Saturday, June 7, 2025

Tutti Parze

Pic by Jody Bartolo

ORIGINS: Sydney / Mullumbimby, NSW
GENRE: Punk
YEARS ACTIVE: 1988-1992, 2006

NOTE: This is a work in progress as I continue to gather material and work on a zine focused on Tutti Parze.
 
MEMBERS:
  • Willie - Vocals
  • Billy Hughes - Guitar
  • Donna - Vocals
  • Soy - Drums
  • Carole - Vocals (1988)
  • Nipper - Bass (1988-1990)
  • Jenny - Vocals (1988-1989)
  • Spacey - Vocals (1989-1992)
  • Stu Magoo - Vocals (1990-1992)
  • Spin - Bass (1990-1991, 1992)
  • Merri / Mega - Vocals (1991)
  • Mary - Vocals [Fill-In] (1991)
  • Damien - Bass (1992)
  • Agro / Keith - Drums [Fill-In] (1991-1992)
RELEASES:

  • Class War / Self-Titled (Recorded 1991, three songs released on comps in the '90s, 7" released in 2018) - Download Here.
    • 1. TRG, You Are Scum
    • 2. Your Funeral is Our Party
    • 3. Promise Her Anything
    • 4. It's Time Now
  • Bite Back (Recorded live c. 1990, released 2018)
    • 1. New Beginning
    • 2. Funding Shit
    • 3. Your Funeral is Our Party
    • 4. Freedom is Not a Slogan
    • 5. More Bombs More Barriers
    • 6. A Good Work Ethic and Have A Nice Day
    • 7. Institutionalised Cruelty
    • 8. Pea Soup
    • 9. We Don't Want a Piece of Cake, We Want the Whole Bakery
    • 10. Unknown
    • 11. This One's Made For You
    • 12. So It's 1989
    • 13. Unknown
    • 14. Unknown
SUMMARY: Tutti Parze began after a busload of anarchic punks arrived in Sydney after being pressured out of Melbourne by police and politicians. Renowned for their integrity as an anti-capitalist, anti-fascist political band, Tutti Parze's passionate live performances incited and inspired a generation of young punks in the late '80s and early '90s. The band was closely linked to the venue Jellyheads and ceased playing shortly after the Jellyheads warehouse shutdown due to an array of reasons.
 
SHOWS: 

ORAL HISTORY:
WILLIE: In the mid '80s - '85 or '86 - the Australian Anarchist centenary celebrations happened. Anarchists from all over the world gathered in Melbourne for one week. Teenage punks came from everywhere in Australia, a hard core gathered and squatted in a group of houses in Hawke Street in North Melbourne and went together to a talk by some old men and women who fought in the Spanish Civil War as anarchists. For us kiddy anrcho-punx this was like being in the presence of living Buddhas. This night shaped us. I already had the name 'Tutti Parze' as my next project. That night, half of us came together. It would take another two years, endless fighting with cops on TV, being brought up numerous times in Victorian Parliament by politicians who wound up demanding our arrest, a magazine about the Russell Street Bombing, way too many raids, a bus, rednecks cutting the break cables on said bus, emergency council meetings in NSW attempting to block our arrival there, and more raids before we would get the other half of Tutti Parze in Sydney. For us kids in Melbourne the revolution was real... it still is.
Willie, Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

DONNA: I wasn't at the Orphanage (where Willie lived in Melbourne) during any of the police raids, though I remember them happening. They were always so brutal, violent and full of humiliation tactics... they raided pretty much all the squats whenever they could and were always fucked. They bashed people, destroyed property, purposely killed baby rats that were companions, and enjoyed using all kinds of horrible intimidation tactics. They definitely targeted us... Somehow a few of us decided to go up North to escape all the violence and bullshit. Willie was setting up a life in Byron Bay,  so Chris (Compost, Mutiny) and I and a couple of friends headed up there too. We were all just living on the beach in some tents, on some land that was owned by this lovely old chap named Tony, who had been a socialist. We were all getting healthy, swimming, eating tropical fruit every day, and smoking tons of hash. Then the cops became aware of our presence and more bullshit started. That's how the move to the Mullumbimby area started... with us needing to get the fuck out of Byron Bay.
Donna (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025
 
