Anon

ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW
GENRE: Grunge
YEARS ACTIVE: 1994-1997

 

MEMBERS:

• Andrew Stout -Vocals, Guitar
• Ben Parker - Bass
• Lachlan Donaldson - Drums

RELEASES:

• Demo (1995)

SUMMARY: Anon was a three piece grunge band active in the Blue Mountains during the mid-'90s. Starting as teenagers while attending Blaxland High, the band was influenced (like many other bands in the area) by local indie rockers Plastic Dinosaur. Anon recorded a demo (now lost) and members moved on to other projects (Lycanthia, Futile, iFly) after 3 or 4 years of playing shows from Penrith to Katoomba.

SHOWS: 

• Rainbird Festival, Katoomba Showground, Katoomba - 9th December, 1995

ORAL HISTORY:

ANDREW: Plastic Dinosaur inspired a lot of Lower Blue Mountains bands - they were like the mothership. The bands that followed them were Futile, Pounder, Glister, Dalkiel, and my own band Anon. It was 1994 and I was writing some songs... we started jamming in Lachlan's garage. As with all families of drummers, his parents must have been super cool to allow us to make all that racket. I remember his mum quite a few times asking to read my lyrics folder, seemingly interested in particular lyrics of particular songs after we'd been jamming sometimes... so pretty awesome parents to show interest and be up for all the noise!

Andrew Stout (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

LACHLAN: We would have been in, like, Year 10 at Blaxland High. I was drumming, Ben played bass, and Andrew had songs written, so we just formed a three piece jamming in my garage. I was listening primarily to metal back then - Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Cruciform, and some older stuff like Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and Motorhead. 

Lachlan Donaldson (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

BEN: Andrew and Lachlan were in the same music class in Year 10 and were playing together a bit for school. Andrew had some songs ready to go when he brought Lachlan and I in, and it went from there. 

Ben Parker (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

ANDREW: I had friend named Jason Dunn, who wasn't a muso or related to any of the local bands, who I used to write lyrics with. I'd bounce my ideas off him and he suggested bits here and there. He mainly told me whether something was worthy or lame.

Andrew Stout (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

BEN: We used to catch the train to Katoomba to play at the Gearins open mic nights, 'The Bent St Jam'. That was the first time we'd ever played in a pub - we were only 15 and 16 at the time. It was a lot of fun. Around that time some of the local bands would also put shows on in their driveway, loungeroom, or backyard, and that was always good too. Playing in a band at that age was really exciting and the all age gigs just had the best vibe. 

Ben Parker (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

ANDREW: We cut our teeth catching the train up from Blaxland to Katoomba and sneaking into the Gearins while underage and playing at the Bent St Jam nights, which was an open mic gig on Tuesday nights. The band Tang were also often there. We also played at the Axolotl in Werrington a good few times and at the Rainbird Festival in Katoomba.  

Andrew Stout (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

LACHLAN: Thinking back, the songs were actually really good and we should have pushed harder and kept going with it. If we had the demo now and reformed  - refined the songs and re-recorded them - I think we could really turn it into something. 

Lachlan Donaldson (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

ANDREW: We ended in 1997 because school was winding up and we'd each started to drift in different directions and pursue different interests. At the end of Year 12, Lachlan went to England on a gap year to teach at Catholic Choir School, which would have made it hard to continue regardless!

Andrew Stout (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025

RELATED BANDS: iFly, Elysium, Snare, Lycanthia, Lota Lane, Brown Helmet, Futile, Dalkiel, Sickend, A Case of Severed Limbs, Magma One, Flying Fists of Fury

Lachy Donaldson

Lachy Donaldson

• Anon (1994-1997) - Drums
• Elysium (1996-1998) - Drums
• Lycanthia (1996-1998, 2012-2015) - Drums
• Snare (2000) - Drums
• Lota Lane (2004-2005) - Drums
  

REGION: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

Flavell

Flavell

• Moneypenny (1998-1999) - Vocals, Guitar
  
• Little More Than You (2000-2002) - Bass
• The Clearerview (2002-2003) - Guitar
  

REGION: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

Adam Kenny

Adam 'Fuzz' Kenny

• Moneypenny (1998-1999) - Bass, Drums
  
• Little More Than You (2000-2002) - Guitar
• Strength Within (2002-2003) - Guitar
  
• Badanga (2003) - Guitar
• The Rumjacks (2008-Current) - Bazouki, Mandolin, Banjo
• Sweat and Shame (2013-2014) - Drums

REGION: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

Nathan Cox

Photo by Simply Simon.

