LULU'S JUNE 2017 NEWSLETTER

Here is the June 2017 Newsletter, emailed at the start of the month to our mailing list and sent hard copy with all instore orders.

To join our mailing list, scroll down to find the form.

To read more Lulu's Newsletters, click here.

Featured in this newsletter:

NON baNd – S/T LP

Sex Drive – S/T 7” (UPDATE: SOLD OUT!)

Knifer – S/T CS (UPDATE: SOLD OUT!)

Grouse Jacket – Molto Bene Jacket CS (UPDATE: SOLD OUT!)

The UV Race – Greatest Hits Volume 1, 2 & 3 CS (UPDATE: SOLD OUT!)

Milk Music – Mystic 100’s LP (UPDATE: SOLD OUT!)

Russell St Bombings – Live CS (UPDATE: SOLD OUT!)

Thug - Proud Idiots Parade / Mechanical Ape + Electric Woolly Mammoth (Black Eye) (UPDATE: SOLD OUT!)

Album Of The Month:

 NON baNd – S/T LP (Telegraph Records 1982)

Incredible unheralded bratty new wave outta Japan. Cutting her teeth in the legendary Tokyo Rockers scene of the late ‘70s, frontwoman and chief weirdo NON became notorious for her solo bass + vox sets that freaked out even the most freaky of the Japanese underground. That project quickly grew into NON BaNd and, several lineup changes later, birthed this; their one and only studio LP. Now a trio of bass, drums and clarinet/violin, the band nearly bankrupted their label by refusing to compromise. Staunching the moneymen ended up paying off, and the result is an equally bewildering and hooky collection of angular and shockingly raw new wave bangers.

In a move that Japanese underground scholar Jibiky Yuichi later dubbed “the single greatest loss of the ‘80s Japanese Underground”, the band added two more members then quickly disintegrated soon after the release of the LP. This reissue through German micro label TAL frees the album from it’s original 10” presentation and stretches the grooves to a full 12, allowing the bass grooves hit harder and clarinet to skronk shriller. Highly recommended for fans of freaky and bratty babes

7” Of The Month:

Sex Drive – S/T 7” (Sexy Romance 004)

Geez, these lads brought the party at last year’s edition of Maggot Fest. Possibly the most talked about set of the weekend. Brilliantly melodic and anthemic punk songs treading somewhere between the classic Australien sound of the first Scientists singles and early days Husker Du. This 7” has three essential songs - Hate, Chance & Australien. You’d be amiss to miss this one.

Tape(s) Of The Month:

Knifer – S/T cassette (Rogues Realm)

 I knew this tape was gonna be great after seeing them play in a Footscray warehouse earlier this year - one of the best sets I’d witnessed in years. We’re led to believe Knifer is the same personnel as the dearly missed Zodiac with Finn of Black Deity taking over vocal duties. The trip here is predominantly rooted in Motorhead worship with tasteful Merciful Fate/Diamond Head style breaks/180 turnarounds. What’s most impressive here, is whilst sounding like all those bands, there’s a stack of originality in the riffs, no mean feat in 2017. 

Grouse Jacket – Molto Bene Jacket (Self-released)

From some of the same goons that brought us SKXI and Laugh comes this brand new project -Grouse Jacket (whatta name!). Apparently Blake had been listening to a whole lotta KISS at the time and was inspired to play some RnR. All that’s really rubbed off on ‘em is the sleaziness. The result is more in the league of some dumb shit Cleveland punk via some of the more blown out Memphis heroes of the 00’s. The obnoxious guitar tone and a vocalist singin’ his guts out is what really shines through here, on what must have been a nasty home job recording. Performing in a lounge room near you soon. 

The UV Race – Greatest Hits Volume 1, 2 & 3 CS (Paradise Daily Records - 034)

Australia’s favourite dolts are well represented with this collection of tape material, 7” jams and various pieces of Australian history. 33 tracks of what was possibly best described as idiot savant garage music, including covers of Mick Jagger’s band, Lou Reed’s band, Robert Zimmerman and Dave E., the prophet of idiot music. This tape absolutely fucking rules.

Staff Pick Of The Month:

Milk Music – Mystic 100’s LP (Dom US LP 24)

 Buddhistic consciousness cloaked in a leather jacket. Crazy Horses hanging out in the Fun House, listening to The King. Guitars wander and drums are sympathetic, and vocals fly south for the winter. Our Mother Earth hurts and nurtures and life is hard and cool and real. When an album is so smooth and abrupt and so honest and tongue in cheek and so confident and so lost and so earthly and so heavenly. How does this record make you feel?

Russell St Bombings – Live (Weirdo Mazic, WM-006)

Essential live document of the rusty boys. Two sets; one electrik for the punkers, one spiritual for the gazers – both wonderful and crucial. A totally different vibe to the LP, these sets show the band at their most playful, tipping their pints to Spacemen and Mr Reed alike. Broken and beautiful and everything that is perfect about the modern Aus underground.

Secondhand Records Of The Month:

Thug - Proud Idiots Parade / Mechanical Ape + Electric Woolly Mammoth (Black Eye)
Where to begin with Thug. Surely you know the infamous “Fuck Your Dad” 7”? A proto-noise record that is simultaneously alienating and captivating. If not, I’m sure you know of ol’ mate Tex Perkins, vocalist for Beasts Of Bourbon and owner of a bourgeoisie pub in Coburg. Well, this is him and a crew of drug-addled miscreants before he took to the stage as The Man In Black and slept on piles of cash. Both of these seminal albums of 80’s Aussie weirdness were released on Red Eye Records subsidiary, Black Eye, a label indebted to documenting the fucked up Sydney underbelly at the time. Equal parts performance-art and self-indulgent toilet humour, not much sounded like Thug or still does now. They are one of those groups that still leave you scratching your head about what their intentions were, aside from upsetting their intended audience. Despite this, these records have aged better than Tex’s other endeavours. Thug utilised tape and electronic experiments as well as more traditional rockist means to alienate. Hell, some of it is actually catchy despite its weirdness. Both albums rarely pop up in Australia (the Euros have a particular hard-on for them), so get onto it and impress your friends with your knowledge of obscure Australian experimental music. 

LIVE AT LULUS UPCOMING:

17/6 – EXEX + PANTHER MODERNS (NIGHT)

18/6 – THE BLINDS (ARVO)

25/6 – THE HIGH DEMANDERS (ARVO)