This should not pass without mention

By Christ, this is worth diarising

The New Christs are undertaking an Australian tour (well, East Coast at least) and that's news in itself. Here are the dates:

Friday August 7th – The Espy, St Kilda
Saturday August 8th – The Tote, Collingwood
Friday August 14th – The Step Inn, Brisbane
Saturday August 15th – Del Plaza, Gold Coast
Sunday August 16th – Winsome Hotel, Lismore
Friday August 21st – Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills

Support on the Brisbane and Gold Coast shows is Mick Medew & The Rumours.

If you want a copy of the latest New Christs album "Gloria" (or the Mick Medew & The Rumours CD) then hop on over to the I-94 Bar Shop.

Preview of "Gloria" LP by the New Christs

Three tracks from the forthcoming long-player "Gloria" on Impedance are up at the band's MySpace. It's coming out on vynil and CD in Europe (May), Australia (June) and the USA (July).

New Christs new album news

Just in from Wollongong:

MEDIA RELEASE
February 17th 2009

THE NEW CHRISTS TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM IN MAY

Twenty five years after they first formed and more than five years since the release of their last studio album, The New Christs are set to release their brand new full length album in May.

It has been an interesting journey since Radio Birdman front man Rob Younger formed The New Christs in 1984 to support Iggy Pop on his Australian tour of that year. A number of single releases featuring several line ups of friends followed before the band recorded and released their debut album ‘Distemper’ in 1989.

Following the European tour in support of the album release, the band split up before briefly reforming in 1990 to support The Ramones on their Australian tour. Once again after that tour the band took a three year hiatus before Rob teamed up with bassist Christian Houllemare (Happy Hate Me Nots) and Bill Gibson (Lemonheads, Eastern Dark) to record 'The Pedestal' ep and 'Woe Betide' mini-album. This was then followed by the 1997 release of the album 'Lower Yourself' which the band once again toured Europe on the back of.

In 2001, The New Christs recorded their full length album 'We Got This' but due to problems with the label who had initially commissioned the recording, it would be some time before it was finally released and by that time due to various reasons the band had once again split. After spending a couple of years producing bands and touring with the reformed Radio Birdman, Rob assembled the current version of The New Christs in 2006. Former bass player Jim Dickson returned to the band and new recruits Stu Wilson (drums), Dave Kettley (guitar) and Brent Williams (guitar) led the band into a new era.

They headed off to Europe, playing to adoring fans across Spain, France, Germany and Belgium while also managing to play some shows in their home country. With the bands line up the most stable in the history of The New Christs, they churned out a bunch of new songs in preparation for the recording of a new album.

December of 2008 saw the band begin work on their as yet untitled full length album which has been scheduled for worldwide release on the Impedance Records label in May 2009. The New Christs will kick off a European tour at the Azkena Rock Festival in Spain on May 16th to support the release.

In the meantime you can get a live preview of what to expect from the album this Friday February 20th in Sydney when the band take to the stage of the Excelsior Hotel in Surry Hills.

Do you know what a beeline is?

Make one to Caringbah Bizzos Club in southern Sydney for this line-up:

Future Lemonheads, New Christs, The Eastern Dark members caught in short pants

A copy of the first musical outing for members of these bands has gone up at eBay and dates from their schooldays at Sydney's Patrican Brothers Fairfield High. It's said to include gems like "House of the Rising Sun" and "Jesus Christ Superstar". Ex-The Eastern Dark member Bill Gibson furiously denies its right to exist, of course, and claims a former I-94 Bar contributor has a similarly artefact of Nick Cave in a school choir.

What's next? Tapes of the (post-jail) Wayne Kramer Band playing late-'70s cabaret standards? I've never heard them but have it on very good authority (from a jilted band member, no less) that they do exist.