WILLIE: Compost were a Melbourne brother-band of Tutti Parze, we had squatted together for years before either Tutti Parze or Compost were bands, back at the Orphanage in Melbourne. Chris from Compost went on to play in Mutiny. Many of us worked at the Squatters Union back then.
Willie (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

WILLIE: Our hut in the rainforest in Upper Main Arm behind Mullumbimby that us 'Orphans' escaped to was called 'Class War House'. The Northern Star newspaper had a front page story titled 'Rat People Must Go' and an emergency council meeting was called on the night we arrived in Mullumbimby because apparently we were a dangerous group associated with the devil. They were demanding for us to be kicked out of the region. 
Willie, Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

DONNA: I didn't stay in Mullum too long. I went back to Melbourne. It was 1988; a really hard year... I was living in a flat in St Kilda with Chris, Jamie (also from Compost) and his partner Jenny. People were always travelling up and back from up North. Willie came to visit and was talking about a band he was starting. Jenny and I decided we were going to go to Sydney and with him and check it out, maybe we had talked about singing at that point. It was all very free form and fun. The night we turned up in Sydney there was a party at the Palmer Street squat and Tutti Parze played our very first gig. Jenny and I screamed and yelled along. We were fully committed after that night and all in.
Donna (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

SOY: We originally formed because there was nothing else around except bands into making money, singing about nothing, and making the latest bandwagon music. When we started none of us could really play (well, I couldn't) but it was fun and it is great to do really political gigs.
Soy (Drums), Blind Ambition Issue 7, April 1991

 
SOY: Our lyrics cover all forms of oppression and abuse and the removal of them from our lives. This includes human / animal abuse and environment abuse. We all live by our beliefs as much as we can given the present circumstances.
Soy (Drums), Blind Ambition Issue 7, April 1991
 
WILLIE: The Racecourse Hotel in Randwick was where we did our first gigs. They were free gigs with free weed, vegan food, and loads of booklets and stuff. We built a following there, we were building the anarcho punk scene. The pub got the money from the bar. We were originally told that Sydney wouldn't go for anarcho-political punk - Sydneysiders preferred Aussie punk pub rock. That's where the free weed and food came in - who could resist that? Gigs were often surrounded by cops who expected it to kick off... it didn't. Cops often surrounded our gigs expecting a riot. They never got in until they got right up in our faces at Jellyheads, in our home, later on. That was one time and they lost. Every other time there were these weird standoffs until someone went home. 
Willie (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

DONNA: We started out pretty early with providing free vegan food and weed. Willie had been living on a piece of property at Terrania Creek (near Mullumbimby) where these guys grew wicked pot and loved to share it with everyone. We would dumpster dive, buy, and most likely shoplift ingredients for big pots of food. We pretty much mainly made curry and chilli, and always very spicy. I think a lot of the folk that we fed initially had no interest in vegan or vegetarian food - but they were all hungry so they would eat, smoke up, get the munchies, think the food was incredible, and then eat more. I often think this was really what started me off on being a chef. Willie and I still swap recipes and talk food constantly.
Donna (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

Pic by Shannon Griffiths

NOTES: One of the best bands to come out of Sydney in a while is Tutti Parze. They play frantic thrash with a large emphasis on politics, they have male/female vocals, and a sound that is somewhere between ENT, Dirt, Crucifix, and with a touch of metal (just a touch). 
Brett, Blind Ambition Issue 3, September 1989
 
DONNA: I don't remember when Nipper decided to leave and at first I think Spin just filled in but then Nipper left Sydney. Jenny left pretty early on in the piece. Nipper had written a couple of the early songs, Billy pretty much wrote all the guitar parts. Nipper could play everything. Willie was the most prolific writer and I wrote a fair bit too. Billy wrote some songs that he sang on also. 
Donna (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

SPACEY: Jen and Carole and Donna were the original female singers. I later jumped on with certain songs... I did that as a thing to come in and replace things and then slowly, over the years, sometimes members couldn't play or didn't show up to gigs, so we had people ready to come up and jump in. Spin was ready to play the bass, we had Mary from Deviant Kickback to help on vocals, and Stu came in on vocals too.
Spacey (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

