Emily Connell

Emily 'Leeroy' Connell

• Kamikaze Harry (1998-2001) -Trumpet, Soprano Sax
  
• Riot City (2001-2003) - Trumpet
• The Optionals (2002-2004) - Trumpet
• The Night Owl Massacre - Tenor Sax [USA]
  
• Chinese Rocks - Tenor Sax [USA]
• The Goldettes - Tenor Sax [USA]
• Babydoll Warriors - Tenor Sax [USA]

REGION: Wollongong, NSW

Kamikaze Harry

 

ORIGINS: Wollongong, NSW

GENRE: Ska-Punk

YEARS ACTIVE: 1998-2001

 

MEMBERS:

• Steve Wales - Bass
• Val Shoukry - Drums
• Adam Young - Alto Sax
  
• Emily Connell - Trumpet, Soprano Sax
  
• Melissa Bullcaras - Tenor Sax
• Tara Luck - Guitar
  
• Eamon Leggett - Vocals (1999-2000)
  
• Dan Stewart - Vocals (1998)
• Paul - Vocals (2000-2001)
  

RELEASES: 

• Life As a Scannerscrag! (2000) 
• 1. Two For One
• 2. Kamikaze Harry
• 3. Sunshine Song
  
• 4. Babe
• 5. The Rappy Song (Instrumental)

• Show of Force (2000) - Download Here.
  
• 1. That Beeping Sound
• 2. Make It On Your Own
• 3. The Life You Lead
• 4. Leave Me Be
• 5. Babe (Pig in the City)
• 6. Eamon's Rest
• 7. Beneath Your Skin
• 8. Show of Force
• 9. Noose
  

• Bridge (2000)
• 1. C.O.C.K.R.O.C.K.
• 2. Blacked Out
• 3. Nuts
• 4. Bridge

SUMMARY: Starting as a high school band with a different vocalist (Dan from The Pact, who would go on to front Straightjacket Nation), Kamikaze Harry expanded into an 8 piece ska-punk with their main vocalist Eamon. The band played a show in Melbourne and then primarily gigged around the Wollongong and Sydney scenes, playing 36 shows in total. In mid-2000, Eamon was replaced by another singer, Paul, and the band re-recorded vocals for four songs from their album to create the 'Bridge' EP before finishing up in 2001.

 

SHOWS: 

• Thirroul Neighbourhood Centre, Thirroul - 18th July, 1999
  
• House Party, Wollongong - 31st December, 1999 
• Iron Duke, Alexandria - 28th April, 2000
  
• Illawarra Migrant Resource Centre, Wollongong - 4th August, 2000
• Green Square Hotel, Zetland - 10th March, 2001
  
• Wollongong Youth Centre, Wollongong - 12th April, 2001
• Community Centre, Kiama - 26th May, 2001
  

ORAL HISTORY:

VAL: Steve, Adam and I went to high school together. We struggled to find a guitarist for ages. Adam worked with Tara and then she joined. Originally Dan from Straightjacket Nation and The Pact was our first vocalist as he was in Steve and Adam's year at school. He took off and we then got Eamon - someone knew him through a mutual friend. 

Val Shoukry (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

STEVE: I was playing in a couple of other bands before - Two Right Hands and The Pact. When Two Right Hands ended, myself and the saxophone player Adam formed Kamikaze Harry.

Steve Wales (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

TARA: I joined in 1999, the band was already jamming and had played a couple of shows. Steve, Adam, and Val all went to Keira High together so that's how they got the band started. They had a singer Dan at the time but he left as I was about to join. My first jam with the band was at Wollongong Youth Centre in the jam room there. Then we started jamming at my house. My parents had made me a music room and I had my own drum kit. Super lucky.

