Bubble Vicious

ORIGINS: Sydney, NSW

GENRE: Grunge, Alternative

YEARS ACTIVE: 2000-2004, 2007

 

MEMBERS:

• Sonya Burgess - Bass
  
• Penny Vlamis - Guitar
  
• Nerida 'Ned' Wu - Drums (2001-2004)
• Michelle Child (2004) - Guitar
  
• Azaria Byrne (2007) - Drums
  
• Jules (2007) - Guitar
  

RELEASES: 

• Garage Recordings (2001)

• Smash the Novelty (2002)
• 1. Raze Torment
• 2. Dry
• 3. Cobwebs
• 4. Black Look Daggers
• 5. Learning to Breathe

• Domesticated (2004) - Download three tracks here.
  
• 1. Scene is Dead
• 2. I Don't Know
• 3. Perfect Day (Deplore)
• 4. End of the World
• 5. Carnivorl
• 6. Veil of Amnesia
• 7. Crawl
• 8. Broken Down
• 9. Mermaid Who Drowned
  

SUMMARY: Bubble Vicious were a three piece alternative rock band who formed when the members met each other at an audio engineering course. Gigging fairly solidly around Sydney, they also embarked on a tour to Queensland in 2002, and added a second guitarist before breaking up in 2004. The band briefly reformed for some further shows with an amended lineup in 2007. Founding member and drummer Nerida 'Ned' Wu is now well-known internationally as a drumming artist and performer in musicals such as Tap Dogs.

 

SHOWS: 

• Lane Cove Youth Centre, Lane Cove - unknown date, March, 2001 
• Green Square Hotel, Zetland - 26th July, 2001
  
• Green Square Hotel, Zetland - 17th August, 2001
  
• Bar Broadway, Sydney - 31st August, 2001
• Green Square Hotel, Zetland - 1st September, 2001
• Botany View Hotel, Newtown - 6th October, 2001
  
• Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 16th October, 2001
• Bar Broadway, Sydney - 6th December, 2001 
• Botany View Hotel, Newtown - 15th December, 2001
• Art Start Youth Festival, Ramsgate Park - 16th December, 2001
  
• Youth Centre, Menai - 8th February, 2001
  
• Botany View Hotel, Newtown - 2nd March, 2001
  
• Phoenix Club, Sydney - 14th March, 2001
  
• Vic on the Park, Marrickville - 29th March, 2001
  
• Varna Room, Sydney - 11th April, 2002
  
• Club 77, Kings Cross - 16th April, 2002
• Varna Room, Sydney - 9th May, 2002 
• Northpoint Tavern, North Sydney - 29th May, 2002
  
• Bat and Ball Hotel, Sydney - 8th June, 2002
  
• Varna Room, Sydney - 14th June 2002 
• Australian Institute of Music, Sydney - 29th June, 2002
  
• Carringbah Bizzos, Carringbah - 5th July, 2002
• Gabbag Hotel, Brisbane (QLD) - 11th July, 2002
  
• National Hotel, Toowoomba (QLD) - 12th July, 2002
  
• Racehorse Hotel, Ipswich (QLD) - 13th July, 2002
  
• Alliance Tavern, Brisbane (QLD) - 14th July, 2002
  
• SJs Hotel, Newcastle - 31st July, 2002
  
• Balmain Leagues Club, Balmain - 2nd August, 2002 
• Tall Timbers Hotel, Ourimbah - 9th August, 2002
  
• Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 10th August, 2002
  
• The Standard Hotel, Orange - 24th August, 2002
  
• Club 77, Kings Cross - 13th September, 2002
• St George PCYC, Rockdale - 28th September, 2002
• shX, Surry Hills - 4th October, 2002 
• Annandale Hotel, Annandale - 7th April, 2004
  
• Lansdowne Hotel, Sydney - 7th May, 2004
• Lansdowne Hotel, Sydney - 13th August, 2004
  
• Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 27th August, 2004
• Annandale Hotel, Annandale - 26th September, 2004
• Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills - 2nd October, 2004

ORAL HISTORY:

BAND BIO: Sydney rock trio Bubble Vicious formed in December 2000, united by a common desire to write and perform in their own style. Powerful drumming and steady, dark bass rhythms are the backbone for Bubble Vicious's signature tempo changes, while the vocal melodies combine the rawness of grunge/punk with trashy pop overtones... Their style blends old school influences such as The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees with a more modern rock edge from the likes of Placebo, Babes in Toyland, and PJ Harvey.

Band Website, www.bubblevicious.net, 2001

 

PENNY: I feel like I've always been interested in music in some way or other. We had an old upright piano in the house so I took piano lessons as a kid... I think I can appreciate that a lot more now than I did back then. from there it was just a journey and evolution of musical tastes. Anyway, we all met at the same music college and decided to start playing music together. I was heavily inspired by Babes In Toyland and Hole at the time, so that was the style of music we played.  

