Snowman

Snowman are a musical gang from Slumber town, Australia consisting of four ingredients: Joe McKee, Andy Citawarman, Olga Hermanniusson and Ross DiBlasio…

Forming in 2003, Snowman gained a solid live reputation in and around the Perth music scene. Now, with numerous WAMi Awards and nominations, a self-titled debut album and national tours with Interpol, The Drones, The Liars and The Big Day Out, Snowman's cult following is only set to grow.

…They are strange, beautiful, ugly, jagged, swampy, hypnotic, abstract, ambient, loud, quiet, miserable and manic. They are the sound of your imagination turned up to eleven.

The Stems

The Stems was formed in 1983 by serious students of cool underground 60's garage punk, R&B and pop music, Dom Mariani and Richard Lane. As they evolved they also embraced an updated power pop sound. In Perth, as the main focal point of the original band scene, the Stems made venues such as The Wizbah, The Old Melbourne, and The Shenton Park their own at a time, and in a town, otherwise dominated by cover bands.

In mid '85 a six month sojourn to Sydney was perfectly timed with the inner-city scene rediscovering 60's music and fashion. Unfortunately, the Stems' commercial success was short-lived when, at the height of their powers and on the eve of a six week European tour, they mysteriously disbanded, later that same year citing managerial and irreconcilable differences.

The Stems epitomised 80's indie rock, giving it a wider currency. They are one of only a handful of Australian bands that cracked the mainstream charts with an indie approach in the late 80's and influencing a host of new aussie bands to follow with their brand of garage rock n roll.

Sugar Army

These four crusaders exploit the energy of pop rock, before brutalising it with the jarring intrusions of their experimental urges. As they hover nervously above the tremors of merciless drumbeats, the disjointed riffs and foreboding bass lines can only be tamed by the desperate moans of a restless front man. A corps of skilled musicians, Sugar Army spring from the depths of depravity to give new meaning to innovation; by embracing diversity and absorbing it into a style distinctly their own.

Having supported Interpol, Wolf and Cub, Children Collide, Something for Kate, Expatriate, Gerling and Eskimo Joe, along with national touring supports with Little Birdy and Gyroscope, Sugar Army and their debut EP Where Do You Hide Your Toys? has enjoyed a generous flogging on triple j and community radio across the country. This bands' capabilities have not gone unnoticed and with two WAMi Award nominations and a slot at the 2007 Big Day Out among their merits, Sugar Army's credits are only set to grow.

Supernaut

Originally named ‘Moby Dick’, Supernaut were an Australian glam/punk rock band formed in 1974 and disbanded in 1980. The band had a short but successful career, which yielded two top-twenty singles (including a number one hit) and gold album status for their self-titled debut.

Supernaut were signed to Polydor on recommendation of Molly Meldrum, who was also producer, before bursting on to the Australian charts with a number one hit with 'I Like It Both Ways' in 1976 and their follow-up 'Too Hot To Touch' reaching number 19 from their album Supernaut. The band moved to Sydney in 1978, shortened their name, their hair and changed their attitude. They opted for a punk/new wave garage-style and became The Nauts. They released an album under the same name that year to critical acclaim but low sales saw the band dissolve in 1980.

The Triffids

The Triffids were formed in the late 70s by childhood friends and creative partners Allan 'Alsy' McDonald and Dave McComb. Following relentless touring and reasonable national success with a number of recordings including their debut album Treeless Plain, between 1982 and 1984, the band relocated to London aeeing them grace the cover of influential UK music publication NME in 1985. After touring Europe and Australia that same year, the Triffids recorded the classic album Born Sandy Devotional. The critical success generated in the UK boosted their standing in Australia where they recorded In the Pines in 1985.

The Triffids finally landed a major record contract with Island Records on which they recorded Calenture and Black Swan in 1987 and 1988 respectively. Following the lacklustre response to Black Swan the band eventually dissolved following a brief US tour in 1989. However, the band's limited commercial success in no way reflects their influence as one of Austraila's most innovative exports.