Tara Luck (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

EAMON: I was approached by Steve, who'd been in The Pact. It was some point in late '99 and I was asked to try out for Kamikaze Harry. I went around to Tara's house, where her parents had built a little jam room off their garage, and we jammed out on some Operation Ivy songs and an Against All Authority song. The rest of the band gave me a tape of the songs they'd written and I wrote some lyrics and we started practicing... Lyrically, I covered homophobia, issues with small-town street violence and macho behaviour, cops, and working at the checkouts in Coles. The usual ska-punk stuff... Our first show was New Year's Eve 1999. I was waiting for planes to start dropping from the sky once it ticked over to midnight. 

Eamon Leggett (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

MELISSA: My music teacher put me in touch with Adam, who was another one of his students, who was looking for someone to join the brass/woodwind section of the band. I listened to all sorts of stuff back then - jazz/funk, indie rock, pop, punk. I'd just turned 18 and was getting more into electro/house too. 

Melissa Bullcaras (Tenor Sax), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

VAL: Our first show was a house party on New Year's Eve 1999 in Tara's garage. Our second show was with the Allniters at Dapto RSL. Our third show was with the Porkers at Wollongong Unibar. We played a multitude of shows with Unpaid Debt, Community Cervix, Bagster, The Mad Dash, The Last Hemeroids (fuck I love and miss that band), Iron Sausage, and Black Arm Band.  

Val Shoukry (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

EMILY: My saxophone teacher in Wollongong told my sister about Kamikaze Harry and suggested she join. She didn't want to and told me about it, so I joined instead. The band had too many saxophones - three of them! I was on the dorky Kenny G soprano sax - I think Adam was alto and Melissa was tenor. Our drummer Val said I should learn trumpet. My sax teacher had a spare one and I rented it from him. After one week of lessons, I switched and played trumpet instead!

Emily Connell (Trumpet), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

 

TARA: My first show was at the Arthouse in Melbourne. Emily had just joined the band by this point too. My dad drove us down as we were all so young. That first night we stayed at the youth hostel, which we thought was fun, and the second night was the gig. It only cost us $6 each to stay at the Arthouse after this and it was about 40 degrees. Two of our horn section initially couldn't make the gig but at the last minute Adam got the time off work and jumped on the train to meet us there. The gig was awesome, I just remember thinking how I wanted to play live music in a punk band my whole life, haha. We just spent the days hanging out in Melbourne looking in cheap record stores and finding cheap food to eat.

Tara Luck (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

EAMON: Tara's dad drove us down in their 4WD. We had to convince Val's mum to let him come and Adam caught the train down a couple of days later. We stayed in a hostel in North Melbourne for one night and then got a room at the Arthouse. Six of us in a room with a single bed. I think it was in the high thirties that week, so we had some pretty restless nights. We were in town for five or so nights and played one show with Commissioner Gordon. It was kinda ridiculous. The show itself was fun. The turnout was middling... I think it was a mid-week show. Nonetheless, we turned up the energy and leapt about. We rewatched the footage of the show and counted how many times Steve jumped off stage. It was somewhere in the teens by the third or fourth song. We played tight and fast. When we got back to Wollongong, we played a shit tonne of shows. I think Emily was the reason we played so much in Sydney. She was friends with (seemingly) everyone in the hardcore scene.

Eamon Leggett (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

TARA: We started jamming more and booking more shows. We mostly played at Wollongong Youth Centre, Iron Duke, Green Square, Tempe Irish Bar, Bar Broadway, and Wollongong Uni Bar. It was always funny to us when we would get a rider as all of us were underage, except Emily and maybe Eamon. We also played a heap of house parties and Battle of the Bands shows as well. This one Battle of the Bands we entered at Berkeley Sports Centre... we assumed it was going to be all punk-type band like we were used to, but it was more like a talent quest. Kids dancing or playing violin. It was the most nerve-wracking thing, haha - all these parents and grandparents in a seated audience and then we get up! A solo singer ended up winning it. I don't know if we even stuck around 'till the end. We were all too embarrassed and left.

