does the wild closer, “Next to Nothing” with its bleating sax). The cd version I have adds two more gems in the great “Stoneage Cinderella” and “Yesterday’s Letters.”  As you’ve probably surmised, this record is completely essential and great news, it’s being reissued in early June by Aussie label Sorcerer Records! www.citadelmailorder.com       www.sorcererrecords.bandcamp.com

[f1]

Daniel Ricciardo gets a job offer from Matchbox Twenty after they see him singing one of their hits

Freshly sacked McLaren star Daniel Ricciardo gets a job offer from superstar band Matchbox Twenty after they see him belting out one of their hits  Daniel Ricciardo offered job by Matchbox Twenty after posting car karaoke clip  The Aussie Formula One star has been recently sacked by McLaren  Fans on social media were quick to point out that Ricciardo needs a job By James Cooney For Daily Mail Australia Published: 20:56 EDT, 24 August 2022 | Updated: 20:56 EDT, 24 August 2022 Aussie Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo will leave McLaren a year early after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract at the end of this season - but he may have scored a gig with rock band Matchbox Twenty. The eight-time grand prix winner was on holiday in the US when he filmed himself driving and singing along to one of the American stars' biggest hits. In clip, the 33-year-old Aussie belts out his best version of the band's smash 1997 single '3AM' as he cruises down a freeway. Aussie Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo recorded himself singing along to Matchbox Twenty while on holidays in the US The Aussie star (pictured) has been recently sacked by McLaren and his future plans are still unclear - but he might have a lifeline in the music industry The clip didn't escape the notice of the band, who took to social media to let him know they were impressed. 'If you're ever looking for a side gig outside of @F1 let us know @danielricciardo!' the band wrote on Twitter. Fans were quick to chime in, noting that Ricciardo might be looking for a new line of work in light of his recent sacking. 'He'll definitely need it next year,' wrote one. 'He's actually looking for a main gig now! Hopefully y'all sign him!' joked another. 'As a roadie,' said a third commenter. American rock band Matchbox Twenty (pictured above) saw footage of Ricciardo singing their hit song 3AM and offered him a job The Aussie actually has some experience in the music industry after scoring a guest appearance on a Gang Of Youths album playing drums and backing vocals in 2020. Ricciardo has endured a horror two-season stint with McLaren in which he struggled to find form and was frequently outperformed by his British teammate Lando Norris. The Aussie has struggled for form during his two-season stint, being markedly outperformed by his less experienced team-mate Lando Norris in qualifying and trailing him by 57 points after 13 races this year.   With Ricciardo's departure now confirmed, 21-year-old Formula Two champion Oscar Piastri is expected to take his fellow Australian's place. Ricciardo was under contract until the end of 2023 and only last month insisted he was 'committed to McLaren until the end of next year'.  He could be set for a payout in the region of $24million, taking into account his massive salary and performance bonuses. 'It's been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the last two seasons but following several months of discussions with Zak & Andreas we have decided to terminate my contract with the team early and agree to mutually part ways at the end of this season,' Ricciardo said in an official statement. Ricciardo's midseason break ends this weekend as he suits up for the Belgian Grand Prix - his first race since the news of his split with McLaren broke 'I'll be announcing my own future plans in due course but regardless of what this next chapter brings, I have no regrets and am proud of the effort and work I gave McLaren, especially the win in Monza, last season. 'I've enjoyed working with everyone at McLaren both trackside and back in Woking and will be giving my all on and off track as we enjoy the remainder of the season together. 'I've never been more motivated to compete and be a part of a sport that I love so much and look forward to what comes next.' Advertisement Share or comment on this article: Daniel Ricciardo gets a job offer from Matchbox Twenty after they see him singing one of their hits via Formula One | Mail Online https://www.dailymail.co.uk?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

[ofcowardiceandkings]

I think you mentioned listening to podcasts? Do you have any favorites to reccommend? I've run out of content :(

that i do !

im not entirely sure what kind of podcast you'd be interested in but i'll throw out a few of the goodies in my huge library of stuff , i'll miss out a few of the HUGE podcasts that have been all over tumblr though

a LOT of it is true crime or human interest stuff , or history because im nerd ,, and a few of these dont have nearly enough attention so [shrug] i'll try to keep this short i guess lol this isnt EVERYTHING ive got in my library or listened series' by any measure

i AM gonna pop a shout to both Stuff You Missed in History Class and Stuff You Should Know from iHeartRadio because their HUGE archives have kept me from losing my mind many times over , and they cover a wide range of both important and wacky topics

BomBARDed (ongoing) this is the only fiction podcast i have happening right now really but its DAMN GOOD ONE .... it's an actual-play D&D 5E podcast in the DMs own musically-inspired world, focussed on a group of multiclass bards going to music school !! and all players (+DM) are members of the Texas band Lindby !! and they actually use and play music in the show with one original song an episode !! Kyle's worldbuilding and storycraft are truly incredible, and (Nick) Goodrich, (also Nick) Spurrier, and Ali's characters are in depth and interesting as well as an absolute powerhouse :') i actually made a piece for its first fanzine, Bardic Dreaming, which published earlier this year and is free to view now, all the players and the community are super wholesome its just very good overall 💙

History & Humans;

Fall of Civilisations (ongoing) legit one of my favourite podcast finds, im so glad my youtube autoplayed one of these ... it took me like 2 hours to realise it was 1) not the same as what was playing before and 2) had been on for 2 hours and wasnt near finished lmao. anyway, this is a series by historical fiction writer Paul Cooper, and is honest to all thats good one of the best documentary series ive encountered in years - and ive consumed a LOT of documentaries. it covered the downfall of various civilisations through history, and the episodes run from an hour to FOUR hours depending on the topic. its so chill to listen to and just get done, but over the pandemic all of the episodes have been given full movie-quality video versions too on youtube if youre more of a visual person.

