By Christ, this is worth diarising

The New Christs are undertaking an Australian tour (well, East Coast at least) and that's news in itself. Here are the dates:

Friday August 7th – The Espy, St Kilda
Saturday August 8th – The Tote, Collingwood
Friday August 14th – The Step Inn, Brisbane
Saturday August 15th – Del Plaza, Gold Coast
Sunday August 16th – Winsome Hotel, Lismore
Friday August 21st – Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills

Support on the Brisbane and Gold Coast shows is Mick Medew & The Rumours.

If you want a copy of the latest New Christs album "Gloria" (or the Mick Medew & The Rumours CD) then hop on over to the I-94 Bar Shop.

Some things I've been listening to

“Hats Off To The Cheats”: New album by the tightly-configured Melbourne powerhouse on Off The Hip. Catchy as swine flu.

“Finland Freakout” Nothing succeeds like excess and the Pink Fairies were experts in that area. A stunning 1971 show.

“All Your Love”: Mick Medew & he Rumours’ debut. It’s on our label but that doesn’t mean we can’t rave about it. The formal reviews will come from others however. Did I mention they play The Vanguard in Sydney on Sunday night?

The forthcoming Intercontinental Playboys album. I had to listen to this to see what the final pre-production master sounds like. It wasn’t an un-enjoyable task. You will dig.

“Washing Machine”: Sonic Youth rule and the new album “The Rapture” is right up there, but “The Diamond Sea” may be their sweetest/sharpest 19min36sec ever.

Rumours album out

The sucker arrived by courier today. Not Mick Medew (pictured) but the album by him and his band, The Rumours. Five boxes of it. The first copies went out to retail late today but you can order "All Your Love" direct (and clear some of my debt) here. Be quick 'cos I'm on my way to the post office and I hate lining up to be served by the ponce with the ring on his thumb.

Don't forget the June 6 Sydney album launch at The Vanguard in Newtown and stay tuned for news on the Brisbane show.

June Long Weekend Launch for Rumours CD

The Sydney launch for "All Your Love", the debut CD for Brisbane band Mick Medew & The Rumours, is on Sunday, June 7 at The Vanguard in Newtown. It's a showcase gig at one classy joint - you can even get a sit-down meal. Tickets are procurable here.

Supports will be Decline of the Reptiles and Ghost Valley. Decline are the reformed Sydney band who have killed it in their first two comeback gigs. Mick Medew, of course, was leader of the Screaming Tribesmen who should need no introduction to fans of the good stuff. Ghost Valley are a bunch of kids with an old man called Ashley Thomson on drums who go pretty well.

And yes, the album is on I-94 Bar Records and, yes, it is a killer. So good you can pre-order it here and score it before it hits retail. It'll be distributed in Australia by Fuse and overseas by Off The Hip.

Brisbane launch details when they come to hand.

All Your Love

Forgot to to say the promo single is airing here.

"All Your Love": Mick Medew & The Rumours

Out June 1 on I-94 Bar Records.

Spinning Wheel (Mick Medew)
When The Wood Is Brown (Mick Medew/Tony Cardinal)
All Your Love (Mick Medew)
Ready to Fall (Mick Medew/Ron Peno)
Overdo Everything (Mick Medew)
Way Down Low (Mick Medew)
Start The Show (Ash Geary)
Another Girl Another Planet (The Only Ones)
Mary Jane (Mick Medew)

Rumours album is more than a rumour

Good news on the Mick Medew & The Rumours album front and it should be out in the next month.

The title is "All Your Love". There'll be a radio-only single of the title track going out so keep your ears open. The album includes a co-write with Mick Medew and his old bandmate from The 31st Ron Peno called "Ready To Fall" and a stinging cover of The Only Ones' "Another Girl Another Planet".

Keep an eye on I-94 Bar Records for cover art.

Peter Perrett looks back

The Old Fart's retrospective music magazine of choice Mojo has a detailed look back on The Only Ones here. I should have paid more attention to their body of work in the past so maybe the prospect of re-issues will make me.

Mick Medew & The Rumours' stinging cover of "Another Girl, Another Planet" on their forthcoming album (on I-94 Bar Records, of course) is another reason to go back exploring. Here's the original:

Mick Medew and The Rumours join the I-94 Bar Records label

Australian label I-94 Bar Records is delighted to announce the signing of Brisbane band Mick Medew & The Rumours.

The Rumours have been an off-and-on concern in their hometown for five years, scoring some choice supports but only recently landing themselves in the studio to cut their debut album.

Featuring one half of The Screaming Tribesmen and two guys who should have been there all along, The Rumours are everything you remember and hold dear about good rock 'n' roll guitar music: hooks, chops and melody.

Vocalist-guitarist Mick Medew is one of Brisbane's underground rock and roll elder statesmen with a history spanning the internationally-signed Tribesmen, seminal legends The 31st and more recently The Bluebirds.

Guitarist Ash Geary was a member of latter-day Tribesmen line-ups and '90s blues-rockers The Lost Boys and also plays with Brisbane-via-The Bowery gutter punks JJ Speedball.

The engine room is manned by Paul Hawker on bass and newcomer Adam Cole on drums.

Their as yet untitled album is being recorded at Black Box Studios in Brisbane under the production hand of friend Jeff Lovejoy and is scheduled for release in late 2008 or early '09.

The Rumours' sound isn't a million miles away from that of the Screaming Tribesmen - Mick's distinctive vocal and the well-honed twin-guitar Medew-Geary crunch inevitably make it so - but there's a little more more room to move in the songs.

Citing a long list of influences including MC5, Thin Lizzy, Roky Erickson, Blue Oyster Cult, the New York Dolls, David Bowie, The Dictators and Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, The Rumours recall all those touchstones but apply their own take.

Mick Medew & The Rumours join Klondike's North 40 (featuring Hitmen and ex-Radio Birdman guitarist Chris Masuak) on I-94 Bar Records.

They'll support the Hitmen on selected dates of that band's "Monkeys Gone Wild" national tour with gigs at Coolangatta Hotel on the Gold Coast on November 28 and The Living Room in Brisbane on November 29.

More information:
http://myspace.com/rivercityrumours
http://i94barrecords.com