Australian ska
Encyclopedia
The Australian ska
scene has existed since the mid 1980s, when it started enjoying the same sort of interest as it did in the United Kingdom, following the success of UK 2 Tone
bands such as The Specials
, The Beat
and Madness
.
, The Hangovers
and Itchy Feet (led by vocalist Tim Freedman, who went on to form the commercially successful band The Whitlams
) and Melbourne bands The Strange Tennants and No Nonsense. The Allniters were the most high-profile Australian ska band of this era. They were best known for a ska-style cover of the Bobby Bloom hit "Montego Bay", followed by the slower and more mainstream "Love and Affection", both of which received widespread radio airplay in Australia and were top 40 hits. The Allniters reformed in 1998 to release their second album, Another Fine Mess, on the Sound System Label, and to tour with The Porkers
on the Skafari Tour. They reformed again to support the reggae
band UB40
in 2004.
The first Ska bands in Australia, included 'The Letters', formed in Melbourne in 1979, featuring founder member of 'Strange Tennants' John Holmes - and Melbourne band, 'Noisy Neighbours'. Both bands played in most main independent venues in Melbourne, and often together. You can also hear Holmsey in rare and an unleased E.P. 'Saturdays at Wardour'. Recorded pre 'Strange Tennants' also in 1979, it featured many local musicians who were involved in the new wave scene at the time, and recorded at the infamous 'Wardour Studios' in Fitzroy. www.myspace.com/saturdaysatwardour
In 1987, the Newcastle-based band The Pork Hunts appeared on the scene, soon changing their name to The Porkers. They spent more than 20 years touring and recording many albums, the most recent of which, This is The Porkers, was released in 2007. The band toured New Zealand, Europe, the United States and Japan, and played with bands such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
, No Doubt
, Fishbone
and Suicidal Tendencies
. More recent bands include: Mad Not Madness, Area 7
, Backy Skank, Los Capitanes, General Pants and the Privates, Sounds Like Chicken
, The Prophets of Impending Doom, The Seen, Loin Groin, Skamen, Trojan Horns, Blowhard, Dr. Raju, Addiction 64, Suspect 7, Foghorn Leghorn, The Resignators, Rubix Cuba, Dr. Octopus, CatchCry, Rad Rockets Are GO!, The Accelerators, Son of Dad and The My Tys.
There are regular ska and punk rock
radio shows on the independent Brisbane radio station 4ZzZ
.
On the first Thursday of every month, the "Ska Bar" was held at The Arthouse in North Melbourne. From 1999 to 2004 this institution was the foundation for the scene, and its end in 2004 was reflective of a scene in decline. Every year, the Melbourne International Skafest was held at the Corner Hotel, an event which eventually morphed into the annual gig for the Melbourne Ska Orchestra with an international guest. Venues where ska gigs were commonly held were The Arthouse, The Tote, The Punters Club, The Corner Hotel, 9th Ward and The Evelyn. The biggest venue booked by a local ska band was the Hifi Bar for the launch of Commissioner Gordon's album which was supported by Sforzando and H-Block 101. The scene was also supported by a weekly radio show called Skankin' Downunder on the community radio station called Plenty Valley FM.
Ska bands from interstate made appearances at local shows, including The Porkers (Sydney), The Seen (Adelaide) and Wiseacre (Brisbane). Many international ska bands played shows in Melbourne during this era, such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish (who have toured many times), Blukilla, Less Than Jake, Goldfinger, The Special Beat, The Skatellites and Bad Manners.
Around 2004 when many of the bands of the past 5 years began breaking up, it seemed the scene would continue to prosper due to the healthy number of new bands appearing- such as The Ska Vendors, The Knockabouts, The Moonhops, The Vaginals and The Resignators. However, audiences were shrinking so the scene went into decline, with gigs only held occasionally. However, the annual Ska Nation weekend of events was started and Commissioner Gordon played annual re-union gigs.
The two major community radio stations- RRR and PBS- have never had dedicated ska shows, however Blue Juice on PBS often plays pre-1980 ska/rocksteady songs.
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
scene has existed since the mid 1980s, when it started enjoying the same sort of interest as it did in the United Kingdom, following the success of UK 2 Tone
2 Tone
2 Tone is a music genre created in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae, and New Wave. It was called 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff...
bands such as The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
, The Beat
The Beat (band)
The Beat are a 2 Tone ska revival band founded in England in 1978. Their songs fuse ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock, and their lyrics deal with themes of love, unity and sociopolitical topics....
and Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
.
Beginnings
The first Australian ska band was Adelaide-based band The Jumpers, which formed in 1979. Other early Australian ska bands included: Sydney bands AllnitersAllniters
The Allniters were an Australian ska pop band based in Sydney during 1980–1987. Original line-up was Ted Ayers on sax, Dave Bebb on drums, Stuart Crysell on guitar, Martin Fabok on guitar, Peter Hill-Travis on vocals, Graham Hood on bass guitar, Brett Pattinson on vocals and Mark Taylor on...
, The Hangovers
The Hangovers
The Hangovers are a subset of the Cornell University Glee Club, the oldest student organization at Cornell University, and were themselves founded in 1968. The Hangovers' repertoire consists mainly of popular songs arranged for a cappella by members and alumni of the group, but they also perform...
and Itchy Feet (led by vocalist Tim Freedman, who went on to form the commercially successful band The Whitlams
The Whitlams
The discography of The Whitlams consists of six studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, and eighteen singles.-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Videos:-Music videos:-Awards:...