Casting Lots: A Survival Cannibalism Podcast (on series break) yeah that says that lol ... its a SUPER niche topic but its very interesting and treated very well despite being kind of comical at times, the hosts are just naturally funny lol ... it delves around from the history of cannibalism in whole regions to specific incidents as recently as the 1970s, and of course the first episode is about the Donner Party, and it covers things ive never heard of despite being kind of important ?? anyway Alix and Carmella are good eggs

Sawbones (ongoing) i probably dont need to mention much here other than say that Justin and Sydnee saved me from being SO BORED sooo often, the history of medicine is wacky as hell and its what most of my history GCSE was on so [shrugs]

Cautionary Tales (on series break) this was a wild-card find lol ... it's by Tim Harford "the undercover economist" who writes for the Financial Times, and its topics kind of weave modern topics and science with how to learn from historical errors ... its a bit weird but well worth a go, also each series has a few celebrity guest voice actors which is pretty awesome

Ephemeral (ongoing) this is a very strange but thought provoking series about sounds and other things just barely saved. topics include the last castrato, the hello girls, hand-stamped records, the spread of kīkā kila music, and acoustic fossils of wild places.

Neat! The Boozecast (ongoing) history and bartending whats not to like lol ... hosted by Teylor Smirl and now their dad Tommy, they're just digging around in how important booze is to human culture

True Crime (white collar and weirdness);

Swindled (ongoing) this is an amazing show full stop. A Concerned Citizen details some of the most impactful and unruly things to happen in white collar and corporate crime. very factually accurate but given the sheer bullshit of the topics the deadpan snarking is [chefs kiss] absolutely warranted ..

American Scandal (on series break) this one is a series within a series type, and spends a few episodes at a time poking holes in some of America's biggest scandals, from a dramatised but fact-based point of view. such as what the hell was going on with Enron, how big tobacco was forced to own up to covering its own ass, how Iran-Contra happened, etc. it also now has a sister show called British Scandal, which does the same thing for British cases but with a slightly different format.

Missing in Alaska (finished) this was a fascinating series, a deep dive into what happened to two US government officials who disappeared on a small chartered flight in Alaska in 1972. it goes some really strange places, but it actually turned up a lot of previously unknown information through the audience. John Walczak's new series in a new feed is Missing on 9/11 which looks into what happened to Dr Sneha Philip.

Pretend (ongoing) Host Javier Leiva holds interviews with anyone living a lie, or who have been touched by them. con artists, snake oil salesmen, former cult members, catfishing victims, anyone and everyone.

Power: The Maxwells (finished) hosted by journalist Tara Palmeri, the story of media tycoon Robert Maxwell from nothing to empire to mysterious death and the scandals uncovered after he was gone.

Lets Talk About Sects (ongoing) Sarah Steele covering cults from around the world, in particular those in Australia - where she is from. She often has former members on the show to share their stories, and share knowledge of how they left. each story has the relevant content warnings at the start of each episode.

Brainwashed (finished) investigation of the CIA's covert mind control experiments, centred on the experiments performed at a hospital in Montreal, and its cultural impact.

Dr Death (2 series finished) two series investigating huge cases of fraud and medical malpractice, and how they were brought to a stop. series 1 covers Dr Duntsch and his horribly butchered neurosurgery, series 2 covers Dr Fata and his fraudulent cancer clinic

The Immaculate Deception (finished) untangling the weird and disturbing fertility fraud of Dr Jan Karbaat, who fathered children himself through his fertility clinic, and the impact of his deception. later episodes also touch on other similar cases.

True Crime (Violent/General);

The Casual Criminalist (ongoing) Simon Whistler of-the-many-youtube-channels cold reads a script about the case of the day, with some of his daft commentary thrown in.

Southern Fried True Crime (ongoing) Crimes from the American South hosted by Erica Kelley, she puts all the facts out there but refreshingly for true crime she doesnt hesitate to tell you if she thinks someone is human garbage lol

They Walk Among Us (ongoing) probably one of the most popular UK crime podcasts, very measured and well put together, not weird or annoying about it either.

All Crime No Cattle (ongoing, feed slowed down for now) specifically about crimes from Texas, hosted by Erin and Shay, they're very sensitive hosts and a lot of the cases they cover shed light on why the Texas criminal system is how it is or show an impact at a national level

Canadian True Crime (ongoing) Canadian crime from an Aussie who's lived there for a decade, Kristi is again a sensitive and measured host covering some important topics

True Crime (Violent/Deep Dive);

Hitman (finished) journalist Jasmyn Morris digs around in the sticky tangle around a book published by fringe publisher Paladin Press, and its apparent use as a blueprint in the killing of a mother, her friend and her 8 year old boy for financial gain.

Camp Hell: Anneewakee (ongoing) this series is exploring how a wilderness camp "correctional facility" was endorsed by the Georgia care and juvenile reform system, despite widespread abuses and shady practices the whole time. warning for csa and child cruelty throughout.

True Crime Bullshit (on series break) this one is a huge huge rabbithole but a very interesting one where the host Josh Hallmark has spent years digging into the life and potential crimes of Israel Keyes. Keyes is often mentioned as a serial killer with no pattern, but in picking it apart thats not quite true, and has sparked some re-evaluations of missing persons cases and stumbling upon information the FBI has redacted organically. there's also a series in the middle looking into the crimes of Kelly Cochran

Forgotten: Women of Juárez (finished) this series looks into the huge numbers of missing women of Ciudad Juárez, the strange circumstances surrounding them, and the potential cover-ups and corruptions on both sides of the border, trying to give a voice to all of the forgotten women and girls and their families without answers. the series itself is finished, but a spanish language edition is being released every week now.

aaaaaand i'll call it there before i list everything lol, i hope you find something to plug your boredom hole with !!

