And speaking of the Hydromatics...

...here are a few more details about the new album, with Celibate Rifle Kent Steedman on board. It's out in August on European label Suburban and they'll tour the Continent in September. Tracks likely to make the cut:

Streets of Amsterdam
Dinosaurs
Baby Jane
All Down The Line
Power and Glory
Mystically Yours (unrecorded Sonic's Rendezvous Band song)
Kinked Up
Funball
The Most
Detroit Leanin'
Standin' at the Juke

There's a rough mono mix of "Standin' at the Juke" here.

Hydromatics armed with a Rifle

Exciting news hinted at here a few weeks ago: Celibate Rifles guitarist Kent Steedman has signed on as part of a re-vamped Hydromatics line-up.

Don't know the Hydromatics? Shame. They're the trans-Atlantic band headed by Scott Morgan (Powertrane, Scots Pirates, The Rationals, Sonic's Rendezvous Band) and Dutch raconteur Tony Slug (The Nitwitz, BGK, Loveslug.) If you wanna hear a tune, go herefor "Dangerous".

On the kit is Ries Doms. Another Dutchman, Theo Brouwer, is the long-serving man on bass. Kent's addition makes the latest Hydros a fearsome three-headed guitar monster. And of course, vocalists don't get any better than Scott.

Their studio albums "Parts Unknown" and "Powerglide" are perfect examples of devastatingly hard, but soulful, rock and roll. They also gave the first proper studio treatment to some of the great songs of Sonic's Rendezvous Band. A live vinyl EP was thought to be their swansong.

The band will rehearse and write in Amsterdam for a week before recording in Cologne after that with things expected to be wrapped up by the end of March. A European tour will happen after that. If only someone could talk them into coming to Australia...

My mail is that the Rifles will be active again, mid-year, doing some Australian dates with a re-constituted Cosmic Psychos line-up. No word on the replacement for Robbie Watts (R.I.P.) but it's good to see the Psychos continue.