) and Melbourne bands The Strange Tennants and No Nonsense. The Allniters were the most high-profile Australian ska band of this era. They were best known for a ska-style cover of the Bobby Bloom hit "Montego Bay", followed by the slower and more mainstream "Love and Affection", both of which received widespread radio airplay in Australia and were top 40 hits. The Allniters reformed in 1998 to release their second album, Another Fine Mess, on the Sound System Label, and to tour with The Porkers
The Porkers
The Porkers are a ska punk band from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.Formed in 1987 as The Pork Hunts, the band was eventually forced to change its name to the less offensive-sounding Porkers in 1990 after their regular Newcastle venue refused to present them with their old name...
on the Skafari Tour. They reformed again to support the reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band UB40
UB40
UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
in 2004.
The first Ska bands in Australia, included 'The Letters', formed in Melbourne in 1979, featuring founder member of 'Strange Tennants' John Holmes - and Melbourne band, 'Noisy Neighbours'. Both bands played in most main independent venues in Melbourne, and often together. You can also hear Holmsey in rare and an unleased E.P. 'Saturdays at Wardour'. Recorded pre 'Strange Tennants' also in 1979, it featured many local musicians who were involved in the new wave scene at the time, and recorded at the infamous 'Wardour Studios' in Fitzroy. www.myspace.com/saturdaysatwardour
In 1987, the Newcastle-based band The Pork Hunts appeared on the scene, soon changing their name to The Porkers. They spent more than 20 years touring and recording many albums, the most recent of which, This is The Porkers, was released in 2007. The band toured New Zealand, Europe, the United States and Japan, and played with bands such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...
, No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, Fishbone
Fishbone
Fishbone is a U.S. alternative rock band formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California, which plays a fusion of ska, punk rock, funk, hard rock and soul. Critics have noted of the band: "Fishbone was one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the late '80s...
and Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
. More recent bands include: Mad Not Madness, Area 7
Area 7
Area 7 may refer to:* Area 7 one of the areas inside the Nevada Test Site* Area 7 , thriller by Matthew Reilly* Area-7, Australian band...
, Backy Skank, Los Capitanes, General Pants and the Privates, Sounds Like Chicken
Sounds Like Chicken
Sounds Like Chicken was a band from Melbourne, Australia released on Boomtown Records which formed in 1999 and disbanded in 2007. They were one of Australia's most well-known ska bands and one of the most popular Christian bands in the country....
, The Prophets of Impending Doom, The Seen, Loin Groin, Skamen, Trojan Horns, Blowhard, Dr. Raju, Addiction 64, Suspect 7, Foghorn Leghorn, The Resignators, Rubix Cuba, Dr. Octopus, CatchCry, Rad Rockets Are GO!, The Accelerators, Son of Dad and The My Tys.
There are regular ska and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
radio shows on the independent Brisbane radio station 4ZzZ
4ZZZ
4ZZZ is an independent community radio station operating in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, at the frequency 102.1 FM. As a community radio station, 4ZZZ is a member of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia...
.
1990s
In the mid 1990s, the Melbourne ska scene was mostly dormant. The few gigs were from bands such as Loin Groin, Slyboots and Area 7. However, towards the end of the decade the momentum started to build on the back of the oi-punk resurgence. New bands started appearing, such as Oiska (another bio), Addiction 64, Shelflife, Ringleader, Cheese Excursion and Commissioner Gordon.2000s
The momentum continued with additional bands springing up, like Hectic, Skazz, 99% Fat, Trojan Horns, Redsand Shuffle, Mr Coffee, User Friendly and The Incredible Dead Goons. Gigs were regular and well attended. Most of the musicians and audience were born from 1980-1985 and although the scene developed into a size which could exist in its own right, there was still crossover with the local punk scene. The most popular bands in this time were Commissioner Gordon, 99% Fat and Area 7 (although by this stage Area 7 had become a "national band" with strong airplay on Triple M, so they were partly isolated from the "local scene").On the first Thursday of every month, the "Ska Bar" was held at The Arthouse in North Melbourne. From 1999 to 2004 this institution was the foundation for the scene, and its end in 2004 was reflective of a scene in decline. Every year, the Melbourne International Skafest was held at the Corner Hotel, an event which eventually morphed into the annual gig for the Melbourne Ska Orchestra with an international guest. Venues where ska gigs were commonly held were The Arthouse, The Tote, The Punters Club, The Corner Hotel, 9th Ward and The Evelyn. The biggest venue booked by a local ska band was the Hifi Bar for the launch of Commissioner Gordon's album which was supported by Sforzando and H-Block 101. The scene was also supported by a weekly radio show called Skankin' Downunder on the community radio station called Plenty Valley FM.
Ska bands from interstate made appearances at local shows, including The Porkers (Sydney), The Seen (Adelaide) and Wiseacre (Brisbane). Many international ska bands played shows in Melbourne during this era, such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish (who have toured many times), Blukilla, Less Than Jake, Goldfinger, The Special Beat, The Skatellites and Bad Manners.
Around 2004 when many of the bands of the past 5 years began breaking up, it seemed the scene would continue to prosper due to the healthy number of new bands appearing- such as The Ska Vendors, The Knockabouts, The Moonhops, The Vaginals and The Resignators. However, audiences were shrinking so the scene went into decline, with gigs only held occasionally. However, the annual Ska Nation weekend of events was started and Commissioner Gordon played annual re-union gigs.
2010s
For a while, most of the ska shows featured bands playing a retro style (eg 2 Tone, 1980s). However, there are still some bands looking to develop a unique style. As of 2011, bands known to still be active include The Ska Vendors, Loonee Tunes, The Kujo Kings, Area 7, The Resignators, Madonna and Menage A Ska.The two major community radio stations- RRR and PBS- have never had dedicated ska shows, however Blue Juice on PBS often plays pre-1980 ska/rocksteady songs.