[shemakesmusic-uk]

This year may have been another tough one for many of us but there is no doubt some incredible music has come out of that. Here I have shortlisted my personal Top 50 songs of the year for you to enjoy!

Every year it is so difficult to pick just 50 songs from all the phenomenal music being released and believe me, there were so many more songs and artists that I love that deserve to be on this list. This is a playlist of songs that I’ve connected with on lots of different levels and for different reasons which I have attempted to explain as best I can! Some you may agree with and some you may not, but that’s the beautiful thing about music.

I really hope that you can connect to some of these songs too, and/or discover your new favourite artist/band. That’s what we are all about here at She Makes Music. Happy New Year and we’ll see you in 2022! - Helen Evans, Founder/Editor

Kaleena Zanders - 'SET ME OFF'

Explosive and captivating singer, songwriter and producer Kaleena Zanders first came to our attention at the very beginning of the year with her powerful single 'SET ME OFF'. I was instantly hooked and the song was our first Track of the Week for 2021. I see a very bright future for this talented artist!

Baby Queen - 'Raw Thoughts'

Now, many may consider 2021 to be the year of Olivia Rodrigo (which is 100% a fair accolade!) but for me personally, this was the year of Baby Queen. Every single song this singer has released since her debut 'Internet Religion' last year has been an absolute banger. The soaring 'Raw Thoughts' is my favourite (only by a millimetre!). She is such a refreshing, candid and cool af artist. If Baby Queen isn't on your radar, then she needs to be..stat.

Griff - 'Black Hole'

Even though she has been on our radar since her Mirror Talk EP, I just knew Griff would steadily be on the rise this year after her 2020 Christmas single 'Love Is A Compass' and it all kicked off with the superb 'Black Hole'. This song is insanely catchy and the lyrics are so melodramatic, I love it.

Allie X - 'GLAM!'

Now, I know this isn't technically a brand new song (last year it was included on a physical limited edition double LP of Allie X's first two records, CollXtion I and CollXtion II, which included previously unreleased demos and leaks from that time period - and 'GLAM!' was one of those) but Allie X released 'GLAM!' for the first time on streaming platforms this year and so for me, it definitely counts. I absolutely adore this song for so many reasons. It is a proper sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs-into-your-hairbrush kind of pop banger.

ALLIE X · GLAM!

sad alex - 'dating myself'

sad alex is another pop singer-songwriter that has been on the rise this year, although still very underrated in my opinion! She released the fantastic 'dating myself' around Valentine's day this year as a celebration of single life and falling in love with yourself and it is a very empowering bop.

sad alex · dating myself

Glades - 'Dancing In Mirror'

And from one inspiring hit to another! 'Dancing In the Mirror' is the self-empowerment anthem from Aussie pop outfit Glades. These past two years have had so many people doubting and being unkind to themselves (myself included) so this song is a reminder to be kinder and to learn to love yourself. I can't help but dance in the mirror to this song!

GLADES · Dancing in the Mirror

Jetty Bones - 'Nothing'

Jetty Bones is another artist that we were introduced to this year and anyone that has followed the blog for a long time will know that I am a sucker for anything that sounds like it belongs in the '80s. Especially if it includes a killer sax solo. So this song, 'Nothing', was always going to be a hit with me and I hope you love it too!

Shungudzo - 'There's only so much a soul can take'

Shungudzo makes flipping off white supremacist patriarchy seem as refreshing as daily moisturiser on her vibrant track 'There's only so much a soul can take.' The Zimbabwean-American is equal parts activist and artist, making sure that her pop songs are energising and compelling. So many of us are currently suffering from varying systemic afflictions: stresses about health, money, all types of discrimination, pressures of social media etc and this is an anthem for us all. The song reeled me in hook line and sinker at that very first line: "People really piss me off.."

Sarah Harding - 'Wear It Like A Crown'

Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding very tragically passed away earlier this year from breast cancer. She was 39. So, so unbelievably heartbreaking. She gave us one, brilliant final gift though in releasing her solo song 'Wear It Like A Crown'. Again, not a brand new song, she recorded it a decade ago but this year was the first time fans have heard it. And it is a certified banger right from the outset.

MARINA - 'Purge The Poison'

MARINA is one of my absolute favourite lyricists. She's a pure wordsmith! I was so happy to have her back this year with Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land and 'Purge the Poison' is a masterpiece. Although she is considered pretty mainstream, I still don't think she gets the recognition she deserves. All hail Queen MARINA!

Wolf Alice - 'Smile'

I was ecstatic when Wolf Alice announced their new album Blue Weekend and I couldn't wait to hear it. And it did not disappoint. Definitely one of the records of the year. The band just keep getting better and better. They should be headlining every single festival from here on out. 'Smile' is my favourite song on the album, it gives me feels I can't even explain.

Laura Mvula - 'Got Me'

Laura Mvula went 80s and I am so here for it! This is a sound that suits her so well, I love it. 'Got Me' also has everything I want in a song. Loving the Bad-era MJ vibes. It's slick, infectious and you just have to dance to it. It was always going to be one of my favourite songs this year.

CHVRCHES feat. Robert Smith - 'How Not to Drown'

It's no secret that CHVRCHES are one of my favourite bands but you may not know that The Cure are also one of my favourite bands of all time. So having Robert Smith feature on 'How Not to Drown' is just an absolute dream come true for me. Another song that was always going to be on this list no matter what.