Nathan Cox

• Futile (1995-2000) - Drums
  
• Dalkiel (1997) - Drums
• Brown Helmet (1997-1998) - Drums
  
• Milford (1998-2003) - Drums
• Sickend (1999-2000) - Drums
• A Case of Severed Limbs (2002-2005) - Drums
• Amongst the Demons (2006-2008) - Drums
  
• Grenade - Drums
  
• Steel Cap Therapy (2021-Current) - Drums
  

REGION: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

Plastic Dinosaur

ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

GENRE: Indie

YEARS ACTIVE: 1993

 

MEMBERS:

• Steven Smith - Vocals
• Chris Alston - Guitar
  
• Mark Alston - Guitar
• Damo - Bass
• Troy Schleter - Drums
  

RELEASES: 

• Live at Rusty's Garage (1995)
• Coffee Stained Table
  

SUMMARY: Formed in 1993 by Chris Alston and Steven Smith, who were in Year 7 together at Blaxland High School, Plastic Dinosaur grew into a band with the addition of Chris's brother Mark and two other friends, Damo and Troy. The band created merchandise in the school's textile room and played a series of shows in the Lower Blue Mountains.

 

SHOWS: 

• Rusty's Garage, Glenbrook - unknown date, 1995
• House Party, Mt Riverview - 22nd September, 1995
  
• Youth Centre, Blaxland - unknown date, 1996
  

RELATED BANDS: Poundah, Glister, Ubiquitous, Felix of Exile, The Cauldrons, Alstee

Mark Alston

Mark Alston

• Poundah (1995-1996) - Drums
  
• Plastic Dinosaur (1995-1996) - Guitar
• Glister (1994-2005) - Guitar
• Ubiquitous - Guitar
• Felix of Exile - Guitar
• The Cauldrons - Guitar 

OTHER:

• Obzine (1999-2002) - Street Press / Zine
• Haze - Street Press / Magazine
  
• Design Heroes - Design company
  

REGION: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

Milton

ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

GENRE: Indie Rock, Britpop

YEARS ACTIVE: 1997-2001

 

MEMBERS:

• Aidan Roberts - Vocals, Guitar
  
• Liam Judson - Guitar
  
• Jon Hunter - Drums (1998), Bass (1998-2001)
  
• Nick Parkinson - Drums (1998-2000)
• Ivan Lisyak (2001)
  

RELEASES: 

• Demo (1997) [as The Avenue]

• Sit Back, Relax (2000) - Download Here.
  
• 1. The Sleaze Factor
• 2. Shaker
• 3. Dead Central
• 4. Night School
  

• Unnamed EP (2001) [unreleased]
• 1. Breaking the Law
• 2. Summer Song
• 3. Elevator Cradlesong
• 4. Over
  

SUMMARY: Starting as a two-man project called The Avenue by Roberts and Judson, this musical venture developed into a four-piece band called Milton by 1999. Milton released an EP in 2000 before breaking up/morphing into The Architects in 2001-2002, leaving their second EP unreleased.

 

SHOWS: 

• House Party, Sun Valley - unknown date, October, 1999
  
• Blaxland Gala Day, Blaxland - unknown date, October, 1999
  
• Zound, Warrimoo Citizens Hall, Warrimoo - 17th December, 1999 
• Blue Tongue Cafe, Glenbrook - 19th February, 2000
  
• Nepean Band Comp, Swamp Bar, UWS Kingswood - 11th May, 2000
• Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 25th May, 2000 
• Rodney, Blaxland Hall, Blaxland - 27th May, 2000
  
• Daily Planet, Penrith - 14th July, 2000
• Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 3rd August, 2000
  
• Channel Cafe, Penrith - 25th August, 2000
• Gearin Hotel, Katoomba - 1st September, 2000 
• Lewers Gallery, Emu Plains - 7th September, 2000
  
• Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 30th September, 2000
  
• Big Day Art, Lewers Gallery, Emu Plains - 7th October, 2000
• Daily Planet, Penrith - 20th October, 2000
• Britannia Hotel, Sydney - 22nd December, 2000
• Lansdowne, Sydney - unknown date, 2001
  

ORAL HISTORY:

AIDAN: Liam and I grew up together and always wanted to form a band. When we got our first 'proper' electric guitars in 1998 we decided that we were ready to finally put a band together. We'd been writing songs together since we were 11 so we wrote a bunch of songs together and got Jon and Nick in. Then we had a band!

Aidan Roberts (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

LIAM: Aidan and I had called ourselves The Avenue for a little while in the last year of high school and had made a pretty kooky album on a borrowed cassette 8-track. The album is really primitive, playing-wise mainly. The songs were trying to be Beatlesque... the sillier side of The Beatles (think Magical Mystery Tour). We were trying to get super crafty with production but truthfully, we could barely play our instruments at the time. Except Aidan's piano playing - that was pretty good. When we wanted to take things a little more seriously and find other band members, we renamed ourselves Milton, got some better instruments and I learnt quickly how to play guitar.

 Liam Judson (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

JON: I think I met Liam Judson through a fella named Ewan. Ewan, Ivan Lisyak, and I were in some earlier bands named Dye Green, and Treehouse. We were all interested in recording, Liam and I would both borrow the school's 8-track over the school holidays. I met Aidan at Liam's house while dropping the 8-track off for them to record The Avenue. Liam asked me to come play with him and Aidan and they'd been playing together since they were kids. From memory, Liam liked that I played a hollow body guitar and had seen me play solo at a school thing. We mostly practiced at Aidan's House in Mount Riverview and occasionally at Liam's house in East Blaxland. Once we practiced on Aidan's balcony but his neighbours weren't too impressed! To begin with we just used a sampler and played along to that. Nick joined on drums a bit later.