Tara Luck (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

MELISSA: A show that stands out in my memory is our gig at the Iron Duke. It was just an iconic venue, so was fun to play there for the first time. We'd played pubs in Wollongong before this but it was our first gig in Sydney so that's why it's probably stuck in my head. I'd only just turned 18 so it all seemed like an adventure.

Melissa Bullcaras, Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

EAMON: We got put on a few shows at the Iron Duke. Mostly mixed-bills of the ska/hardcore/punk variety. We played any shoe we could get. We played a talent show at Berkeley Bowls Club and we went down like a tonne of bricks... We just kept on playing shows. Supported the Porkers, played with the Allniters at Bar Broadway. We played with Good Clean Fun from the states, and Embodiment 12:14, which was possibly one of the worst matchs of bands I've ever come across... The rest of the band was really motivated to make the band a viable thing. Meetings with potential managers were set up. One chap asked us if we'd be willing tot one down our style to appeal to children. We didn't see ourselves as being the next Wiggles.

Eamon Leggett (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

TARA: We recorded at Virtual Records at Lake Heights in 2000 and it was mixed and mastered by a guy named Paz. It was a great experience as it was the first real recording I'd done. I loved being in the studio, which made me interested in leaving school in Year 10 to do audio engineering. I ended up deciding against it and stayed to do my HSC instead. I worked out that I just wanted to play in the bands and not do the sound.

Tara Luck (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

EAMON: We recorded at someone's home studio and the horn section came out sounding like a bad synth. I don't think it was ever released... One day, Emily, Steve, and Val came to my door. They had printed off all these comments from the Kamikaze Harry website saying all I did was yell, and that I was out of the band. 

Eamon Leggett (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

VAL: We recorded the one album but it remained unreleased as Eamon was let go from the band. When Paul joined we released four of the songs from the album with him on vocals.

Val Shoukry (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

TARA: The sound of the band was changing and we heard Paul Demos singing with his band Penaki and we all decided to go with the change and got him as our singer. After a while some members wanted to further change and didn't want horns anymore. That's what led to the band dissolving and Val, Steve, and Paul went on to form Lost in Line with Jay Haydon. I remember being really upset about it because I was trying to keep it all together and didn't want us to stop playing. 

Tara Luck (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RELATED BANDS: Lost in Line, Steel City Allstars, Two Right Hands, The Pact, Cohen Heart, Riot City, The Optionals, Radio Rejects, Straightjacket Nation, Contour, UV Race, Total Control, The Plague, Zaproxyn / Dystempa, Chunky Devon and the Spew Monkeys, Thoughtcrime, Britney, Vengeance is Mine Inc, Things Fall Apart, Cleaned Out, Takedown

Riot City

ORIGINS: Sydney, NSW

GENRE: Ska, 2-tone, Rocksteady, Roots, Reggae

YEARS ACTIVE: 2000-2003

 

MEMBERS:

• Martin Jennings (Vocals, Keyboards)
• Mark Heather (Saxophone)
• Paul 'Ruffy; Girdo (Trombone)
• Marco (Guitar)
• James Gorman (Percussion, Vocals)
• Lindsay (Drums)
  
• Tom 'Crappy' Hoekstra (Trumpet) [2000-2001] 
• Emily 'Leeroy' Connell (Trumpet) [2001-2003]
• Torrin Nelson (Bass) [2000-2002]
• Tom (Guitar) [2001-2002]
• Lister (Bass) [2002-2003]

RELEASES: 

 

• Gimme Some of That Old Moonstomping! (2002) [Live]
• 1. Train to Skaville
• 2. Skinhead Girl
• 3. One Step Beyond
• 4. Woolly Bully
• 5. Watermelon Man
• 6. Guns of Navarone
• 7. Al Capone
• 8. Come On
• 9. Johnny Too Bad
• 10. Whine or Grine
• 11. Chase the Devil
• 12. Don't Argue
  

 