STU: I remember the first show of Tutti Parze I saw was at Max's at the Petersham Hotel in the backroom there and I just formed friendships with everyone, more predominantly with Billy, who was just an easygoing guy and was inclusive of everyone. Then Billy one day said, 'Would you like to do a couple of songs?' so we trundled off from Billy's place in Lilyfield and we'd go to band practice to a house in Palmer Street where they had a practice room set up.
Stu Magoo (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

NOTES: Tutti Parze are soon to release some vinyl, a split with Melbourne band Compost. They've just done the recording and it couldn't have been done at a better time as they've just added a new bassplayer who's a real demon, as well as a second womyn vocalist, making it three vocalists all up. They played recently and they were awesome. They don't play too often cause some of the members live in the forests, so don't miss 'em when they gig. They are by far Sydney's most anarcho angryheads.
Brett, Blind Ambition Issue 5, December 1990

From the zine Holocaust, Issue 1, 1992

WILLIE: We lived in The Warehouse - there were about 30 of us there, it was run as a commune linked to the Palmer Street squat. It had a huge garden, complete with a taped-off hill of asbestos powder. We had a bathtub we put a fire under in the Warehouse garden so we could heat up the water. The old people in the hospital next door could look down at us - they used to get big cards and put numbers on them and hold one up each time someone got undressed for the bath. The old folks were scoring us, haha!
Willie, Noise Levels correspondence, 2025
 
BILLY: Tutti Parze... that band was pretty full-on, extreme. It was really full-on political and stuff like that. I probably learnt from that time that you can't shove things down people's throats...
Billy Hughes (Guitar), Loaded to the Gills Issue 4, June 1994
 

STU: We went to Nimbin and we did Gathering of the Tribes, which was pretty cool actually. A few bands from Melbourne like Warp Spasm also came up for it.
Stu Magoo (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

SOY: We openly support direct action in defence of our environment as its immediate effectiveness is vital in slowing down the present rate of planet-poisoning. Waiting for the companies or government is obviously too slow because they'll be going for every last cent of profit. Forms of direct action we support range from propaganda, causing economic damage... but direct action by itself changes only the physical because without a change within the attitudes of people the same problems are there (sexism, patriarchy, etc.).
Soy (Drums), Blind Ambition Issue 7, April 1991
 
SPACEY: Rattus was our rat. We had a picture and we put him on a beer bottle, we did our own home brew - we were really into the organic stuff, making the organic stuff, doing things as cheap as possible, so Rattus was our beer label. Willie was really into a band called Negazione and they did a song called 'Rattus'... so everyone in the Palmer Street squat was really into rats. They had rats on their shoulders. Willie's rat might have been called Rattus. So that was our symbol.
Spacey (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

REVIEW: A decent-sized crowd went off in an alcohol-fuelled slamming frenzy whilst Tutti Parze went through their act... The best Tutti Parze songs in my opinion are their crusty metal-styled efforts. Willie's vocals are severe, wretched screaming style and they always seem to have kept their severity (having seen this band a countless number of times throughout the years). Tutti Parze rely on full-on power and sincerity in their gigs and live show. Their backup slide show showed what message they are trying to convey - anti-society, anti-police, anti-cruelty to animals, etc, etc. Tutti Parze deal with this in an ungeneric way most of the time. Bill's guitaring was heavy-as-ever and the drumming from Soy was top notch. The hardcore crowd went away happy at being blown away once again from the relentless Tutti Parze, which are a Sydney hardcore institution. Tutti Parze should be seen by all people who love heavy, harsh, rough and ready music - whether it be metal or punk. My only disappointment this night is that they didn't break out any joints on stage to be passed amongst themselves and the moshers down the front.
Review of show at Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, Holocaust Issue 1, 1992
 
Pic by Simon Duncombe

UNKNOWN: Our music is fast to slow with intricate guitaring and a lot of changes. We can play a lot better now than when we first started plaing, so as a result our songs are better. Influences are UK hardcore and tribal stuff but we listen to all types of music. We still have hopes to record our new better sound. We want something to show for our years together but it has been very hard with our DIY independent ideas on achieving a record plus we haven't got the money. We still haven't got proper equipment. 
Band Member, Holocaust Issue 1, 1992
 