Lorde - 'Solar Power'

I really needed this song. I needed this song so very badly. I can actually feel the warmth of the sun shining down on me every time I listen to 'Solar Power'. Lorde never fails to deliver. I'm so happy she blessed us with her exquisite new album this year.

Maisie Peters - 'Psycho'

Maisie Peters is another fantastic British singer-songwriter that has gifted us a truly wonderful album in 2021, You Signed Up For This. An instant earworm, 'Psycho' is so insanely catchy and extremely relatable. I only see Maisie rising higher and higher into the stratosphere.

AURORA - 'Cure For Me'

AURORA's voice is my favourite of all time. I get chills every damn time I hear it. I could listen to her sing the phone book all day every day and would never grow tired of it. And she is such a special and pure human being. Her single 'Cure For Me' is so precious. I love the carnival-esque organ and the empowering lyrics. How anyone could not like AURORA is beyond me.

July Jones feat. Suzi Wu & GIRLI - 'Butterflies'

July Jones burst onto the scene this year with this incredible song 'Butterflies' featuring two of our faves, Suzi Wu and GIRLI. Edgy electro-pop that is unapologetically queer, 'Butterflies' comes straight from the heart and I love how unusual the chorus sounds, it's so unique. It's bad ass. Truly.

UPSAHL - 'Time of my Life'

UPSAHL is one of the greatest pop songwriters of this generation. Her debut album Lady Jesus is utterly brilliant from the first note to the last. 'Time of my Life' is my favourite song on the record. It's ridiculously relatable and undeniably catchy. She should be so much bigger than she is right now but there is plenty of time for her to take over the pop world.

Annie Chops - 'Level Up'

We discovered Germany's Annie Chops completely by accident this year and I couldn't be more grateful! 'Level Up' is so sassy, bold and energetic. I fell in love with the track instantaneously. Hoping to hear more from Annie in the future!

Charli XCX - 'Good Ones'

You can always guarantee a Charli XCX song to make my end of year list, providing she has released one of course! 'Good Ones' is Charli on absolute top form and the video is fire! I cannot wait for her new album next year. I have also been enjoying her Best Song Ever podcast which I highly recommend! Charli is a pop goddess and she deserves all the awards coming her way and more.

Fickle Friends - 'Love You to Death'

I have kept close tabs on Fickle Friends since the beginning and they always deliver solid gold pop bops. 'Love You to Death' is no different. It's so deliciously funky and I can't wait to get my teeth into their new album early next year. And hopefully get to see them live again!

Fickle Friends · Love You to Death

Dlina Volny - 'Tomorrow'

I have always been partial to a bit of darkwave/post punk and Dlina Volny are one of my favouite bands within the genre. The chord changes in 'Tomorrow' are just divine. I don't know how else to describe it. Whenever I hear the song I can just picture myself walking around Minsk on an icy winter's day. Bliss.

Near Tears - 'Love Under Surveillance'

Blending ’80s-set pop sounds with eerie modern dating rituals and technologies, ‘Love Under Surveillance’ by Near Tears is a refreshing take on falling in love over the internet. Extremely relatable for this generation! This song has massive sing-a-long energy, I love it so much.

Avril Lavigne - 'Bite Me'

Another artist that made a huge comeback this year is pop punk princess Avril Lavigne. I get transported back in time when I hear 'Bite Me', it's so nostalgic but also really fresh. It's difficult to explain. And having Travis Barker on drums is the icing on the cake for me. The girl is back on top!

Little Simz - 'Introvert'

Little Simz is one of the best rappers in the world right now. Not just in the UK, or the best 'female' rapper..one of THE BEST RAPPERS. Period. I thought that GREY Area would be hard for Little Simz to top but she's gone and done it with Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. 'Introvert' is a masterpiece and Little Simz should be headlining festivals all over the world.

Wet Leg - 'Chaise Longue'

Wet Leg have undoubtedly been THE buzziest band of 2021. The Isle Of Wight duo's tongue in cheek humor thrives on hypnotic debut single, 'Chaise Longue.' It is honestly one of the greatest debut singles in a very long time and I am hyped for the album next year. The band seem like so much fun, I would love to see them live. Here's hoping I can make that happen in 2022!

Remi Wolf - 'Quiet On Set'

I literally cannot stop myself from bopping along to Remi Wolf's music. She has released some corkers this year and 'Quiet On Set' is just bonkers, I love it! Juno is a brilliant debut album, one of my favourites this year and I can't wait to see what Remi does next!

Halsey - 'I am not a woman, I'm a god'

Halsey and Trent Reznor is a match made in heaven. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is such an iconic record for so many reasons. The production on 'I am not a woman, I'm a god' is flawless. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. It's a modern classic for sure.

Xenia Rubinos - 'Cogelo Sauave'

Xenia Rubinos is another artist that I think is totally overlooked. She's incredible! I can't even tell you why I love this song so much, I just do. The beat, the sounds she makes with only her voice, it's all amazing. I also have a deep affinity for the artwork. I had a fibreoptic flower lamp just like that when I was younger (I think I might still have it somewhere!) so it makes me feel very warm and fuzzy inside.

Magdalena Bay - 'Chaeri'

I have been a huge Magdalena Bay fan since the beginning and I can't tell you how excited I was when they announced their debut album. Mercurial World is everything I thought it would be and more. 'Chaeri' is just a perfect song, a massive club banger, very Robyn. And it's very relatable.

Sleigh Bells - 'Locust Laced'

The energetic and intense duo that is Sleigh Bells are back and better than ever! One of the best bands I've ever seen live. Texis is the band on absolute top form and 'Locust Laced' was the best way to introduce the LP. It's classic Sleigh Bells with it's cranked-to-11 guitar riffs and blown-out electronic percussion raging beneath Alexis Krauss’ sugar-rush vocals as she belts, “I feel like dynamite/I feel like dying tonight!” Superb.