 Jon Hunter (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

AIDAN: We started playing shows almost immediately after we formed - just some local gigs at low key public hall events and stuff. Our first city show was early 1999 at the Lansdowne. 

Aidan Roberts (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

JON: Our first gig was at an afternoon party in a backyard in Sun Valley, a Martin Novosel party (he went on to do Purple Sneakers, a very popular indie club night at the Abercrombie Hotel in Chippendale). I think it might have been his 18th birthday party and for someone who would go on to run parties for a living it was a bit lame - a few sneaky beers in backpacks clinking. Which prompted us to improvise a song called 'There Goes the Boy with the Bag'. I played drums as it was before Nick joined the band, and I was not very good. I remember trying to smoke a cigarette and drum at the same time, which was completely dumb and thankfully never repeated.

 Jon Hunter (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

ARTICLE: In October 1998, Jon Hunter (ex-Kayzus guitarist) was recruited to play the drums at a party gig, by which time the band had taken on the name Milton after much head-scratching. The gig consisted of 6 songs, plus two improvised songs which described events which were currently taking place at that particular party. All the songs went down well, and several people clapped.

Obzine Issue 5, November 1999

 

 

NICK: I met the Milton guys when I played in a musical with them and my sister was dating the main singer. When I turned 18 we started doing some proper shows. I played in Milton for maybe about a year.  

 Nick Parkinson (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

AIDAN: We were into anything and everything, we were so young and just digesting everything from The Beatles to The Smiths; Pulp, Blue, Suede, Marvin Gaye, Carole King, early U2, and lots of indie Aussie bands that we really idolised - Knievel probably being the strongest inspiration. Even though you wouldn't hear it in the funky melodics of Milton. 

Aidan Roberts (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

LIAM: We played a show at Warrimoo Hall very early on... could have been our first show. Other shows I remember are Kelts Bar supporting Even, Iron Duke with Transtar, and a bunch of odds and sods Blue Mountains shows.

 Liam Judson (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

REVIEW: This was my first Milton experience and I was delighted to hear a band with some classic-sounding guitars, pop riffs, and three-part harmonies. The hall felt like it let out a sigh of relief as this pop group showed off their unmatchable talent. The four local boys were obviously having a great deal of fun on stage and all the guitar swapping, string snapping, and bleeding didn't put them off even slightly.

Review of Zound (17/12/99), Mark Alston, Obzine Issue 7, January 2000

 

JON: We did one gig in Katoomba at the Civic Centre, which was fun. I wore a newly screenprinted 'SLUT' shirt. The show at Warrimoo Hall is possibly the only time I ever played in my home town. It was with Spudgun and Unpaid Debt, that one stands out as I became friends with Simo in my late 20s and it took years before I realised Simo was in Spudgun. 

Jon Hunter (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

LIAM: We recorded an EP but it wasn't released properly. We had no label or anything like that, we just sold it at gigs. It was recorded over two long days and mixed in a night at one of the studios at Western Sydney University by a chap called Robin Janus. We were reasonably happy with it at the time although we were fully aware it fell short of Suede or Pulp.

 Liam Judson (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

REVIEW: If you like to groove, then this will do it for you. 'Sit Back, Relax...' is a four track powerhouse of feeling and will never leave your bored, only wanting more... A highly commendable effort on the recording, which was produced by local guru Robin Janis.

Review of 'Sit Back, Relax', Roy Van-Fonz, Obzine Issue 10, May 2000

 

 

REVIEW: Milton took the stage and played a nice long set filled with all our faves like 'Dead Central' and 'Shaker'. It was the first of two gigs in one week for them, and they showed a lot of energy on this night. A great mix complimented the three-part harmonies and the set went down a treat.

Review of Blaxland Tavern show (25/5/00), Obzine Issue 11, June 2000

 

AIDAN: One of our most memorable gigs was the first time we ever got a gig in the city. It was at the Lansdowne Hotel on a hot Saturday night. Free gig in the front bar. There was a great crowd and we suddenly felt like we'd 'made it', in the sense that we'd played to strangers in the big city and they seemed to dig it. It was so encouraging. I remember driving home on the M4 just buzzing. 

 Aidan Roberts (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

REVIEW: Opening band for the night were Milton, who have a strikingly original and, usually in defiance of the term 'strikingly original', easy-to-listen-to style. They seemed to be taking elements from '70s/'80s progressive rock and mixing it in with Britpop, American Indie (along the lines of Pavement and Weezer) and good old alternative-pop. One thing I noticed about Milton is that they had no set bass player or guitarists, just three frontmen who all sung and swapped their axes around. This made for a greater variety in the sound of the songs, and the set flowed in spite of the constant movement of instruments. Even when a string snapped on one guitar while the strap kept falling off another, they still soldiered on. Towards the end of Milton's set two chicks dressed in black came out dancing (managing to cause a few people to actually leave the room) and proceeded to heckle the band (who got in a few heckles back). Standout tracks of the set were the catchy 'Breaking the Law' and the excellent 'Elevator Cradle Song', as well as their last song, 'Breakers', allegedly about the dodgy Aussie TV show of the same name.

