Vampire Lovers (Australian band)
Encyclopedia
The Vampire Lovers, also known as Vampyre Lovers or Vampire Lovers were a Brisbane punk rock
group formed in 1982 in Queensland
, Australia. Music historian
, Ian McFarlane, stated that Brisbane produced "some of the most anarchistic bands of the Australian punk rock era" and that it was a city nationally renowned for its ultra conservatism. Original members were Axle "Axe Babe" Conrad on vocals, Shane Cooke on bass guitar
, Matt "Nasty" Le Noury on guitar
and Dave Chamberlain on drums
. They also included guitarists, Brendan Kibble
, Jason Shepherd, and drummer Ziggy Staten.
According to British fanzine journalist, Hugh Gulland, the band was "Firmly rooted in The Damned / Misfits - horror punk
axis" and suggested that the group’s horror punk appeal extended to fans of garish apparel like "pink leopardskin". In a interview with the band in 1988 they described themselves as "Australia's only genuine death rock experience".
The band existed from 1982 to 1984 and reformed in 1988 to disband in 1990. Generally recognized in Australia by the alternative crowd for their first single from 1983 called "Buzzsaw Popstar", the band eventually released one mini L.P. called Acid Commandos from Planet Fuzz, which appeared in 1991, one year after the band broke up. Both Le Noury and Cooke were in Hitmen D.T.K.
in Sydney during the early 1990s and recorded on some of the group’s later releases. A retrospective compilation
called 13 Tasteless Masterpieces was released by United Kingdom indie label, Magic Monster in 2004.
group, The Flying Squad in 1981, by Brendan Kibble
(Flying Squad singer/guitar
ist) and Axle "Axe Babe" Conrad (vocals), they enlisted other local musicians Matt "Nasty" Le Noury (guitar) and Shane Cooke (Flying Squad bass guitar
ist). In 1982, Dave Chamberlain joined on drums
to complete the original line up, but Kibble quit shortly after.
The Vampire Lovers named themselves after the 1970 lesbian Hammer Horror movie, The Vampire Lovers
. Their fixation for unusual or camp horror movies, high powered motorcycles, illicit drugs and deviancy is attested by lyrical themes in their original songs, generally written by Conrad, Cooke and Le Noury (Nasty) such as "Heavy Planet Fuzz", "Death Dwarf", "Gothic School of Twilight Punk" and "Second Generation Psychopath". A review of the band branded them as "Four young, trash movie-obsessed reprobates with a taste for weed and strong acid." Axle, vocalist for the band, explained that the band were inspired by "mind altering substances and movies like Pink Flamingos
, Eraserhead
and Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
After many delays, the group released their first EP
, Buzzsaw Popstar, on the Sundown label in 1983. "Buzzsaw Popstar", the lead track, received extensive airplay on 4ZzZ
, a Brisbane community radio station. This enabled the band to achieve cult notoriety in their home state of Queensland
and has since moved Rob Younger
(from Radio Birdman
) to declare it "a masterpiece
".
A second single was released six months later in 1984 called "Sweethearts Blown Mindless" and has generally been regarded as sounding like the Raw Power
Stooges with a different drummer and Lux Interior (The Cramps) sitting in for Iggy. Shortly after the single release at the later half of 1984 the group fell apart as the original punk/post punk movement disintegrated in Brisbane. It was asserted that, “turning their back on stardom, the Vampire Lovers split in late ’84, claiming to have been thwarted by ‘creative differences’.” The following year Le Noury (guitar) and Cooke (bass guitar) went on to form Detroit rock influenced group, The Four Horsemen, with Screaming Tribesmen
and Fun Things
' drummer Murray Shepherd and vocalist, Nick Leigh from The Cimmerians. Dave Chamberlain went on to sing with the Subsonic Barflies.
musicians Ziggy Staten and Jason Shepherd, brother of Murray Shepherd. 1988 saw the release of the single "Heavy Planet Fuzz" for the Bent label in November. They started recording a Jukebox EP, Weirdo Wastelands, in 1988 for the United States indie label Hecuba Records which was released in 1989. Overseas signings were considered an unusual and rare achievement for Brisbane bands at the time. The songs were described as some kind of out of control speed metal-hardcore hybrid. A final line up changed occurred in 1988 when Le Noury left to join Hitmen DTK, and the remaining members recorded a mini LP, Acid Commandos from Planet Fuzz, but disbanded in 1990 before its release. Cooke joined Le Noury in Hitmen DTK, and the posthumous album by The Vampire Lovers was released in 1991 by Schlock Records. A retrospective compilation
called 13 Tasteless Masterpieces was released by United Kingdom indie label, Magic Monster in 2004.