AJA - 'Red Button'

AJA is a very, very talented 17 year old pop star out of Toronto. 'Red Button' is a punchy, empowering track about declining the calls of someone that has broken your heart. A feeling I'm sure we've all been able to relate to at some point or another in our lives! I love how the song flows and it's a great tune to sing along to. AJA will be one to watch in 2022 for sure!

Slayyyter - 'Cowboys'

Another highly anticipated album released this year was Slayyyter's Troubled Paradise. I love how she can create big budget-sounding pop but completely DIY. It can be done folks! ‘Cowboys’ is a different style to the type of pop fans have come to known the LA-based singer for. Instead of the glitchy hyperpop of her other recent releases, ‘Cowboys’ sees her sing over a fuzzy guitar riff in a style more akin to noise pop stalwarts Sleigh Bells or Charli XCX‘s earlier work (both of which you already know, I am a huge, huge fan of!).

All Ears Avow - 'Be That Nothing'

Swindon based quartet All Ears Avow are another great band we discovered this year. 'Be That Nothing' is one of those songs that I fell in love with instantly. Written by the band during the first COVID lockdown, ‘Be That Nothing' explores the grim reality we were all forced to face, but it's also a celebration of how, within the constraints of the pandemic, we all had to discover new ways to find excitement and get that stress release. Many of us discovered truths about ourselves that we had never known before and were compelled to confront them.

MØ - 'Live To Survive'

MØ is another SMM favourite. The Danish legend consistently drops banger after banger. I'm excited for Motordrome next year. 'Live to Survive' is a europhic track about pulling yourself through a shitty time and coming back stronger on the other side. Another song I definitely needed to hear this year!

Maddie Ross - 'Ears Bunny'

LA's Maddie Ross is a CRIMINALLY underrated artist in my humble opinion. The post-breakup, riff-heavy ‘Ears Bunny' starts as a minimal—albeit cheeky—synth-pop number which then erupts into a guitar-heavy chorus with Ross’ vocal delivery landing somewhere between the recent vengeful output of illuminati hotties and dollar sign–era Kesha. It's a killer track.

Iris Gold - 'Girl Pick Up Your Drum'

Iris Gold has been on our radar for many years now but it's since the release of 'Girl Pick Up Your Drum' that she has really caught our attention. Iris Gold teamed up with Eurythmics' Dave Stewart on the uplifting single. Over the lush guitar riffs, punchy drum grooves, Gold bares it all and pours her inner strength on wax as she breaks free from societal norms that have long restricted women. With her distinctive commanding vocals, she declares her independence with zeal and encourages her sisters to do the same and pick up the proverbial drum of strength.

Dead Sara - 'Hypnotic'

Alt rockers Dead Sara are, I feel, another extremely underrated band. The boot stomping anthem 'Hypnotic', from their excellent new album Ain't It Tragic, drips with swagger as frontwoman Emily Armstrong admits to being self-conscious, but says screw it, she knows she’s “a goddess.” The boastful confidence mixed with self-deprecation makes it a fun, yet honest song and I can't get enough of it!

Willow Kayne - 'Two Seater'

Taking cues from hip hop culture and '90s pop, London's Willow Kayne burst onto the scene this year with her major-label debut 'Two Seater'. Kayne takes us on a rollercoaster ride through mesmerising rapped verses before revealing her softer side with a soothing hook. It's an undeniable bop and I can't wait to hear more from Willow in 2022!

BXB LOVE - 'IGNORANCE SONG'

BXB LOVE, whose real name is Natasha Pheko, previously performed under the moniker Phé. Where her previous project had a more smooth and sensual sound, BXB LOVE has a more aggresive, industrial pop rock vibe and I am so here for it.  'IGNORANCE SONG' is a fresh, exhilarating and curious track of self-discovery which reflects the music BXB LOVE wants to be making and I can't wait to hear more and see what she does next.

Marian Hill - 'omg'

We have been champions of the fabulous Philly duo Marian Hill since the very beginning and they are still churning out hit after hit. They have released a few excellent singles this year but 'omg' is the stand out track for me. Samantha Gongol’s confidence immediately shines through with her vocals and lyrics on 'omg'. She sings “don’t need you so don’t get defensive” in such an airy and nonchalant way that makes her audience experience the same kind of self-assurance. It's a slinky, sexy number that I can't get enough of!

Blu DeTiger - 'Vintage'

Bass player extroadinaire Blu DeTiger throws it back to the 80's with her funky indie pop song 'Vintage'. Her claim, “I’m a vintage girl” covers her personality and her musical style; it’s what makes her stick out from other pop artists. And that bass line is just to die for. Never ever could resist a funky bass line.

Jenevieve - 'Résumé'

Jenevieve's debut album Division is glorious. I've kept a close eye on her ever since I heard the brilliant 'Baby Powder' last year. She bemoans being on her former flame’s romantic CV on the smooth album stand out ‘Résumé’ and boy, is it an addictive track. Jenevieve is poised to be the next big thing in R&B. Mark my words!

Charlotte Cornfield - 'Partner in Crime'

Canadian singer-songwriter Charlotte Cornfield released her new album Highs in the Minuses this year and there is something about the track 'Partner in Crime' that I adore but can't quite put my finger on. It's not normally a song I would be drawn to but I love the lyrics, the plodding beat of the song and the chord changes. Not to mention the brilliant Wes Anderson Bottle Rocket-inspired video.