Review of Daily Planet show (27/5/00), Luke Bartolo, Obzine Issue 12, July 2000

REVIEW: This local band called Milton loads their stuff on. They start playing a very cool set of groovy, jazzy songs that get my attention straight away. With brilliant songs and three-part harmonies, the band was in fine form. I'm sitting there really enjoying songs like 'Embassy', 'Dead Central', and 'Breaking the Law', and suddenly they finish - after only twenty minutes! I think they deserve a bit more than that.

Review of Kelts Bar show (3/8/00), David Schleter, Obzine Issue 14, September 2000

REVIEW: Milton came on with replacement drummer Ivan (Hassle Brigade). One rehearsal and he already had it down pat. Milton sweated out pure rock.

Review of Brittania Show (22/12/00), Obzine Issue 18, February 2001

LIAM: We recorded a second EP later on but by the time we finished it we were history. We'd fussed around with it for ages until we were so bored and confused.

 Liam Judson (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

 

JON: We recorded the second EP ourselves at Liam's sharehouse in Springwood. We were really obsessing over recording and buying gear. Liam bought a four-input sound card and I bought small Behringer mixers so between us we could record a set of drums reasonably. On one song, 'Breaking the Law', I made Liam run around the block a couple of times and then come straight to the microphone to record the vocals so that it sounded a bit more urgent, panicked, like you're running from the cops or security... not that we were ever the kind of people to get messed up with the law. I think the influence of hip-hop and the kind of people who were getting messed up with the law weren't far away though, so they'd often be the subject of conversation. While the band was centred around our attempt to make Britpop, we were also all massive fans of hip-hop. Liam's older brother had an Akai s2000 sampler which we would use to sample beats and strings and stuff. This EP also had a version of 'Night School' from the first EP that had a sampled hip-hop beat.

 Jon Hunter (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

ARTICLE: Milton? Haven't heard that name for a while. Well, you will be hearing it again shortly but only for a limited time. Milton are releasing a new EP to mark the end of an era. The band have two new members, a new style and, well... a new name, if they can ever decide on one. Last heard the band was to be called The Stanmores.

Obzine Issue 22, September, 2001

LIAM: Milton finished up because we wanted a slight stylistic change and to stat afresh with no Milton-related hang ups. I think we were getting a little embarrassed about the Milton songs so we changed drummers, took on an analog synth player, and became The Architects. The idea was to be more serious and 'darker' and yet these days I'm more embarrassed about the music of The Architects than I am of Milton. Our last Milton show was at The Lansdowne. Ordinary show - no drummer, pretty dismal.

 Liam Judson (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

RELATED BANDS: Fluoxetine, Jimmi Carr Band, Rinse the Squid, Feedus, Quunk, Belles Will Ring, Sister Jane, The Architects, Bloods, The Lovetones, Lewis Goldmark, Haze, The Titanic Dance Orchestra, The Peter Newman Band, Kayzus, Attack Destroy Machine, Trent Marsden and the Future Ex Wives, Delerium Tremors, Creeks, Guarde Compartmente, Singing Skies

Haze

ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

GENRE: Alternative

YEARS ACTIVE: 1991-1995

 

MEMBERS:

• Jon Hunter - Vocals, Guitar
  
• Ivan Lisyak - Drums
  

SUMMARY: Haze was a two-piece outfit and the first band of both Hunter and Lisyak. They mainly played band comps with a mix of covers and originals and remained a duo rather than a full band. Both members moved on to other projects in the mid-90s but continued to revisit their musical chemistry in different bands over the subsequent years.

 

SHOWS: 

• Lizard Lounge, Panthers Leagues Club, Penrith - unknown date, 1994
  

ORAL HISTORY:

JON: When I was four my Nana gave me a radio that looked like a car. I think Daddy Cool's 'Come Back Again' was my first favourite song from listening to it on that radio. My mum played piano and taught me to play 'Puff the Magic Dragon' and 'Waltzing Matilda'. We moved from Blackheath to Warrimoo when I was 8 and my parents sold their records to pay for the removal van. I then met Ivan Lisyak at school and while at first we didn't really gel, we eventually bonded over music. Dad loved blues music and started collecting CDs once he had regular work. He loved Eric Clapton but I was more drawn to his Bo Diddly and Howling Wolf CDs, which I still have. 

Jon Hunter (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

IVAN: Jono and I went to primary school, high school, and uni together. We played at Penrith Panthers band night at the Lizard Lounge when we were 13 as a duo, but it was nothing serious. We used to record drum and bass tracks on a multi-track cassette recorder in the high school music rooms.  

Ivan Lisyak (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 204

 

JON: I wanted to play drums but Ivan was already a really amazing drummer so I learnt guitar and we started playing in his garage - mostly Nirvana, Green Day, and Rage Against the Machine songs. Eventually I started coming up with my own songs. We started doing Battle of the Bands at Panthers when we were about 12 or 13 - just drums and guitar with me sometimes singing.