• Bonus Live (2002) [Live] - Download Here
  
• 1. Skinhead Moonstomp
• 2. Skinhead Girl
• 3. Man Next Door
• 4. Guns of Navarone
• 5. Night Boat to Cairo
• 6. Act of War
• 7. Johnny Too Bas
• 8. Woolly Bully
• 9. Chase the Devil
• 10. Outro
  

SUMMARY: Martin, Mark, Ruffy, and Tom were all looking to bring an older ska sound into the current Sydney scene after the rise of ska-punk. They assembled an eight-piece band that played a steady stream of shows throughout 2001 and 2002, including tours to Newcastle and Melbourne. Focused primarily on playing ska standards to begin with (covering artists such as Lee Perry, Prince Buster, The Skatalites, etc.), the band introduced a few original songs over time. 

 

In July 2001, original guitarist Marco and original trumpet player Tom both left the band. Emily Connell (of Kamikaze Harry) joined on trumpet and the band played 6 shows before finding a new guitarist. The final lineup shuffle occurred in May 2002 when Torrin Nelson left and was replaced by Lister on bass. Riot City stopped playing in early 2003 when various members began to pull into different directions, moving away, and playing in other bands. 

 

SHOWS:

• Tartan Heart Ska Nite Klub, Green Square, Zetland - 12th May, 2001
• Vic on the Park, Enmore - 18th May, 2001 
• Tartan Heart Ska Nite Klub, Green Square, Zetland - 9th June, 2001
• Northpoint Tavern, North Sydney - 20th June, 2001
• Bar Broadway, Sydney - 29th June, 2001
• Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle - 13th July, 2001
• Tartan Heart Ska Nite Klub, Vic on the Park, Enmore - 14th July, 2001
• Tartan Heart Ska Nite Klub, Green Square, Zetland - 11th August, 2001
• The Harp, Tempe - 17th August, 2001
• Green Square, Zetland - 14th September, 2001
• Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle - 22nd September, 2001
• The Harp, Tempe - 28th September, 2001
• Annandale Hotel, Annandale - 20th October, 2001
• Bat & Ball, Surry Hills - 26th October, 2001
• Gearins Hotel, Katoomba - 30th November, 2001
  
• Ska Bar, Arthouse, Melbourne - 6th December, 2001
• Birmingham Hotel, Collingwood - 7th December, 2001
• Mayfields, Collingwood - 8th December, 2001
• Annandale Hotel, Annandale - 13th December, 2001
• The Harp, Tempe - 11th January, 2002
• Tom's Place (House Party) - 28th January, 2002
• The Harp, Tempe - 8th February, 2002
• Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle - 9th February, 2002
• The Harp, Tempe - 23rd February, 2002
• Vic ont he Park, Enmore - 22nd March, 2002
• Northpoint Tavern, North Sydney - 5th April, 2002
• Tartan Heart Ska Nite Klub, Green Square, Zetland - 20th April, 2002
• The Harp, Tempe - 11th May, 2002
• The Harp, Tempe - 23rd May, 2002
• Coledale Senior Citizen's Hall, Coledale - 8th June, 2002
• Northpoint Tavern, North Sydney - 15th June, 2002
• Bat & Ball, Surry Hills - 28th June, 2002
• Tartan Heart Ska Nite Klub, Green Square, Zetland - 13th July, 2002
• Vic on the Park, Enmore - 19th July, 2002
• Green Square, Zetland - 10th August, 2002
• Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle - 23rd August, 2002
• The Harp, Tempe - 14th September, 2002
• The Harp, Tempe - 1st November, 2002
• Empire Hotel, Annandale - 23rd November, 2002
• Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle - 29th November, 2002
• Bat & Ball, Surry Hills - 14th December, 2002
  
• Green Square, Zetland - 11th January 2003
• Empire Hotel, Annandale - 22nd February, 2003

ORAL HISTORY:

TOM: What me and Ruffy were talking about was the need for some non-ska-punk in the Sydney ska scene. All these new bands were popping up that were heavily influenced by ska punk and we were just talking shit about how we should start up our own band and do something new (by doing something old). Ruffy already had the name and we drew dodgy logos to pass the time.