Amyl and the Sniffers - 'Hertz'

Amyl and the Sniffers are another band that just keep on getting better and better. The Aussie punks' excellent album Comfort to Me was released this year and I think it's a record I will always turn to when I want to hear something raw and primal. 'Hertz' is a ripper of a track about the frustration of being stuck in one place. The perfect escapist anthem.

MUNA feat. Phoebe Bridgers - 'Silk Chiffon'

MUNA and Phoebe Bridgers. Another match made in heaven. 'Silk Chiffon' is THE queer anthem of the year. Between swooning acoustic and gilded guitar riffs Katie Gavin lets loose her crystalline vocals, singing about the kind of exuberant and intoxicating feeling that makes you feel weak at the knees when your crush is near. I love the 'Teenage Dirtbag' vibes of this track.

Poppy Ajudha - 'Change Your Mind'

Poppy Ajudha epitomises the uniquely diverse musical culture that exists in London. With her singular blend of R&B, soul and pop, she is unafraid to stand up for what she believes in. Her lyrics speak of feminism, colonialism, gender politics, current social issues and more. 'Change Your Mind' is a poignant song which sees Poppy imploring a male friend to see things from a woman's perspective. It's a truly beautiful track and has me welling up every time I listen to it.

Noa Kirel - 'Bad Little Thing'

I just love Noa Kirel’s unapologetic confidence, and her single, ‘Bad Little Thing,’ is the perfect example of that. Touching on her beauty, wealth, and success, the lyrics let her boast about everything she’s proud of over a fun sax-tinged instrumental (you know I love that sax!) It's catchy, it's fun, it's bold, it's a pop stunner.

Isabella Manfredi - 'Jealousy'

I was gutted when The Preatures announced their break up this year but only a day later, frontwoman Isabella Manfredi released her incredible debut solo single 'Jealousy' and I was no longer sad because it is a BOP and it makes me very excited for her solo album. 'Jealousy' is highly relatable for me and that slap and pop bass makes me swoon every time.

LØLØ - 'die without u'

LØLØ has been making waves this year with her brand of vibrant alt-pop. She is an artist that blows me away time and time again with her honesty in her music. She's a brilliant lyricist and I have loved every single song she released this year. 'die without u' is the track I connect with most being about that love-hate relationship you can sometimes have with a partner!

[imagineshazamlokimight]

Captain Marvel What? Aussies.

It was the introduction for the newbies and this time one Hal Jordan had been asked to give them a quick pep talk. Why? Who knows even Hal wouldn’t choose himself.

Now Dingo has been with the league for roughly 5 months. They were chosen/ the other Australian heros, forced them to become a “diplomatic” liaison with the league and Australia. They were only attending the induction because they couldn’t make the first due to Australia literally burning. It was definitely not started by a rouge space ship being shot down, and they totally didn’t tell the league until it was blabbed out at the mess hall one week after said incident.

So Dingo was off with fairies.

GL Hal: Now I’m warning you he may be the nicest person but the golden rule is

Don’t fuck with Marvel. Ok!

Dingo who had stoped paying attention after mentioning Flash + not marked food = free

Hal: Dingo!

Dingo startled: What yes!?

Hal: What did I just say the golden rule is?

Dingos brain white static. They know it was something to do with Marvel

As she’s thinking unbeknownst to them Marvel walks in all cheery.

Marvel: hi

Dingo cuts him off with confidence: FUCK WITH MARVEL!

Marvel: Wha wha wha

Dingo snaps head around: Ahh. Well I mean Ummmm. *Sigh* you are very good looking and nice. A dream guy. So I’m not gonna lie.

Marvel is bright red: Well ahm a date would be appropriate first I think

Dingo: I only have chicken nuggets

Hal face palms: these two idiots.

Dingo: hey you guys invited me to your merry American band.

Previous next

[watusichris]

Rock Gunfight in the Antipodes

Listening today to the hot new Grown Up Wrong! comp by Sydney’s Lipstick Killers, whose lone officially released single was produced by Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman, it occurred to me that my old Music Aficionado faux faceoff between Australia’s pioneering bands of the ‘70s (all of which I dearly love) has disappeared into the online ether. It’s time to bring it back.

**********

By Chris Morris

The mid- to late ‘70s were fertile days for rock ‘n’ roll in Australia. Here and there across the vast but not terribly populous island continent, fires were started by several attitude-filled bands bent on doing things their own damn way. They all managed to make their way off the island, but if they hit the American consciousness, it was for little more than a nanosecond during their heyday.

Who were the truest Rock Wizards of Oz? For this Down Under face-off, I’ve selected three contenders: the Saints, Radio Birdman, and the Scientists. All of them had fairly slim discographies; ironically, the act probably least known in the U.S., the Scientists, recorded most prolifically, with their core line-up producing several magnificent albums and singles during a productive four-year stretch in the early ‘80s. But none of these bands ever stayed together long enough to make a deep impression among the Yanks.

So where’s the Birthday Party, you ask? There are a few things to consider. First of all, though the band and its precursor unit the Boys Next Door were in business from 1976 on, they didn’t release their first LP until 1980. Also, Nick Cave is well known enough that more (king) ink needn’t be spilled on him. Finally, I still resent the fact that Cave stole PJ Harvey away from me, so it’s personal.

On with the showdown…

HIT ME LIKE A DEATH RAY, BABY

The Saints, founded 1974 in Brisbane

The prime movers of the Saints were a pair of literal outsiders: vocalist Chris Bailey, born in Kenya to Irish parents, and guitarist Ed Kuepper, raised in Germany. Thus the otherness of their work is no surprise.