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”...
group formed in 1982 in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia. Music historian
Music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
, Ian McFarlane, stated that Brisbane produced "some of the most anarchistic bands of the Australian punk rock era" and that it was a city nationally renowned for its ultra conservatism. Original members were Axle "Axe Babe" Conrad on vocals, Shane Cooke on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Matt "Nasty" Le Noury on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and Dave Chamberlain on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. They also included guitarists, Brendan Kibble
Brendan Kibble
Brendan Kibble aka "Wig" is an Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his work with the Bam Balams and the Navahodads.-Musical history:...
, Jason Shepherd, and drummer Ziggy Staten.
According to British fanzine journalist, Hugh Gulland, the band was "Firmly rooted in The Damned / Misfits - horror punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
axis" and suggested that the group’s horror punk appeal extended to fans of garish apparel like "pink leopardskin". In a interview with the band in 1988 they described themselves as "Australia's only genuine death rock experience".
The band existed from 1982 to 1984 and reformed in 1988 to disband in 1990. Generally recognized in Australia by the alternative crowd for their first single from 1983 called "Buzzsaw Popstar", the band eventually released one mini L.P. called Acid Commandos from Planet Fuzz, which appeared in 1991, one year after the band broke up. Both Le Noury and Cooke were in Hitmen D.T.K.
The Hitmen
Hitmen are an Australian Hard rock band. The group went through a large number of lineup changes in its short late 1970s and early 1980s run, then regrouped under a new name, Hitmen DTK, between 1989 and 1992. They reformed in 2007 and continue to play....
in Sydney during the early 1990s and recorded on some of the group’s later releases. A retrospective compilation
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...
called 13 Tasteless Masterpieces was released by United Kingdom indie label, Magic Monster in 2004.
1981–1984
Originally formed after the demise of Brisbane punk rockBrisbane 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”...
group, The Flying Squad in 1981, by Brendan Kibble
Brendan Kibble
Brendan Kibble aka "Wig" is an Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his work with the Bam Balams and the Navahodads.-Musical history:...
(Flying Squad singer/guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist) and Axle "Axe Babe" Conrad (vocals), they enlisted other local musicians Matt "Nasty" Le Noury (guitar) and Shane Cooke (Flying Squad bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist). In 1982, Dave Chamberlain joined on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
to complete the original line up, but Kibble quit shortly after.
The Vampire Lovers named themselves after the 1970 lesbian Hammer Horror movie, The Vampire Lovers
The Vampire Lovers
The Vampire Lovers is a 1970 British Hammer Horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt, Madeline Smith, Kate O'Mara, and Jon Finch. It is based on the J. Sheridan Le Fanu novella Carmilla and is part of the so-called Karnstein Trilogy of films. The other films in...
. Their fixation for unusual or camp horror movies, high powered motorcycles, illicit drugs and deviancy is attested by lyrical themes in their original songs, generally written by Conrad, Cooke and Le Noury (Nasty) such as "Heavy Planet Fuzz", "Death Dwarf", "Gothic School of Twilight Punk" and "Second Generation Psychopath". A review of the band branded them as "Four young, trash movie-obsessed reprobates with a taste for weed and strong acid." Axle, vocalist for the band, explained that the band were inspired by "mind altering substances and movies like Pink Flamingos
Pink Flamingos
Pink Flamingos is a 1972 transgressive black comedy film written, produced, composed, shot, edited, and directed by John Waters. When the film was initially released, it caused a huge degree of controversy and thus became one of the most notorious cult films ever made. It made an underground star...
, Eraserhead
Eraserhead
Eraserhead is a 1977 American surrealist film and the first feature film of David Lynch, who wrote, produced and directed. Lynch began working on the film at the AFI Conservatory, which gave him a $10,000 grant to make the film after he had begun working there following his 1971 move to Los Angeles...
and Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
After many delays, the group released their first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Buzzsaw Popstar, on the Sundown label in 1983. "Buzzsaw Popstar", the lead track, received extensive airplay on 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...
, a Brisbane community radio station. This enabled the band to achieve cult notoriety in their home state of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and has since moved Rob Younger
Rob Younger
Rob Younger is an Australian rock musician, vocalist and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the influential Sydney-based punk rock group Radio Birdman, which formed in 1974. After the Radio Birdman break-up, Younger joined the super-group, New Race, who were active in 1981...
(from Radio Birdman
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...
) to declare it "a masterpiece
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
".
