THE CHATS

INTERVIEW WITH BASSIST / VOCALIST EAMON SANDWITH BY TOM CRANDLE

The Chats are the latest in a bands,” he says. “But at the moment, In terms of production, High Risk string of great punk bands there are a ridiculous amount of Behavior is a major step up from the from the Land Down Under. bands making sick music. I don’t know band’s first two EPs. The biggest difBassist and vocalist Eamon Sandwith, why. Maybe something in the water.” ference according to Sandwith? guitarist Josh Price, and drummer Matt Boggis have created quite a Unlike previous generations of punk, “A bass amp and better mixing,” he buzz in their relatively brief existence. there doesn’t seem to be one single, bluntly states. The buzzsaw guitar, the The young, loud, and snotty trio will unifying social or political factor in minimalist drums, and the new, imrelease their first full length, High Risk the movement. proved bass work together in perfect, Behaviour, on their own Bargain Bin chaotic harmony. Records, on March 27, 2020. “I think everyone is pretty like-minded, but I reckon it’s mostly random,” When it comes to songwriting, the The Chats are so Australian that you Sandwith opines. key for Sandwith seems to be to might sometimes feel like you need keep it simple. a translator. Apparently, Australians The Chats plan to use their label to love their slang and abbreviations. help expose the world to other Aus“I usually think of a subject, or even just Even the band’s name doesn’t mean tralian bands. a title, and go from there,” he says. “I what it seems [Chat - noun - somethink about what makes it interesting thing shit, terrible, or ugly]. Last year, “We’ve already released some great or boring and try to convey that in their viral video “Smoko” introduced Aussie music on Bargain Bin, and the lyrics. Then chuck a riff or chord much of the world to that word [Smoko we plan to release more in 2020!” he progression; then rip a mad solo.” - noun - a short break from work]. happily reports. The formula clearly works. Songs Speaking of the “Smoko” video, it’s The musical style on High Risk Beabout getting drunk, stealing dinner, also where much of the world was haviour is decidedly old-school punk. and contracting venereal disease introduced to The Chats’ glorious Sandwith often delivers his lyrics with will have you singing along, and will mullets. a sneer that would make Johnny Rotprobably be stuck in your head for ten proud. You can also clearly hear days. Refreshingly, The Chats also “I think mullets have always been echoes of their Australian predecesfeel much less bound to political corpopular in Australia, even as a counsors, like The Saints, Radio Birdman, rectness than most of their American terculture kind of thing,” Sandwith and Cosmic Psychos. counterparts. explains. “It’s cool to see a haircut that’s usually associated with being “We are strongly influenced by the “I reckon Australia has the same a bit daggy becoming popular again first and second wave of punk bands,” political correctness as the U.S.,” [Daggy - adjective - untidy, disheveled, Sandwith confirms. Sandwith says. “That being said, we or eccentric]. I think mullets definitely don’t give a shit.” deserve a place in punk.” For a band with such a strippeddown, garage-punk sound, and such The Chats will be returning to the U.S. Oz seems to be exporting more than an undeniable sense of fun, other for a major tour starting in April and their fair share of punk bands in resources of influence on The Chats running into May. Their first stop will cent years. The Chats, Amyl and the might seem a little less likely. be at the massive Coachella music Sniffers, and Clowns are all currently festival. American punk fans won’t making a splash Stateside and be“Other inspirations for our sound want to miss the opportunity to catch yond. Sandwith can’t quite explain it. would be old Aussie rock bands like these self-proclaimed drongos from Midnight Oil and Painters And DockDown Under [Drongo – noun - idiot, “Australia has always had good punk ers,” Sandwith adds. stupid fellow]. ��

AUSTRALIAN PUNK RECORDS

BY TOM CRANDLE

Over the last couple of years, brash Australian bands like The Chats, Amyl and the Sniffers, and Clowns have been all the rage in punk circles. While they may not be the latest and greatest, Australia has a rich punk history. For those who would like to take a deeper dive, here are five essential punk records from the Land Down Under.

THE SAINTS - (I’m) Stranded (1977) The Saints are the godfathers of Australian punk. You might call them that country’s Ramones. Starting out in Brisbane in 1973, the band featured fast tempos, shouted vocals, and buzzsaw guitars. They released their first single, “(I’m) Stranded,” in 1976, and were the first punk band outside the U.S. to put out a record, before Sex Pistols or The Clash. The (I’m) Stranded LP is an undisputed punk classic.

RADIO BIRDMAN - Radios Appear (1977) Timewise, Sydney’s Radio Birdman were contemporaries of The Saints. Their first full-lengths both came out the same year. Inspired by the Detroit proto-punk of MC5 and the Stooges, Radio Birdman were probably the first Aussie band to completely embrace the punk ideology. Radios Appear is a raw, bare-knuckle, knock-down-drag-out LP that deserves a spot in any serious punk record collector’s library.

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY - Junkyard (1982) OK, so Melbourne’s The Birthday Party was actually a post-punk band. Still, they merit mentioning. Before Nick Cave perfected the murder ballad and became a household name, he was howling over the ungodly noise that was The Birthday Party. Junkyard was the band’s best, last, and most fully formed studio record. They were dark and bleak, and way more influential than commercially successful.

COSMIC PSYCHOS - Self Totalled(1995) Cosmic Psychos, also from Melbourne, were just getting started in 1982, about the time a lot of the first-wave punk bands were falling apart. They picked up the torch for a whole new generation of punks by fusing the sound of The Stooges and Ramones with newly emerging American hardcore. Self Totalled came more than a decade into their career, but captures a band still in their prime. The primal sounds and humorous lyrics have stood the test of time.

FRENZAL RHOMB - A Man’s Not A Camel (1999) Frenzal Rhomb represent yet another generation of punk. Formed in the Sydney suburbs in 1992, they play the style of skate punk that was very popular on Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords in the ’90s. As a matter of fact, A Man’s Not A Camel was the band’s first full length for the Fat label. Like almost all the bands listed, their specific brand of Australian humor makes for a sometimes strange, but always enjoyable, listening experience.