Tom Hoekstra (Trumpet), Riot City website, 2001

TOM: We tried out the idea of using some members of Kamikaze Harry but the distance factor was too difficult... some guy on The Last Hemeroids eGroups list was gonna be our bass player and an old mate of mine, Pete, was gonna play guitar. Anyway, it all sort of disappeared for a while but every now and then we'd talk about how it was needed.

Tom Hoekstra (Trumpet), Riot City website, 2001

Martin and Ruffy

TOM: At a Punx Picnic we asked Martin from the Last Hemeroids about joining and he was keen, and he said Mark from the Hemeroids would be too. All we needed was guitar and a drummer... At one stage we weren't even gonna bother with a guitarist. Anyway, it was February 2001 when we had our first true practice at the Enmore Speakeasy. We had a left-handed drummer that Torrin dug up from somewhere.

Tom Hoekstra (Trumpet), Riot City website, 2001

MARK: Last Hemeroids had finished up. There were new bands like Bagster and Lyrical Madmen on the scene who were mostly influenced by 2nd wave 90s ska bands. A few of us thought playing some older ska from the 2-tone era or earlier would be a good mix in the scene. Riot City was made up of members from existing or former bands; lots of egos but lots of fun!

Mark Heather (Saxophone), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

Original Lineup

MARTIN: The band was formed by a group of friends that all wanted to play the same stuff, which made it work well. It was also around the talent too. Everyone knew what they doing and got involved. No passengers.

Martin Jennings (Vocals, Keyboard), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

MARK: First show at the Green Square was pretty special, cause it felt like we played better than we actually were and the work getting it going had paid off. Another highlight was the three gigs we did in Melbourne in December 2001, including the monthly Ska Bar show at the Arthouse Hotel... organising interstate tours for an eight piece band with a few partners tagging along was a logistical nightmare for me, but it worked.

Mark Heather (Saxophone), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

EMILY: I joined much later after the original trumpet player left. Being in the band was hilarious! We had too many band members and it was hard to fit us all on stage. We had band practice at this real sketchy place which was creepy yet awesome at the same time.

Emily 'Leeroy' Connell (Trumpet), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

MARK: I think the most amusing show was the first birthday of the monthly Ska Trek gig in Newcastle at the Cambridge when we played with The Porkers and Casino Rumblers. We decided it was better to all go on the train after going in two vans up there once before. One with all the gear and one with the people. The problem was that neither of the two guys in the van with all the gear had a current driver's licence and they got pulled over for random breath testing. I don't know how they managed to get the van and gear there, but they did... very late.

Mark Heather (Saxophone), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

Mark, Emily, Ruffy

 

EMILY: Once we played a show in Newcastle and our drummer Lindsay stopped the song and started drumming the next song halfway through... I think the only reason he was in the band was because he had a van we could load our gear into! He was super old. I think he may have worked at the placed we rented a van from.

Emily 'Leeroy' Connell (Trumpet), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

EMILY: If I didn't want to play my solo at the end of the show I would jump off stage and dance instead!

Emily 'Leeroy' Connell (Trumpet), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

MARK: The band ended for a few reasons. Emily and I had got pretty busy with The Optionals... I think Martin was getting a bit over the Inner West music scene and planning on heading back to the UK. Tom was going to move up north. I think Lister was starting work as a lawyer and didn't have time. I can't remember any specific conflicts or a specific single reason... it was just sort of time to come to a natural end I think.

Mark Heather (Saxophone), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RELATED BANDS: The DTs, Groin, The Last Hemeroids, The Optionals, Kamikaze Harry, Steppin' Razor, The Signals, The Bedlam Beggars, The Moondoggies, The Fat Bastards, Slant 6, Rastawookie, Trenchtown, Complete Madness, Sweat and Shame