With schoolmate Ivor Hay – who over time would play drums, bass, and piano with them – the pair founded a combo originally known as Kid Galahad and the Eternals (borrowing their handle from a 1962 Elvis Presley picture), but they swiftly renamed themselves the Saints and began playing in their hometown on the northeast coast of Australia.

Listening to their records, which were made in something of a cultural vacuum, it’s difficult to get a handle on where the Saints’ distinctive, aggressive sound came from. To be sure they were aware of such homegrown precursors from the ‘60s as the Master’s Apprentices and the Missing Links (whose 1965 single they covered on their debut album). It’s safe to assume they were conversant with the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, and Lenny Kaye’s 1972 garage rock compilation Nuggets. Yet they bred something utterly their own in the ocean air of Brisbane.

With Hay on drums and Kym Bradshaw on bass, Bailey and Kuepper mounted noisy local gigs that swiftly attracted the antipathy of the local constabulary; they wound up turning their own digs into a club to play shows. In 1976, they recorded and issued a self-financed single featuring two originals, “(I’m) Stranded” and “No Time.” These dire, ferocious songs were distinguished by venomous lyrics, unprecedented velocity, and guitar playing by Kuepper that sounded like a (literal) iron curtain being attacked with a chainsaw.

The record died locally, but a copy of its U.K. issue found its way into the hands of a critic at the English music weekly Sounds, which declared it the single of the week. This accolade got the attention of EMI Records, which signed the band and financed the recording of an album, also titled I’m Stranded, in a fast two-day Brisbane session.

The album, which was ultimately released in the U.S. by Sire Records, blew the ears off anyone who heard it, and it landed with a bang in England, where punk rock was lifting off in all its fury in early 1977. It was hurtling, powerful stuff that stood apart from punk in several crucial ways: While some of the songs were clipped and demonic in the standard manner, the Saints proved they could take their time on expansive numbers like the almost Dylanesque “Messin’ With the Kid” and the sprawling, hellriding “Nights in Venice.” And one has to wonder how British p-rockers took to their perverted take on Elvis’ squishy “Kissin’ Cousins.”

Made by musicians who never considered themselves “punks,” and who in fact abhorred the label, (I’m) Stranded is nevertheless one of the definitive statements in the genre, and it has maintained its force to this day.

Settling in England for the duration, the Saints decided to throw a curveball. One could not find a more profoundly alienated album than Eternally Yours (1978), a series of yowling protests, twisted prophecies, and savage put-downs, including the snarling second version of the single “This Perfect Day.” But, though the record was loud and for the most part swift, the group applied the brakes to their sound somewhat, and a couple of songs, including the caustic album opener “Know Your Product,” were dressed by a soul-styled horn section. Punk loyalists ran for cover.

By the time Prehistoric Sounds was issued in late ’78, the dejected Bailey and Kuepper were moving in different directions, and you can hear it in the grooves. The record is slow, almost listless at times, and its logy originals are complemented by incongruous Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin covers with none of the energy of earlier Saints soul-blasts. It is an album primarily for loyalists, and by then there were few in that number.

Kuepper exited the band on the heels of the third album’s release and returned to Australia, where he enjoyed a long career as leader of the Laughing Clowns; Bailey continued to perform under the Saints mantle with a shifting lineup that at last count numbered more than 30 players over the course of 37 years

Bailey and Kuepper reunited for one-off gigs in 2001 (at the ARIA awards ceremony) and 2007 (at Australia’s Queensland Music Festival).

THERE’S GONNA BE A NEW RACE

Radio Birdman, founded 1974 in Sydney

People who toss the “punk” handle around often throw Radio Birdman into the mix, but the sextet from Australia’s Southeast Coast may be best referred as the world’s youngest proto-punk band.

Its mastermind was guitarist, songwriter, and producer Deniz Tek, a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, who emigrated to Sydney in 1971 to study medicine. As a teen, he got a chance to witness Detroit’s most explosive pre-punk bands – the MC5, the Stooges, and the Rationals; he would later wind up collaborating with important members of all those groups.

After apprenticing with and getting bounced from a Sydney band called TV Jones, Tek formed Radio Birdman (its name a corruption of a lyric from the Stooges’ “1970”) with singer Rob Younger; the lineup ultimately solidified with the addition of guitarist (and sometime keyboardist) Chris Masuak, bassist Warwick Gilbert, drummer Ron Keeley, and (on and off and then on again) keyboardist Pip Hoyle.

Rapidly acquiring a fan base made up of some of Sydney’s lowest elements, including members of the local Hell’s Angels, Radio Birdman ultimately took over a bar, re-dubbed (in honor of the Stooges, of course) the Oxford Funhouse, as their base of operations. The band’s severe Tek-designed band logo emanated fascist-style vibes for some; at a co-billed appearance in Sydney, the Saints’ Chris Bailey remarked from the stage, “We’d like to thank the local members of Hitler Youth for their stage props.”

Despite much antipathy and some attendant violence, the band maintained a loyal local following, and in 1976 it issued a strong four-song EP, Burn My Eye, via local studio-cum-independent label Trafalgar. This was succeeded the following year by a full-length debut album, Radios Appear.

Anyone looking for something resembling punk will likely be disappointed by that collection. The band wears its all-American hard rock/proto-punk influences on its dirty sleeve. Radios Appear is dedicated to the Stooges (whose “No Fun” was the lead-off track on the Aussie issue of the LP), and a song co-written by Tek and Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton, “Hit Them Again,” was cut during sessions for the record. Tek pays deep homage to MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer with his playing, and blatantly cops a signature lick from the 5’s “Looking at You” at one juncture. The album title was lifted from a Blue Öyster Cult lyric, and the Tek-Masuak guitar-bashing bows to their multi-axe sound. Finally, in both Younger’s sometimes Morrisonian vocalizing and Hoyle’s Ray Manzarek-like ornamentation, homage to the Doors in paid in full. Given that Sydney is a beach town, there’s even a frisson of surf music in the mix.

