Aussie Bands

[clairefischer]

Hi, I love Aussie Prog,

How can I find more?
I found Birds Robe Collective on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/birdsrobe

Are there any other similar labels/promoters? or any individual bands I should check out?

[Guess Who]

Brainstorm.

[iguana]

UNiTOPiA.

[progeezer]

Agree with Unitopia, and also a band from Tasmania, Third Ending.

[Rand Kelly]

Sebastian Hardie and Windchase for old school Oz Prog. Four Moments is a masterpiece.

Try this: www.synphonic.8m.com/country/australia.htm

[Rarebird]

Aragon

[Bake 1]

[Nearfest2]

The Grand Silent System

[Romerovm]

Master's Apprentices, Rainbow Theatre, Quasar, Madden & Harris to name a few.

[Mt. Pleasant Farm]

The Australian Pink Floyd Show!!! Sorry, It's Friday and I just had to do that.

[bob_32_116]

Sebastian Hardie and Windchase for old school Oz Prog. Four Moments is a masterpiece.

Try this: www.synphonic.8m.com/country/australia.htm

Sebastian Hardie reunited and released a third album a couple of years ago, "Blueprint". In some ways it's better than the early albums - some harder-edged songs as well as more mellowstuff similar in style to Four Moments. As far as I know it was only obtainable by ordering from them directly online, not sent to shops. Do a search for Sebastian Hardie's homepage, or Mario Millo's home page.

[Zalmoxe]

^ You beat me to it. This "Blueprint" album is surprisingly good, compared to similar comeback releases.





And it was carried by both Laser Edge and Wayside, at least at some point. That's where I got my copy.

[Zalmoxe]

Mario Millo is the guitar in Sebastian Hardie. He has a solo album that is worth getting. Here's one song, but go to YouTube and you can listen to pretty much the entire album.

[emperorken]

Anubis is a band that has issued 2 excellent(and highly rated) albums in the last few years. They also have another album on the way. Ben Craven's album, "Great and Terrible Potions, from 2011, is also very good. Also agree with Unitopia, although they recently disbanded.

[PeterG]

Airbourne. End of list!

[simon moon]

Airlord - Clockwork Revenge

This is a pretty demented record. The opening track kind of sounds like Genesis on speed, with maybe a touch of Split Ends.

EDIT: Oops! They're from New Zealand.

[TheH]

^^
The most time of their short existence they resided in Australia (so they can be counted).

I would go for Rainbow Theatre for aussie Prog.

The weirdest LP from Australia that I own:
Krozier & The Generator

[Scrotum Scissor]

70s Aussie and NZ-bands of merit:

Schtung
Aleph
Masters Apprentices (Toast to Panama Red; psychedelic proto-prog masterwork)
Tamam Shud (second album)
Airlord
Sebastian Hardie/Windchase
Think
Madden & Harris
Tully
Rainbow Theatre
Blackfeather
Spectrum
Marshall Brothers Band
Pirana (second album)
Split Enz (first three albums)
Dragon (first two)
Ariel
Chris Neal
Greg Sneddon
Chetarca
Bakery
Madderlake
Lobby Loyd
Ragnarok

[mellotron storm]

A couple of favourites of mine are Myriad and a far out psychedelic band called Sh'mantra.

[Oreb]

Spectrum's first album and the follow-up Milesago deserve to be way better known.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

Heads and shoulders above all I've heard from dayun unda is the Keyboard mania called CYBOTRON

Colossus being one of their best albums

[Trane]

Madden & Harris

Rainbow Theatre
Blackfeather

those three for me (though not all Blackfeather)

[Chain]

Airlord - Clockwork Revenge

EDIT: Oops! They're from New Zealand.

But Clockwork Revenge was recorded in OZ, so we will claim them

[Chain]

^^
I would go for Rainbow Theatre for aussie Prog.

The weirdest LP from Australia that I own:
Krozier & The Generator

Geoff Krozier, the rock n roll magician was really something to see live. He actually spent some time in the US and teamed up with a band called Kongress. I think there are some recordings of that about.

[Progbear]

Aleph
Sebastian Hardie/Windchase
Rainbow Theatre
Chetarca

Seconding these. Aleph is great if you’re into Garden Shed-like albums. Chetarca is major-league underrated, keyboard-prog heavy on the acoustic piano and synth, oddly light on the organ. A touch of blues influence as frequently crept into Aussie bands.

Also worth checking out, Ritz: A Diamond as Big as the Ritz. Seriously obscure, though, one to check out if you’re into the more symphonic side of things (Aleph, Sebastian Hardie, etc.). They actually remind me a bit of the UK band Strange Days. And probably the only prog band I know of from Canberra!

Schtung
Airlord
Think
Split Enz (first three albums)
Dragon (first two)
Ragnarok

...and these for NZ. Airlord is extremely obscure, like Chetarca, it’s never been made official on CD. Of these, Think is probably the lowest priority; hardly bad, but just not on the same level as the others. Schtüng is seriously weird, like if ELO started to try emulating Zappa’s fusion phase (the singer sounds a lot like Jeff Lynne). I personally recommend all of the Split Enz albums up to and including Corroboree, though the prog did indeed stop after Dizrythmia. I’d also recommend the first three Crowded House albums and Phil Judd’s post-Enz bands (The Swingers and Schnell Fenster). Again, no prog to be found, just wall-to-wall excellent songs. Definitely don’t venture past the first two Dragon albums, even the one with the violinist in the lineup (Body and the Beat, I think) is really mediocre commercial pop-rock.