Penny Vlamis (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

SONYA: I was really into 90s grunge and alternative tunes and asked for a bass guitar for my 16th birthday. Played along to all my faves in my bedroom, then signed up for an audio engineering course at AIM where I met Penny and Ned in 2001. We were forced to perform live as part of our respective courses, thus Bubble Vicious came into fruition. I was very reluctant, hate being in front of crowds, which is why I did an engineering course. We initially put 'Vicious Nancy' out there as an option for the band name - Sex Pistols-related tragic story and all that. Penny saw an episode of the Powerpuff Girls and it was called 'Bubble Vicious', where Bubble went a bit rogue, so there you have it. We later had a Canadian all-girl group message us through MySpace asking if we were called Bubble Vicious, 'cause they wanted to call themselves Bubble Vicious. They politely changed their name. So lovely!

Sonya Burgess (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

PENNY: I was looking through the TV guide and saw a review of a Powerpuff Girls episode. The episode was called 'Bubblevicious', where one of the characters, Bubbles - who is all sweetness and light - turns nasty, causing widespread havoc. 

Penny Vlamis, Drum Media, 30th July, 2002

 

NED: I'm probably influenced by stuff that was happening around then and also Brit pop stuff like Supergrass and Doves and that kind of thing. The main songwriters are Penny and Sonya, and Penny's influenced by Babes in Toyland, The Cure, that kind of thing, and Sonya's more influenced by The Cure and Slipknot and more metal stuff. 

Nerida Wu (Drums), Revolver, 7th May, 2002

 

 

PENNY: Our very first recording was to tape in the studio that was part of the music school we went to. We had only been a band for a few months and it was an exciting and brand new experience. I think we recorded our album at various small studio spaces around Sydney over a year or so.  

Penny Vlamis (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

SONYA: I have a feeling that our first show was a gig down in the Shire, on a Sunday. The fear of the unknown, the adrenaline rush and getting off stage feeling euphoria; we can do this! 

Sonya Burgess (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

NED: The indie scene at our level... there's a heaps more supportive thing happening. For example, Moulder and bands like that are really keen to help everybody out.

Nerida Wu (Drums), Revolver, 7th May, 2002

SONYA: I think Bubble Vicious's most memorable gig was supported Cog. We had one Thursday in Maroubra and a weekend slot opening for Cog and Full Scale. The singer from Cog was found sitting on my bass speaker post-show out back. I cracked the shits and he offered me a sip of beer. What do you do? Haha. 

Sonya Burgess (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

From the Bubble Vicious website, 2002

 

 

PENNY: A lot of our shows came about through other bands who saw our shows and invited us to play... I guess that's probably what stands out, the community of musicians at that time. Also, there were a lot more venues hosting live music. We used to play the Excelsior, the Hopetoun, the Annandale - RIP all of these venues.  

Penny Vlamis (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

REVIEW: All girl Sydney-based noizemakers who don't mashing a bit of rumbling bass with angsto vox and plenty of jagged rhythms... A raw debut that should see a little more punch as the sound fattens and the live experience hones the obvious inherent passion. Open up loud and go for it girls!

Mark Fraser, Redback Rock, 7th May, 2002

 

Review of Smash the Novelty EP

 

REVIEW: There is nothing more beautiful in the world of rock than chicks who... well fucking rock man! But it aint all noise. They peak and lull, drive it and lay back. Lead chick has gotta get a special mention. She blasts out the vocal, croons it then hits mesmerising falsetto all within the one tune. And she cuts a mean axe too.

Steve Anderson, Drum Media, 10th August, 2002

 

SONYA: We added a second guitarist Michelle for a little bit, before we disbanded in 2004. She studied at AIM as well. 

Sonya Burgess (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

SONYA: I remember photo shoots, playing with shadows and graffiti. We made one video clip (for the song 'Dry') in our mate's apartment - don't ask me where that footage is, I have no idea but I'd love to watch it again. We performed some fun shows with Zombie Ghost Train, Dead Inside the Chrysalis, Cog, Full Scale... What sticks with me is the people I met, some I'm still mates with, but the confidence I got from being thrust into the live scene, performing in front of people, and - my gosh - the bass skills I acquired... I fucking love that instrument. 

Sonya Burgess (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

SONYA: The opportunity later arose to play live again. There were covers gig going about, and Penny and I did a Cure set with Azaria on drums. I think the reunion stemmed from there. We only did two sets I think, one at Blink and one at The Annandale. By 2007, Ned was long gone and having amazing experiences with her drums, and rightly so, and being friends, Azaria offered to play drums for us. He's an amazing drummer. We rehearsed at his place. I reckon the love for The Cure brought us together. 

Sonya Burgess (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RELATED BANDS: The Follow, Dead Inside the Chrysalis, The Dark Shadows, The Mis-Made, The Western Distributors, Jessamine, Pat Burgess, The Medicated, Ghost Cat, Safer with the Wolves, Nightmaze, Ground Zero