It Pays To Find Out: An Object Lesson
Yesterday I was walking down Mass Ave in Cambridge, and there was a slapped-together Xeroxed flyer taped to the door of the Middle East club that said “Radio Birdman, July 3rd.”
That is, some fanboy had clearly been running around putting up joke flyers featuring legendary and elusive Australian punk bands from the late ’70s, as though they were nipping into town for a last-minute, barely-advertised gig at a small neighborhood club. Yeah right, that often happens. And indeed, the guy at the bar knew nothing about the show, and it wasn’t listed on the club’s printed schedule. Har. Nice try, kid.
But tonight I went down there, and who turned up onstage but Radio Birdman — i.e. from Australia, i.e. with all the main guys still in the band. In a club with about the square-footage of a large 7-11.
Wah!
Waaaaah! The Birdman Awakes! It does indeed show that one should check ones facts, and lucky old you: I haven’t seen them for millennia, and I live here (in Oz).
Mind you, I live in the quiet backwater part, not the bustling social milieu part. The only birdmen we get around here are seagulls with attitude.
The Middle East is a great freakin’ club. Saw the Skatalites there a couple times. Learned a fine lesson about standing your ground after muttering “skinhead piece of shit” to a pack of would-be ruffians on the way out to the parking lot after a show, once.
Ah, youth.
Lucky lucky.
“Radios Appear” has to be one of the better albums to come out of *all* of punk, let alone just Australia…
Though the first Scientists EPs were even better….
the boston music scene is one of the only things i sometimes miss about the u.s of a. and the middle east is such a great space. the paradise, the channel, the rat. man. memories. fuzzy, drug-addled memories, but still.. do they still have the whipped garlic at the M.E. ? makes you totally vampire proof for days.
That’s awesome Gavin!
I just spent an hour watching shitty Dead Moon vids on YouTubes.
Ah Great. I saw them about a year ago in Perth and they were great noisy fun, took a little while to get it back together, but you had the feeling they we’re just about having as much fun as anyone could ever hope to have.
Re: the scientists. Their not long ago released live album “Sedition” is treeeeemendous, with the Melvin’s Houdini it made for low slow and loud weekend listening.
God damnit. I live just a little north of the Middle East, and hardly ever leave the great state of New Hampshire. So where do I find myself vacationing over the Fourth of July? In South Carolina, far from the chance at an (apparently) impromptu Radio Birdman show. *sigh*
I live just a little north of the Middle East
Umm, wouldn’t that constitute by definition the North East?
Never mind, carry on…
mikey
In a club with about the square-footage of a large 7-11
Preferred habitat of the elusive Radio Birdman.
And out creep the Aussies from the woodwork.
Quetesh the Abyssinian is a Australian? I salute your fine nom de plume, Great Basement Dweller!
Now if only I could see The Saints live…
The original lineup of the Saints (including Ed Kuepper) is performing a one-ff show on July 14th at the University of Queensland St Lucia campus.
zarquon:
that i would love to see.
“every day is a holiday” is one of the great songs of all time.
radio birdman, or deniz tek anyway, now lives in detroit i think. sirius keeps playing rb songs on the punk channel.
radio birdman begat the celibate rifles, IMHO oz’s greatest band.
Radio Birdman first got back together about 10 years ago, and have toured sporadically since then. Back then it was exactly the original lineup, now I believe they’ve had a couple of changes. They released a new album “Zeno Beach” last year (I think), I haven’t heard it but it got good reviews.
As for the Celibate Rifles, I could have seen them last night (with the Cosmic Psychos) but went to another gig instead.
Even down in here in South Australia I’ve heard of the Middle East club, I’ve got a Mr Lif live album recorded there.
And just to balance you getting a visit from Australians, we’re getting a visit from some Bostoners (or close enough) this week, Dinosaur Jr.
(Cool, Jonathon Richman just came on my itunes random play as I was typing this … is he not from Massachusetts too?)