Jon Hunter (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

IVAN: I roped Jono into playing with me in a weird jazz hardcore thing at the end of high school but that never went anywhere. Then we later played together in The Architects. 

Ivan Lisyak (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 204

RELATED BANDS: Kayzus, Milton, The Architects, Titanic Dance Orchestra, Special Sauce, The Hassle Brigade, Belles Will Ring, The Paper Scissors, Philadelphia Grand Jury, Machine Death, Deep Sea Arcade, Tanned Christ, IIII, Hviske, Narrow Lands

Moneypenny

 

ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

GENRE: Punk

YEARS ACTIVE: 1998-1999

 

MEMBERS:

• Flavell - Vocals, Guitar
  
• Adam 'Fuzz' Kenny - Bass (1998), Drums (1999)
  
• Tomas Anderberg - Guitar (1998)
  
• Matt - Drums (1998)
  
• Tim Williams - Bass (1999)

RELEASES:

• Demo (1998)
  

SUMMARY: Moneypenny was a shortlived punk band based in the Lower Blue Mountains area. They played some shows with bands like The Hassle Brigade, Fifth Place, and Detox Unit but never got around to recording. Lineup changes made it difficult to sustain the band over a long period of time, with Flavell and Adam Kenny remaining the only consistent members from start to finish (though Kenny swapped from bass to drums in order to keep the band going). These two main members would go on to create Little More Than You with two members of Speckled Foam.

 

A Moneypenny shirt

 

SHOWS: 

• Youth Week Big Gig, Civic Centre, Springwood - 1st May, 1999
  

ORAL HISTORY:

FLAVELL: We called the band 'Moneypenny' because of Goldfinger. I was a huge Goldfinger fan after randomly buying Hang Ups at Parramatta Record Fair. We played a show where we opened for The Hassle Brigade and Detox Unit. That was the last time we played as a four piece, we did another gig in Katoomba as a three piece with Adam on drums and a guy called Tim Williams on bass. That was our last show.

RELATED BANDS: Little More Than You, The Clearview, Strength Within, Badanga, The Rumjacks

Wesley von Grabill

Wesley von Grabill

• Skuzz (1999-2000) - Bass
• Keepsake (2000-2001) - Bass
  
• Clobassi (2001) - Bass
  
• Fat Slinky (2001-2003) - Bass
• Superb Lyrebird (2004-2010) - Bass
• Demons to Diamonds (2011-2013) - Bass
  
• MCP (2021-current) - Bass
  

REGION: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

Offset

 

ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

GENRE: Punk, Melodic Hardcore

YEARS ACTIVE: 1997-2000

 

MEMBERS:

• Dan Scutts (Vocals, Guitar)
• Paul 'Johnny' Cullens (Bass, Vocals)
• Ben Brady (Drums, Vocals)
• Aaron Baker (Guitar, Vocals) [1997-1998]
• James Daley (Guitar) [2000]
  

RELEASES: 

 

•  Driving Makes You Stupid (1997) - Download Here.
  
• 1. Better Things
• 2. Rat Race
• 3. Take a Breath
• 4. Bowlo
• 5. Mighty Weapon
• 6. Society
• 7. Bowlo (acappella - secret track)

• Turramurra (1998) - Download Here.
  
• 1. Used to Be
• 2. Not Like This
• 3. P.O.P.
• 4. Taken Away
  

 

• Wolston (1999) - Download Here.
  
• 1. No Such Thing
• 2. For the Sake of It
• 3. Telling Myself
• 4. Tried Your Best
• 5. So Many People Like You

• Castle Hill (2000) - Download Here.
• 1. Confused
• 2. Once Again
• 3. Question
• 4. Usual Feeling
• 5. Better Things
• 6. Thinking
• 7. Ricky
  

SUMMARY: Fuznut began when two members each from broken-up bands The Hassle Brigade and Fatboy joined together with the idea of pursuing a melodic hardcore sound. The band changed their name to Offset when they became a trio after Aaron Baker left. They continued to play shows until around 2000, adding another second guitarist and supporting Diesel Boy on their Australian tour.

 

SHOWS: 

• Melrose Hall, Emu Plains - 19th September, 1997 (as Fuznut)
  
• Melrose Hall, Emu Plains - 31st October, 1997 (as Fuznut)
  
• Hardcore BBQ, Katoomba Civic Centre, Katoomba - 6th December, 1997 (as Fuznut)
• Blaxland Tavern, Blaxland - 5th February, 1998 (as Fuznut)
• PCYC, Penrith - 8th February, 1998 (as Fuznut)
• Campbelltown Civic Centre, Campbelltown - 7th March, 1998 (as Fuznut) 
  
• Punk Files 3, Lansdowne Hotel, Sydney - 25th April, 1998
• Punk Files 4, The Globe, Newtown - 7th November, 1998
• Vertx Skate Park, Penrith - 20th December, 1998
• Iron Duke, Alexandria - 8th April, 1999
  
• Twist 'n' Skank, PCYC, Penrith - 24th April, 1999
• Warrimoo Citizens Hall, Warrimoo - 25th September, 1999
• The Boardroom, Canberra - 19th November, 1999
• Iron Duke Hotel, Alexandria - 12th March, 2000
  
• Iron Duke Hotel, Alexandria - 27th April, 2000
• Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 27th July, 2000

Supporting Voodoo Glow Skulls

ORAL HISTORY:

PAUL: Fatboy broke up and around the same time The Hassle Brigade broke up so the two came together to make Fuznut. The name 'Fuznut' came from that fuzzy feeling you get in your nuts when you're excited about something. 