Tucker B's

The Tucker B's comprise the core trio of Matt Rudas, Andrew Houston, Darren Nuttall along with a gallery of revolving drummers that would make Sebodah proud. They are Perth's foremost wild men of 'wonk rock'. They produce the kind of fiercely unhinged, mesmerising and schizophrenic white noise that only the truly tapped can produce. They moved to Sydney in 2004 and released their breakthrough album Chubby shortly after, spawning deliciously twisted radio hit singles like 'The Turning' as well as Wolfmother and Animal Collective support slots and gigs at South by Southwest among other things.

On Chubby, slivers of breathtaking gorgeousness and restraint could be detected amidst the waves of cerebellum melting glory, a sky-scraping collision of mess, noise, grandeur and fury, which simultaneously comes off as elegant and visceral. We know this -the power of the Tucker Bs is not to be underestimated.

The Valentines

The Valentines were an Australian rock n roll band active from 1966-1970, chiefly noted for their lead singers, Bon Scott -who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC -and Vince Lovegrove -who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of Divinyls.

The band was formed in late 1966 with the amalgamation of Perth groups The Spektors and The Winstons. They capitalised on the success of both the former bands, plus the interest created by having two lead singers in Scott and Lovegrove. Inspired by The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and the Easybeats, they enjoyed considerable local success and released a few singles.

In late 1967, The Valentines moved to Melbourne in search of greater success, and soon toured other major cities. The Valentines decided to disband amicably in August 1970. Scott had built a strong reputation as a powerful vocalist and soon joined Fraternity, and later AC/DC.

The Victims

After meeting Dave Faulkner at the City Hotel in 1977 and introducing him to Dave Caldwell, James Baker moved on from the Geeks to form the Victims. Baker says of the band "Our songs were good- loud, fast energetic, we seemed to get it right." Playing their first 'real' gig at the now extinct Governor Broome Hotel with punk titan Kim Salmon's first band the Cheap Nasties, it wasn't long before an exhausted management forced the punk rockers to move to Hernando's Hideaway.

In December '77 the band recorded the punk rock rarity Television Addict/Flipped Out 7" in one session. A second EP and a loss of heart later the Victims faded into non-existence, while their legacy as one of Perth's first punk bands continues. The next day, Baker and Salmon formed the Scientists.

The Waifs

For those who came in late, the road looms large and long in the Waifs' inspirational tale of self-determined international success. It intersected for sisters Donna and Vikki and guitarist Josh in a remote corner of the Western Australian desert some 15 years ago. Their mobile cottage industry of campfire-crafted songs and independently recorded, gold-selling CDs slowly reached critical mass in Australia between '96 and '00, while their captivating on-stage chemistry spilled into a contagious festival following through Europe and North America. After winning four ARIA Awards for their 2003 album Up All Night the band have released a much-anticipated fifth studio album in 2007 Sun Dirt Water.

Together, the Waifs reach a new benchmark of worldly eclecticism, without surrendering one iota of the homegrown and unaffected heart and soul that's made the Waifs one of Australia's most loved and admired musical exports of this century.

Yummy Fur

Not to be confused with the Glaswegian band of the same name, Perth’s Yummy Fur are regarded as local pioneers in uniting rock and electronic music. Comprising three brothers and three childhood friends Yummy Fur played their first gig in 1991 before quickly becoming the champions of the local all-ages music scene.

The band kept at it for over nine years, building up a good following in WA and supporting touring international artists including The Stone Roses, Jesus & Mary Chain, The Prodigy and Swervedriver. After four years the band became the second Perth band to be signed to Sony’s Murmur record label, after Ammonia. Yummy Fur made its first release under the name Six Mile High and were urged by their label to relocate to Melbourne in 1996. The band finally moved to London in ’98 where the daily grind of metropolis, marriage and babies saw the group disbanding soon thereafter.