Fun Things
Encyclopedia
The Fun Things were a high energy punk band that was formed during the heyday period of punk rock. Known for their admiration of Radio Birdman
, they also have been documented as being "modeled on almost exclusively on the Radio Birdman / Stooges
/ Sex Pistols
mould." The band released one highly acclaimed E.P. and has become "one of the most collectable artifacts from Australia’s punk rock era."
. There was another band of the same name during this period from Adelaide
but were more new wave orientated. The Brisbane punk rock
“Aliens” members featured Brad Shepherd
on guitar and vocals, bassist John Hartley
, and Murray Shepherd on drums but dissolved to form the Phantom Agents for a phase without Hartley.
After the Phantom Agents, The original Aliens reformed as The Fun Things with The Phantom Agents guitarist Graeme Beavis. This outfit rapidly gained a strong local following, which was due to their tight and energetic live shows.
The Fun Things were still teenagers but managed to record a self titled E.P. in 1980. “It was just part of the punk process. It was something you wanted to do. We felt we had a couple of decent songs. We were still all in school at the time. I borrowed 400 bucks from my parents in order to make the thing happen,” Brad Shepherd recollected. The songs were “mixed gutsy guitar riffs, breakneck tempos, punk attitude and youthful exuberance in equal measure,” according to Ian McFarlane. In 2000 the EP was re-released on Pennimann Records from Spain. Some of the tracks in the past had been subject to bootlegging from outside Australia.
The band split in 1980 at the time of their E.P. release which was followed by Brad Shepherd joining The 31st, an alternative rock
outfit from Brisbane
. Murray Shepherd and Hartley went to form The Screaming Tribesmen in 1981 with Mick Medew
and Ronnie Peno from The 31st.
In the early 2000s the Shepherd brothers formed a band called The Monarchs, which was loosely based on the Fun Things. A CD called Make Yer Own Fun was released by The Monarchs.
When The Birdman Fly, Lipstick, (I Ain't Got) Time Enough for Love, Savage
When The Birdman Fly, Lipstick, (I Ain't Got) Time Enough for Love, Savage
Tracks on Compilation CD
Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
, they also have been documented as being "modeled on almost exclusively on the Radio Birdman / Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
/ Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
mould." The band released one highly acclaimed E.P. and has become "one of the most collectable artifacts from Australia’s punk rock era."
History
While the band existed from 1979 to 1980 under the name The Fun Things, they were also known previously during 1978 as The AliensThe Aliens
The Aliens are a Scottish band consisting of former Beta Band members Gordon Anderson , John Maclean and Robin Jones...
. There was another band of the same name during this period from Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
but were more new wave orientated. The Brisbane punk rock
Brisbane punk rock
The Brisbane punk rock scene between 1975 and 1984 is generally regarded as producing “some of the most anarchistic bands of the Australian punk rock era”...
“Aliens” members featured Brad Shepherd
Brad Shepherd
Brad Shepherd is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially the Hoodoo Gurus...
on guitar and vocals, bassist John Hartley
John Hartley
John Hartley may refer to:*John Hartley , Yorkshire*John Anderson Hartley , Australian educationist*John Hartley , English clergyman who won Wimbledon...
, and Murray Shepherd on drums but dissolved to form the Phantom Agents for a phase without Hartley.
After the Phantom Agents, The original Aliens reformed as The Fun Things with The Phantom Agents guitarist Graeme Beavis. This outfit rapidly gained a strong local following, which was due to their tight and energetic live shows.
The Fun Things were still teenagers but managed to record a self titled E.P. in 1980. “It was just part of the punk process. It was something you wanted to do. We felt we had a couple of decent songs. We were still all in school at the time. I borrowed 400 bucks from my parents in order to make the thing happen,” Brad Shepherd recollected. The songs were “mixed gutsy guitar riffs, breakneck tempos, punk attitude and youthful exuberance in equal measure,” according to Ian McFarlane. In 2000 the EP was re-released on Pennimann Records from Spain. Some of the tracks in the past had been subject to bootlegging from outside Australia.
The band split in 1980 at the time of their E.P. release which was followed by Brad Shepherd joining The 31st, an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
outfit from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. Murray Shepherd and Hartley went to form The Screaming Tribesmen in 1981 with Mick Medew
Mick Medew
Robert Michael "Mick" Medew is an Australian singer-songwriter who fronted Screaming Tribesmen, which formed in Brisbane in 1981. Medew has written or co-written a number of independent hits, "Igloo", "Date with a Vampyre" and "I Got a Feeling", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot...
and Ronnie Peno from The 31st.
In the early 2000s the Shepherd brothers formed a band called The Monarchs, which was loosely based on the Fun Things. A CD called Make Yer Own Fun was released by The Monarchs.
Personnel
- Brad Shepherd – Guitar, Lead Vocals
- Graeme Beavis – Guitar, Vocals
- John Hartley – Bass, Vocals
- Murray Shepherd – Drums, Vocals
Discography
- Fun Things – 7 inchGramophone recordA gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
E.P. 1980
When The Birdman Fly, Lipstick, (I Ain't Got) Time Enough for Love, Savage
- Fun Things – 7 inch E.P. 2000, Pennimann Records PENN-EP005
When The Birdman Fly, Lipstick, (I Ain't Got) Time Enough for Love, Savage
Tracks on Compilation CD
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
- Savage - CD, Behind the Banana CurtainBehind the Banana CurtainBehind the Banana Curtain is a compilation album released by 4ZZZ. It is a 2 disc set that documents 25 years of 4ZZZ broadcasting and their contribution to the Australian city of Brisbane's music scene-Track listing:Disc One...
– 4zzz, 2001
- Savage - CD, Do the Pop! The Australian Garage-Rock Sound 1976-1987 – Shock RecordsShock RecordsShock Records is Australia's largest independent record label. It helps distribute records from overseas records labels such as Epitaph Records, and also for small record labels designed specifically for that band such as Cement Records...
, 2002
- When The Birdman Fly - CD, Tales from the AUSTRALIAN UNDERGROUND - Shock, 2003
- When The Birdman Fly, Lipstick, (I Ain't Got) Time Enough for Love, Savage - CD, Murder Punk volume 2 - Murder Punk