Paul Cullens (Bass, Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

DAN: Johnny and I, plus Aaron and Ben from Hassle Brigade, teamed up and formed Fuznut. It was four dudes who loved playing and hanging out. I wanted to venture outside of playing the drums - the four of us met up and bang. The band was named Fuznut as a description of when you hear an awesome band or song and your body reacts, we called it "getting fuznuts!" I didn't want to play drums again; I wanted to sing. We were jamming together and writing together and it was the best. It was an amazing time of hanging out and playing music. 

Dan Scutts (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

REVIEW: Comprising the remnants of two, now defunct punk/hardcore bands called The Hassle Brigade and Fatboy, these boys were specially selected to support the Katoomba chapter of the Hardcore BBQ. Probably because they are the only band in the area suited to the others on the bill. But convenience is not their only merit, they can actually play a decent tune. This was the first time I heard the new conglomeration of Fuznut, after hearing The Hassle Brigade once, but being very inebriated on that occasion, I cannot remember a great deal. But what I do remember though is that the style of The Hassle Brigade in comparison to Fuznut is fairly different. Fuznut opened their set with a tune (sorry, I don't know the names of the tracks) from the school of fast, thrashy and melodic punk rock, comparable to the likes of NOFX (did they play 'Bob'?) and The Descendants. But this was not to last, with the boys moving on to their preferred style, a ska and hardcore fusion (ska core?) without horns. They ripped through a few fine sounding numbers, with Brenden from Downtime and the general audience listening intently. Even though the crowd was small, I could tell by the expression on the punters' faces that they were impressed. But tragedy was to strike early for the Fuznuters, with the guitarist breaking a string and not having a replacement. "This has never happened to us before, and we hope that this will never happen to us again," stated the leader vocalist, a comment seconded by the band's bassist. Nevertheless, in true punk rock spirit, they soldiered on in the face of adversity. They belted out three more songs just using bass, drums and vocals, which sounded damn fine as is, while attempts to repair the guitar were made. These attempts were unfortunately fruitless and the guitarist was forced to join the others minus one string. Standouts of the set were a full-on rockin' version of the Friends theme and their numerous synchronised leaps into the air, with one of these temporarily leaving the bassist down for the count.

Review of Hardcore BBQ '97 show by Hans, Anti-Charisma Issue 2, 1998

Playing at The Globe, Newtown

PAUL: We changed to Offset... the name 'Offset' has no story. It's just a name that we picked. Maybe we changed it because Aaron left. Maybe we wanted to just play punk music without the ska. I'm not sure. 

Paul Cullens (Bass, Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

DAN: The last CD we just named 'Castle Hill' as it we recorded at a studio in Castle Hill. Kind of a shame, we were done and just wanted to have some fun putting our songs down. Maybe it's a bit sad but, for me, this is the recording I'm most proud of. I loved the songs; rush the lyrics big time but loved getting these songs down before we wrapped things up. We'd toured in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne with Diesel Boy and then things kind of fizzled out. We went into the studio because we thought the songs were good so we just put it all down for ourselves. I think, as Offset, we left a lot of songs and energy behind - but shit happens. Johnny, Ben and I had an amazing connection and I really think these songs ripped. It's stupid, but I listen to these songs every now and then and think, far out, there is some good stuff here.

Dan Scutts (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

Playing at Ulladulla (2000), members of Diesel Boy on backup

RELATED BANDS: CFBP, Fatboy, The Hassle Brigade, Strength Within, Badanga, Hunstman, Easy Company, Spasm, Boneless, Bad Blood, Tuskin Raiders, Last Exit to Nowhere

BAND TREE:

Matt Cleary

Matt Cleary

• Futile (1995-1997, 1997-1998) - Vocals, Guitar
• Dalkiel (1997) - Guitar
• Brown Helmet (1997-1998) - Guitar
  
• Sickend (1999-2000) - Guitar
• Day of the Dead (2001-2002) - Guitar
• A Case of Severed Limbs (2002-2005) - Guitar
  
• Flying Fists of Fury (2011-Present) - Guitar

REGION: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

Dalkiel

ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

GENRE: Metal

YEARS ACTIVE: 1997

 

MEMBERS:

• Matt Capper (Vocals)
  
• Matt Cleary (Guitar)
• Nathan Cox (Drums)
  
• Ben Parker (Bass)
  

SUMMARY: Dalkiel was a short-lived metal band formed by some members of Futile. Several members went on to re-form Futile after Dalkiel broke up.

