The Kryptonics (Bands from Perth, Australia)

The Kryptonics began when Ian Underwood and Cathy Webb met at Perth's Balcatta High school in 1982 and the band proper formed in 1984 when drummer Shakir Pichler answered a drummer wanted classified ad.

The band started rehearsing every weekend and after 18 months of hard work in the garage they were lucky enough to play their first gig supporting none other than the Stems, in August 1985. They scored some sweet gigs playing with other Perth bands such as The Marigolds and The Bamboos.

The Kryptonics became the band of the moment in Perth as soon as they hit the scene, but then drummer Shakir left to join The Bamboos. They would suffer through countless lineup changes and the band relocated to Sydney in 1990, where they toured the east coast. The Kryptonics finally lost their power in mid 1992.

The Kryptonics features past and present members of such great aussie bands as You Am I, Radio Birdman, Front End Loader, Lubricated Goat, Regurgitator, The Chevelles, Challenger 7, New Christs, The Monarchs and The Hard-Ons, making The Kryptonics essential listening for anyone interested in the family tree of their favourite oz rock bands.

Sadly, former Kryptonics and Lubricated Goat drummer Brett Ford
passed away in August 2007.

Rejectionville , the definitive 37 track anthology of yet another under-appreciated garage/power-pop outfit from Perth, was released earlier this year.

Plus The Kryptonics have announced one show only on Friday 23rd Nov at the Rocket Room in Perth.

And they'll be playing with Special Guests the M-16's!

Unfortunately i'm all the way over in Brisbane, so I won't be able to catch the gig. But some of my mates will be there. If you're in Perth try to make it along, I'm sure it'll be a fun, noisy night.


Kryptonics - Baby

Kryptonics - Trapped Inside (live at the Red Parrot)



Do you like these tunes? Then why not support the artists (and my blogging habit) by buying some music. Check out these links:-

Greg Malcolm

Last night I caught Greg Malcolm's performance as a part of the Mono series of events organised by the ever hard working Lawrence English and Room 40.

Greg Malcolm was playing 3 guitars simultaneously, a gaffa-covered, very battered-looking guitar played with his left foot, almost like a bass drum, using a wrench jammed between the strings near the pickups; a pristine Fender Jaguar reissue (bravely, or perhaps foolishly? lent by Lawrence) played with the right foot and also an ebow, a battery operated mini fan, steel wool, a slinky and a metal ruler; a third guitar ... and a tamborine!

The third guitar is played more traditionally (in his lap) and was created especially for Greg by Christchurch instrument builder Peter Stephen. This guitar is unusual in that it has 2 sets of strings - the standard set and another sympathetic set of strings which run diagonally inside the guitar body, creating sympathetic droning sounds similar to a sitar. This guitar was played in Greg Malcolm's typical finger picking style, but was also mutated with the use of a huge spring, a camera (flash), additional metal wires and rubber bands.

It was a very enjoyable performance and I managed to sit right at the front to closely watch the man in action. He doesn't stop moving! Between the constant rhythm created using his left foot, the finger picking and the contrasting melodies and harmonies using the guitar on the floor at his right foot (which also manages the tamborine) it is a very busy performance. I left with a copy of Greg's new CD Hung and a few new ideas to try out myself.

There were two other performers playing last night, starting with ex-pat kiwi Leighton Craig and his solo keyboard works, using two keyboards to create some lovely, almost whimsical little pieces and ending with another New Zealand musician, electronic musician and laptop performer Rosy Parlane who created a rather organic sounding and hypnotic piece for a man sitting in the corner of a room with only a computer.


Greg Malcolm - Depresso Guitar

Greg Malcolm - Ghost From The Past

Spread The Good Word!

Reverend Tom Frost is a man out of time, in more ways than one.

Reverend Tom Frost spent much of his youth watching B-Horror, Spaghetti Westerns, old-timey movies and devouring Southern Gothic literature.

Tom Frost constructed his own world. Haunted by the twisted deformity of the self and by the vision of a more and more absurd world, his music is a merry ingenious mix of his own tortured (yet funny) mind and the songs he grew up with.

Last year The Reverend released his first self recorded and produced collection of tunes, Spread The Good Word, Vol. 1 - South Of Hell, France.

He sounds like the bastard son of Screaming Jay Hawkins, brought up by his estranged uncle Jerry Lee Lewis but having spent his youth hanging out with those "bad" cousins Tom Waits and Lux Interior. This music sounds like it was recorded in the fifties, you can almost smell the dust and acetate.


However, the Reverend's excellent blog Spread The Good Word, which has been running even longer than this little effort, has been in hiatus for 6 weeks now. This alone is sad enough.

But even worse, the Reverend is living his own gothic tragedy and has been homeless for this time, literally living in his car.


What can we do to help? Is that the cry I hear from all of my voyeurs out there?

Why not take a listen to the Reverend's tracks and buy one or two, hell, why not buy the whole bloody album!


You will find the Reverend's music on the Reverend Tom Frost website, on his Myspace page and also on ITunes.


There's no music from me this post, if you want any, go listen to and support the Reverend.

And check out Spread The Good Word for some classic tunes.