BILLY: The band I'm most proud of being in is Tutti Parze... It was a great learning experience for me and um... very punk indeed. Attitude, lifestyle, everything... very angry people. A lot of members came and went because most of the members did not live in Sydney. Most travelled around and protested in the wilderness, save the trees and this and that. We were all pretty politically active.
Billy Hughes (Guitar) Bar Code the World Issue 2, September, 1995

UNKNOWN: We have changed a lot from our original violent-style direct action lyrics. But the basic attitudes we definitely follow in our everyday life. We are not as naive as we once were in our younger years, however. We are all anti-violence - it could be necessary in some situations but it is a two-edged sword. It is destructive and counter-productive. Who wants to live in a violent world? It is sad that sometimes the only way to achieve change is through violence.
Band Member, Holocaust Issue 1, 1992
 

ARTICLE: Billy admits, "I can't really remember too much. I joined Tutti Parze, a lot of which was just a real bad drug binge." Billy was actually still going to school when he joined Tutti Parze (Italian for 'everybody's crazy'), a crazy bunch of politically oriented punks who were notorious for not playing in 'venues' and supporting more extreme causes. Legend has it that the Butthole Surfers actually requested Tutti Parze to support them, but no one could find them! Angry, naive and confused, Billy used the band to hone his punk-influenced songwriting, coming up with music and organising shows until the newly formed Toe to Toe asked him to join. 
HM Magazine, 1994

UNKNOWN: To be honest, we have found that drugs have provided the band with relief in some ways but there is always a cost. We have had some problems with drugs and we don't want to glorify it... We have seen a lot of our friends fuck up their lives through drug abuse, becoming junkies, etc. There is always a cost to the enjoyment of drugs and alcohol.
Band Member, Holocaust Issue 1, 1992

STU: Originally the band had Nipper on bass but he went off and did something else so then they had Spin, who was a guy that Willie knew from Melbourne. I later stopped doing songs with them, Billy went off and started doing other stuff with Downtime and things like that, so it just sort of disintegrated. Soy started going to uni to do his degree and Donna and a few other people in the scene went to the States and started living over there. So I think that all had something to do with Tutti Parze finishing.
Stu Magoo (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025


WILLIE: Spin, the second bass player after Nipper, he was probably the most talented of all the musicians in Tutti Parze. He could play guitar, drums, bass, piano, trumpet, harmonica... who knows what else he could play, I'd seen him pull out a tin whistle and get a little Irish jig out of it. I believe he was taught by his mother. He was also a very flawed character - like the rest of us. None of us were saints. But he was never the sinner everybody thought he was; he was a communist - a Marxist - a paid up member of the communist party and he was actually never an anarchist. When Jellyheads started putting on the techno parties that was the death knell for Jellyheads because of the noise complaints... when you have dance parties with 600-700 kids (who aren't part of a close scene, we don't know them, they just turn up for parties) stuff will go missing. And Spin was a very easy target for that. He certainly didn't do everything he was accused of. He was exceptionally loyal to me, and exceptionally honest to me, so I can't say a bad word about him. I love him dearly as my brother and I miss him every single day.
Willie (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

SPACEY: We loved doing the gigs, loved the music, loved the energy of it. Loved putting out the message of fighting the system, that's what Tutti Parze was all about. In one way it was good and in another way it was quite exhausting. I do remember the day we decided to stop doing Tutti Parze, that was a very hard thing because that was our family. All the bands around us, they were our family.
Spacey (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

WILLIE: The reunion in 1997 at the Manning Bar, where we were going to support Conflict on their Sydney show... it didn't happen despite 'Tutti Parze' being on the poster. Conflict wanted us to play but I was in New Delhi at the time.
Willie (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

STU: We got back together around 2005 or 2006 and recorded some songs in St Peters.
Stu Magoo (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

WILLIE: We got back together, sort of, for one session in a rehearsal studio. It was recorded live and contained three new songs. Then Billy died. It was impossible to continue with only Soy and me, it would be a different band.
Willie (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

RELATED BANDS: Dogs on Heat, The Tribe, King Pest, Toe to Toe, Bog, Downtime, Black Elvis, Distorted Reality, Tofu Terror, Noisam, Deviant Kickback, Fred Nihilist, Inebrious Bastard, Mahatma Propagandhi






at
Labels: , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)