 

SHOWS: 

• Glenbrook Oval, Glenbrook - unknown date, 1997
  

ORAL HISTORY:

NATHAN: Dalkiel started off as a side project with our friend Matthew Capper singing and it was really fuckin' cool. Matty ended up working in the music industry for years with Warner Chappell Music Australia and worked his way right up the ladder.

Nathan Cox (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

BEN: At some point for reasons unknown to me, Futile broke up and Nathan, Matt and I wound up in another band playing together with our mate Matt Capper. After that band had run its course, it kind of pretty much turned back into Futile, and that's how I joined Futile. 

Ben Parker (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RELATED BANDS: Futile, Sickend, A Case of Severed Limbs, Magma One, Flying Fists of Fury, Bred From Hate, Day of the Dead, Brown Helmet, Milford, Amongst the Demons, Grenade, Steel Cap Therapy.

Hooray for Hate

(Band promo, 2005)

 

ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

GENRE: Thrash, Hardcore, Powerviolence

YEARS ACTIVE: 2004-2006

 

MEMBERS:

• Rhys Sheehan (Vocals, Guitar)
• Dave Goymour (Drums)
  

RELEASES: 

• Demo (2004)
• 1. ADI or Die!
  
• 2. Lord of the Sword (Spazz cover)

SUMMARY: Hooray for Hate were a two-piece powerviolence band who played a bunch of hardcore shows over a year and a half. The band eventually morphed into a 3 piece band called Death Trap.

 

SHOWS: 

• PCYC, Penrith - Friday, 12th November, 2004 
• Top O' Judges, Judges Carpark, Penrith - 3rd March, 2006
  
• The Union, Penrith (House Party) - Saturday, 8th April, 2006
• PCYC, Blacktown - Friday, 9th June, 2006
  

ORAL HISTORY:

RHYS: Dave started playing drums and I had a bunch of riffs that I had no use for otherwise. We'd just hang out and practice for about 30 minutes over the space of 8 hours. 

Rhys Sheehan (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RHYS: Hooray for Hate is just about two guys playing music for the fun of it. We've been best mates for 8 years now, so we're pretty much playing for each other. We just wanted a no-bullshit, no-ego, no-superstar creative environment to play music. 

Rhys Sheehan (Vocals, Guitar), CTW Issue 11, 2005

RHYS: It used to feel empty without bass but now I play with two amps at different settings, with a suppressor in the middle to turn one off. It's not as much of a problem anymore as it used to be. I have a line out of one amp to the pedal, then to the other amp input.

Rhys Sheehan (Vocals, Guitar), CTW Issue 11, 2005

RHYS: We recorded a shitty 3 song demo on my 4-track in March 2005. Dave hurt his hand at work and can't drum, so it might be a while before we record again.

Rhys Sheehan (Vocals, Guitar), CTW Issue 11, 2005

RHYS: 'ADI or Die' was about the ADI Site in Penrith that's now Jordan Springs. It was a dumping ground for a whole bunch of dodgy shit that was left buried for years. The place was home to thousands of endangered flora and fauna and they wanted to destroy it and sell it off for houses. I agree that people need houses but sometimes other things are more important.

Rhys Sheehan (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 and CTW Issue 11, 2005

RHYS: Our first show was 10 days after we formed. It was an Anarchoi show at Penrith PCYC, we got asked by Ryan (Anarchoi's bassplayer) to play, so we did. We probably shouldn't have, it was terrible, but it was fun all the same. 

Rhys Sheehan (Vocals, Guitar), CTW Issue 11, 2005

RELATED BANDS: Death Trap, Anarchoi

Bazooka Joes

ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW

GENRE: Psychobilly, Rockabilly, Punk

YEARS ACTIVE: 2001-2004

 

MEMBERS:

• Murray Sheridan (Vocals, Drums)
• Jordan Thomas (Double Bass, Vocals)
• Mick Fryar (Guitar)
• Unknown (Bass) [2001]
  

RELEASES: 

 

• It's Party Time (2002) - Download Here.
  
• 1. He's in the Money
• 2. My Fat Ford
• 3. Wanna Go Back
• 4. Devils Way Home
• 5. They Played Rock
• 6. Rockabilly Rebel
• 7. One Hour

SUMMARY: Fryar and Sheridan originally played under the name 'Proven Wrong' with a different bassplayer. The band members all knew each other from their time together in Music class at Blaxland High School and Fryar and Thomas had been jamming together from as early as Year 8 or 9. Eventually the trio would start bunking off from school on Wednesday afternoons to write music at Sheridan's house. They got their first show at Channel Cafe through Adam Rawson (Barkode, Normal Day) and played a range of shows around the Penrith / Blue Mountains area over the next couple of years before moving on to other projects.

