Saturday, August 15, 2026

Kiss My Poodles Donkey

ORIGINS: Sydney, NSW
GENRE: Alternative 
YEARS ACTIVE: 1989-1995
 
MEMBERS:
  • Chris Townend - Multiple Instruments, Programming, Vocals
  • David Bullock - Percussion
  • Doug Ironside - Guitar (1989-1991)
  • Angela Chynoweth - Bass (1992-1995)
  • Glenda Bones - Bass, Saxophone (1989-1991)
  • Justin Leef - Drums (1994-1995)
  • Nat Nykyruj - Drums (1993)
  • Richard Berckelman - Drums (1989-1992)
  • Paul Kidney - Vocals (1989-1991)
RELEASES:

  • Self-Titled (1991) - Download Here.
    • 1. Get It Right
    • 2. I Am God
    • 3. Pandroah
    • 4. Mace
    • 5. Going Down
    • 6. Blind
  • New Hope For the Dead (1992)
    • 1. Sacred Cow
    • 2. Truck
    • 3. Bad Hair Day
    • 4. Moodb
    • 5. Gett Off
    • 6. See My Eye
    • 7. The Lizard
SUMMARY: Beginning as an extrapolation of a recording project by Chris Townend, the enigmatically-named Kiss My Poodle's Donkey developed into a diabolically-difficult-to-define musical group who would make a big impression on the Sydney alt-rock scene of the early '90s. The band underwent a significant lineup shuffle in 1992 and continued on in this second iteration until calling it quits in 1995.
 
SHOWS: 

ORAL HISTORY:
DAVID: I started dabbling in percussion in the Northern Beaches in Sydney in the '70s, influenced by artists such as Jamie Muir, Airto, Can, Hawkwind, Faust. While I was still at school I was more interested in promoting, including gigs by bands such as the La De Das and Pirana, who were popular acts back in those days. When the punk 'revolution' arrived, it seemed the thing to do was to actually play more, so I moved to the inner city and became involved in some probably justifiably forgotten outfits such as acid/punkers Nerve Sprake Town and the more experimental Hot Blooded Dinosaurs. Going on to 1988/1989, I'd joined a fantastic band called Monroe's Fur. I'd done a few bits and pieces with Chris Townend by this point and he came to a Monroe's Fur gig and was suitably impressed and even played with the band for a while. 
David Bullock (Percussion), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

PAUL: Chris and David came to see me play in my new band Monroe's Fur. They were so excited by my new band that they wanted to join it. They had also done some recording and wanted me to do some vocals on the recording and join their band.
Paul Kidney (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

DAVID: In late 1989, while driving back after a jam with Chris, he popped a cassette into the car's stereo and out came some amazing music. My first reaction was - we have to form a band around this. The bloke who had been running the Evil Star venue (The Evening Star) - a great place for the more innovative or controversial acts - was moving to the UK in a few weeks and I told him that I had a brilliant new band. He said okay; we could be on the bottom of the bill on the last night of his tenure. So I told Chris that we had a gig so we'd getter a band together. Thus we did. Just weeks later we were playing first on a four band bill at the Evil, and we must have been doing something right as we received a very enthusiastic response on the night and immediately garnered great word-of-mouth. The gigs rolled in and away we went, even though originally we had no idea if this was going to be a one-gig thing.
David Bullock (Percussion), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

PAUL: I can't remember whether we played first or if I recorded vocals with them first. Chris wrote a lot of the lyrics. Sometimes I would do the lyrics, sometimes I would alter his lyrics. He wanted me in the band because he had seen me perform and he knew what I sounded like. That first show we did at the Evening Star was loud. We used to hire a PA and bring it to every show. 
Paul Kidney (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026


DAVID: Everybody in the band had a solid knowledge of modern music and not just rock. We formed at one of those important crossover points when the right technology and (dare I say the right drugs) coincide. This was when samplers and computers had begun to become affordable - one of the first things I had done with Chris was recording samples onto a Fairlight! It was also the age of ecstasy, the new dance music scene, and hip hop and industrial music was starting to move into a new phase. The members of Kiss My Poodles Donkey had previous experience in all sorts of bands - Doug had played in Matt Finish, Paul had played in the punky Southern Fried Kidneys. Chris was doing soundtrack work and I had played in everything from punk to experimental to afro-reggae to punk/funk and beyond. I think all of us were aware of what was happened and we turned that into a new blend, with unique touches. To give an idea of how hard it might be to describe the band, a punter came up to me after the very first gig and said we must be influenced by the Stone Roses. Two minutes later, another punter came up and said we must be Slayer fans...
David Bullock (Percussion), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