Bursting with power-packed originals like the apocalyptic “Descent into the Maestrom,” youth-in-revolt anthem “New Race,” the cryptic, insinuating “Man with the Golden Helmet,” and Tek’s autobiographical “Murder City Nights,” Radios Appear was a power-packed set that established Radio Birdman as Oz’s leading rock light.

However, renown did not equal success in Antipodean terms. In 1978, the band cut its second album, Living Eyes, at Rockfield Studio in Wales; it was a solid effort that included remakes of three Burn My Eye numbers (including the wonderful Tek memoir “I-94,” about the Michigan interstate) and excellent new originals like “Hanging On,” “Crying Sun,” and “Alone in the End Zone.” But, with success seemingly within their grasp, Sire Records – their American label, and the Saints’ as well – switched distribution and cut their roster, leaving their new work without a home. Within months of this catastrophe, Radio Birdman disbanded.

The principals scattered, to Younger’s New Christs and Tek and Hoyle’s the Visitors; Tek, Younger, and Warwick Gilbert later joined MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson and the Stooges’ Ron Asheton in the one-off New Race. Tek also later recorded with Wayne Kramer and Scott Morgan of Ann Arbor’s Rationals in Dodge Main.

Radio Birdman’s original lineup reunited for a 1996 tour; in August 2006 – after four of the original sextet regrouped to record a potent new album, Zeno Beach – the band played its first American date ever, at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theater. Your correspondent was there, and it was freakin’ incredible.

IN MY HEART THERE’S A PLACE CALLED SWAMPLAND

The Scientists, founded 1978 in Perth

Among the important Aussie bands of the ‘70s, the Scientists were among the first to be directly influenced by the punk explosion in New York.

As guitarist-singer-songwriter Kim Salmon – the lone constant in the Scientists’ lineup during their existence – wrote in 1975, “Reading about a far-off place called CBGB in NYC and its leather-clad denizens, all with names like Johnny Thunders, Richard Hell, and Joey Ramone, got me thinking…I immediately went searching for Punk Rock. What I found were The Modern Lovers and The New York Dolls albums.”

Salmon first dabbled in the new sound with a band bearing the delightfully punk name the Cheap Nasties. Cobbled together in Perth – the Western provincial capital of Australia – from members of such local acts as the Exterminators, the Victims, and Salmon’s the Invaders -- the early Scientists were as derivative as one might imagine. Their early songs, heard on their self-titled LP (the so-called “Pink Album”) and an early single and EP, sport original songs authored by Salmon and drummer-lyricist James Baker, the backbone of shifting Scientific crews through 1980. The tunes range from straight-up Dolls/Heartbreakers rips (“Frantic Romantic,” “Pissed On Another Planet,” “High Noon”) to buzzing romantic pop-punk in a Buzzcocks vein (“That Girl,” “She Said She Loves Me”).

Not terribly promising stuff, but, after the departure of Baker for the Hoodoo Gurus in 1981 and a brief stint in a trio called Louie Louie, Salmon assembled a new Scientists who would prevail for nearly four years. That outfit – Salmon, guitarist Tony Thewlis, bassist Boris Sujdovic, and drummer Brett Rixton – promptly relocated to Sydney and started making the noise they are noted for.

By that time, Salmon had begun cocking an ear to the Birthday Party (and no doubt paid careful attention to the sordid noise on the Melbourne group’s 1982 album Junkyard), had discovered the miasmic voodoo of the Cramps, and started grooving to the dissonant, slide guitar-dominated racket of Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. In short order, he would also absorb the bluesy downhome assault of Los Angeles’ roots-punk outfit the Gun Club.

The Sydney-based Scientists hooked up with indie label Au Go Go, which issued a devastating run of careening, mossy records by the band in 1982-83 – the vertiginous singles “This is My Happy Hour”/“Swampland” and the corrosive “We Had Love” (backed by a faithful cover of Beefheart’s “Clear Spot”), and the heart-stopping mini-album Blood Red River, which bore the churning “Set It On Fire,” “Revhead,” and “Burnout.” Others were essaying a similar style, but the Aussie youngsters were beating their elders at their own game.

Eying the big time, the band moved to London in 1984. Some opportunities presented themselves initially: The band got European tour slots with the Gun Club and early Goth act Sisters of Mercy. But their deal with Au Go Go fell apart acrimoniously; while they made a pair of fog-bound albums, You Get What You Deserve (1985) and The Human Jukebox (1987) for Karbon Records (and a set of re-recorded songs, Weird Love, was issued in the U.S. by Big Time Records), they scraped by in Britain.

Defections from the ranks commenced in ’85, and by early 1987 the depleted Salmon used money from a housing settlement to move back to Australia, where he founded a new band, the Surrealists.

Still valued among the cognoscenti, Salmon, Thewlis, Sujdovic, and latter-day drummer Leanne Chock appeared, at the invitation of Seattle’s Mudhoney, at London’s All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival in 2006. Earlier this year, Chicago-based archival label the Numero Group issued a comprehensive four-disc box of the band’s original recordings.

So, at the end of the day, who is the all-time champeen of ‘70s Oz rock?

Scoring on points, the Saints are tops for Being Punk First with additional wins in the Pure Noise and Weltzschmerz categories, Radio Birdman takes the Technical Ability and Old-School Attitude slots, and the Scientists prevail in the Loud Young Snot and Grunge Thug division.

And the championship belt goes to…the Saints!

Of course, that could all change tomorrow, but that’s rock ‘n’ roll for ya.