 

SHOWS: 

• Channel Cafe, Penrith - unknown date, 2001
• Kelts Bar, Blaxland - unknown date, 2002
• Panthers Leagues Club, Penrith - 27th April, 2003
• Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 3rd May, 2003
• Empire Hotel, Annandale - 22nd May, 2004
• Casey's, Sydney - 31st July, 2004
• Empire Hotel, Annandale - 7th August, 2004
• Candy's Apartment, Kings Cross - 2nd September, 2004
• The Harp, Tempe - 23rd September, 2004
  
• Empire Hotel, Annandale - 27th November, 2004

ORAL HISTORY:

MICK: It all started in mid high school where the three of us just wanted to jam on Living End covers. That sure happened but then we thought we should try to do some gigs outside of school and that we did. So that's pretty much how it started. The name 'Bazooka Joes' is mentioned in a Simpsons episode. Also, Bazooka Joe was a pro boxer from the '40s, so that's the idea behind our name. 

Mick Fryar (Guitar), CTW Issue 8, 2004

 

MICK: The three of us were all in the same year together at Blaxland High. Same music class... our parents really pushed us all with music, and we were looking for an excuse to wag Wednesday afternoon sport, so we would all go to Murray's house to write and record songs together every Wednesday. Somehow Adam Rawson (who we didn't know at the time) got in touch and offered us a 'real' gig at the Channel Cafe... and it all went from there.

Mick Fryar (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

JORDAN: We were just three school mates. We were 16 years old, all in the same year at Blaxland High school. We loved punk, rockabilly and rock and roll and just started jamming at our drummer Murray's house after school.

Jordan Thomas (Double Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

MURRAY: We were all quite influenced by rockabilly and psychobilly bands and wanted to make our own band that was similar. The Living End were quite big at the time too, which we were all into.

Murray Sheridan (Vocals, Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

JORDAN: We once wrote a song called Jatz and Cheese because we ate lots of Jatz and Cheese at rehearsal. Later on we changed the name of this song to Food to be more inclusive of food in general. This was a pretty typical approach to our songwriting stylings at the time.

Jordan Thomas (Double Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

JORDAN: The first gig we ever did was our friend Phillipa's 21st birthday. She was a few years older than us. It was a hoot. But the first real show we played was down at the Channel Cafe out the back of the Penrith shops.

Jordan Thomas (Double Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

MICK: So many chaotic memories... one being we played at the Backdoor with The Casanovas and we threw in their biggest single into our set for that gig. I think Jordan may have been wearing a leather skirt and a balaclava that show also.

Mick Fryar (Guitar), Noise Levels discussion, 2024

 

 

JORDAN: The most significant gigs were at the Penrith PCYC in the early 2000s. There was a thriving punk scene that we were lucky to be a part of... we had a real sense of community back then. The bands helped each other and we all had some fantastic experiences playing our music our way.

Jordan Thomas (Double Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 

 

MICK: One of our worst gigs was at the Harp - some nights you're just not on the ball. Our all time worst was a show we did in Kings Cross where about 5 people turned up and it was such a long trip to get there. Jordan had a broken hand so we had a fill-in for that show. In terms of cool gigs, we played to a couple of thousand people at the Fairfield Showground and also got to play to a packed-out and extremely eager crowd at the Springwood Royal. 

Mick Fryar (Guitar), CTW Issue 8, 2004

 

MURRAY: For some reason we were always thinking of strange things to do on stage... One show I wore some old war goggles for the whole set and the other two wore boxer shorts that same gig! Another show at The Backdoor at Panthers, Jordan wore a balaclava, no shirt, and a leather skirt and we made a big plate of fairy bread to consume whilst on stage. Basically we just wanted to have as much fun on stage as we could.

Murray Sheridan (Vocals, Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

MICK: We wanted to play really well, had stupid songs, didn't know if I our biggest influences were The Stray Cats, John Farnham or Spy vs. Spy... but we did what we wanted at the time. We actually recorded heaps of stuff but it mostly ended up on just a few copies for us to just listen back to.

Mick Fryar (Guitar), Noise Levels discussion, 2024

 

JORDAN: Recording our EP was pretty damn easy if I remember correctly. We'd done so many shows together, playing so much of our original music, that when it come to put it to tape it just flowed. Our drummer, Murray, was already becoming quite a good engineer at that stage so he handled much of the production. I just ate a lot of Jatz and cheese.

Jordan Thomas (Double Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

MICK: After The Bazooka Joes unofficially disbanded we all played together in various bands and shows... Murray has always popped in and out of Jordan's projects. Murray and I played in a band in 2010 which did a 6 month residency stint in China.

 Mick Fryar (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

JORDAN: The band never really formally stopped playing. Sadly in Australia there isn't much support for original music. 99% of the venues favour cover acts and tribute artists. I hate all that stuff. I hate it because of what it does to artists. It encourages creative music types to forgo their own vision in favour of a safe alternative for the pubs, clubs and RSLs. If you want to make any money, most people have to go this way. This is what happened to the Bazooka Joes. We were all sucked into the covers vortex. The money was a little better, but after a while it can kill your dreams. We learned that the hard way. Luckily we are all pursuing creative original music again.

Jordan Thomas (Double Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024 

RELATED BANDS: The Superjesus, The Jordan Thomas Six, Acid Eyeliner / My Future Lies