A second single was released six months later in 1984 called "Sweethearts Blown Mindless" and has generally been regarded as sounding like the Raw Power
Raw Power
Raw Power is the third studio album by American rock band The Stooges. Though not initially commercially successful, Raw Power gained a cult fanbase in the years following its release and, like its predecessor , is generally considered an influential forerunner of punk rock.-Recording history:After...
Stooges with a different drummer and Lux Interior (The Cramps) sitting in for Iggy. Shortly after the single release at the later half of 1984 the group fell apart as the original punk/post punk movement disintegrated in Brisbane. It was asserted that, “turning their back on stardom, the Vampire Lovers split in late ’84, claiming to have been thwarted by ‘creative differences’.” The following year Le Noury (guitar) and Cooke (bass guitar) went on to form Detroit rock influenced group, The Four Horsemen, with Screaming Tribesmen
Screaming Tribesmen
The Screaming Tribesmen was a band formed in Brisbane by Mick Medew, John Hartley & Murray Shepherd. After their I Don't Wanna Know EP and a string of successful singles, including "A Stand Alone" and their first hit, "Igloo" which was penned by Medew and Died Pretty frontman Ron Peno, the band...
and Fun Things
Fun Things
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...
' drummer Murray Shepherd and vocalist, Nick Leigh from The Cimmerians. Dave Chamberlain went on to sing with the Subsonic Barflies.
1987–1990
In 1987, Buzzsaw Popstar was re-released and regained much of its local popularity, and prompted the band to reform the following year. Conrad, Cooke and Le Noury recruited new members, heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
musicians Ziggy Staten and Jason Shepherd, brother of Murray Shepherd. 1988 saw the release of the single "Heavy Planet Fuzz" for the Bent label in November. They started recording a Jukebox EP, Weirdo Wastelands, in 1988 for the United States indie label Hecuba Records which was released in 1989. Overseas signings were considered an unusual and rare achievement for Brisbane bands at the time. The songs were described as some kind of out of control speed metal-hardcore hybrid. A final line up changed occurred in 1988 when Le Noury left to join Hitmen DTK, and the remaining members recorded a mini LP, Acid Commandos from Planet Fuzz, but disbanded in 1990 before its release. Cooke joined Le Noury in Hitmen DTK, and the posthumous album by The Vampire Lovers was released in 1991 by Schlock Records. A retrospective compilation
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...
called 13 Tasteless Masterpieces was released by United Kingdom indie label, Magic Monster in 2004.
Cult Legacy
The cult reputation of The Vampire Lovers along with renewed interest in the group resulted in it being featured in the band section of the vampire web site Vampire Rave from 2009. In January 2010, The Vampire Lovers ranked 2nd. most popular vampire band with a rating of 9.704.Singles
| Year | Title | Australian Alternative Top 10 Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest Position | Weeks In | ||
| 1984 | "Buzzsaw Popstar" | 4 | 10 |
| 1984 | "Sweethearts Blown Mindless" | 2 | 2 |
| 1987–1988 | "Buzzsaw Popstar" | 3 | 4 |
Personnel
- Dave Chamberlain — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1982–1984) - Axle "Axe Babe" Conrad — lead vocals (1982–1984, 1988–1990)
- Shane Cooke — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals (1982–1984, 1988–1990) - Brendan Kibble — guitar (1982)
- Matt "Nasty" Le Noury — guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals (1982–1984, 1988) - Jason Shepherd — guitar (1988–1989)
- Ziggy Staten — drums (1988–1989)
- Murray Shepherd — drums (1989–1990)
- Brian Mann — guitar (1989–1990)
- Joey Mann — guitar (1990)
- Marty Lobotomy — drums (1983)
Singles/EPs
- Buzzsaw Popstar (EP) — Sundown Records SUN0078 (1983) re-issue: Axe 1 (1987)
- "Sweethearts Blown Mindless" — Rubber Records/EMI Custom Records 13598 (1984)
- Buzzsaw — Rubber Records (1985)
- "Heavy Planet Fuzz" — Bent Records Warp 008 (1988)
- Weirdo Wastelands (EP) — Hecuba Records (US) HEX 02 Limited numbers were pressed on green or yellow vinyl (1989)
- "Buzzsaw Popstar and Death Dwarf" — PLAN 10 Limited numbers were pressed on green vinyl (2009)
Albums
- Acid Commandos from Planet Fuzz (Mini LP) — Schlock Records VL001 (1991)
- 13 Tasteless Masterpieces (CD) — Magic Monster (UK) (October 2004)