PAUL: We had a live drummer and a live percussionist but we played to a click track. It was that click track that I really despised. It bound you. You could not be truly free and spontaneous with it. The click track was Chris's idea. He was full of ideas - he had something in mind and tried to get it out there. If we had been in England or the US I am sure that Kiss My Poodle's Donkey would have been huge. I remember later going to see big commercial bands like Midnight Oil who also played to a click track.
Paul Kidney (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

DAVID: We were often asked where the name came from. My favourite version is in an interview given to a magazine, where it was explained that the band came into the rehearsal studio and all realised that we had the same dream the night before somehow involving donkeys and poodles. This is probably as believable a version as any other I could give you...
David Bullock (Percussion), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026


DAVID: There were two distinct versions of Kiss My Poodles Donkey - the earlier and more 'psychedelic' six piece version and the later, better known and more streamlined, four piece band. This change happened when Paul sensibly decided that he wanted to live a less city-oriented lifestyle and went off to travel and live on a farm up near Lismore. Others left and we were left with Chris, Richard and myself. I recruited ex-Melbourne bassist Angela Chynoweth from Box The Jesuit. The new version was less psychedelic and more industrial, but still very danceable. I loved both versions of the band but the second incarnation seemed to gain more interest. 
David Bullock (Percussion), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

PAUL: Kiss My Poodle's Donkey got quite big after I left, just not as big as they should have. My partner was not well and my other band, Monroe's Fur, were talking of going to tour the USA. She was not interested in going to the US so I said, "Hey, wanna go and do a trip around Australia?" She said yeah, so we both left our jobs and I left the two bands I was in and we went travelling. 
Paul Kidney (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

DAVID: Chris took over the singing duties. At first I think he wanted to look for another vocalist but I told him he was up to it, and indeed he was.
David Bullock (Percussion), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

NOTES: This Sydney band produced a curious blend of hard rock, mutant funk, swamp-blues and free-form jazz. The combination did not always work in the live situation, being too monochromatic to carry the weight. On the other hand, the band developed an adventurousness in the studio that overcame such restrictions. Very much in the vein of other unclassifiable Sydney band, Box the Jesuit, Kiss My Poodle's Donkey appealed to eclectic tastes.
Ian McFarlane, Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop, 1999

DAVID: We played with a vast array of other groups, including doing supports for international bands such as Primus, Henry Rollins, Babes in Toyland, and quite a few more. We also played some festivals, probably most notably the Big Day Out in 1994. 
David Bullock (Percussion), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026


DAVID: There was a bloke who provided projections at the Evil Star and they were of a type popular at the time in the truly alternative scene - films of autopsies, hideous surgeries, etc. We wanted to avoid that cliche that somewhat aggressive band equalled horror images. So we began using a South American guy who did projections of beautiful flowers, lovely Aubrey Beardsley prints and the like. Unfortunately he got deported after a while for overstaying his visa. 
David Bullock (Percussion), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

DAVID: After a while, original drummer Richard left and into the slot came Nat Nykyruj and then, when he left, drummer extraordinaire Justin Leef filled the spot. Very sadly, Richard passed away several years ago.
David Bullock (Percussion), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

JUSTIN: I learned a lot from Chris in this band. He was a music maker/producer and he cared about every detail so I had to be on my game. It was the first time I played live with click and backing tracks, etc. It was also the first time I ever played gigs set up sideways and not forward facing the audience. This was so the audience could see what I was playing better, as compared to a more traditional setup. It also got me sonically 'closer' to the other members. 
Justin Leef (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

DAVID: In early 1994, there was an international meeting with people looking to work on a reduction in the harvesting of whales. A documentary against whaling was made and apparently distributed worldwide. The documentary had Olivia Newton-John as the host. In the scenes where you saw lovely footage of whales frolicking you had songs by Olivia and other artists like Midnight Oil. During the scenes of the horrible slaughter and dismemberment of the unfortunate cetaceans, you had Kiss My Poodle's Donkey playing 'Psychoman'. Now, I don't know how much influence the doco had, but thankfully most of the countries agreed to stop the killing... You have to admit, Olivia and Kiss My Poodle's Donkey is a wonderful musical match. 
David Bullock (Percussion), Noise Levels correspondence, 2026

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