A gross-out punk/rock/country/comedy band based in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia from the early eighties that has been described as "The Birthday Party with a sense of humour" and "Young Talent Time on acid". This band was offending the moral majority over a decade before the likes of Anal Cunt (who look pretty weak in comparison) and they also had major problems with authority figures during their time.
Their name is take from a exploitation/slasher flick called I Spit on Your Grave and is not the only slasher flick to influence their music and performances. At their gigs they encouraged 'slam dancing' and fought with audience members. They also called themselves 'The Rickety Rainbow Band' as they were banned from many pubs in Melbourne (and also so the Vice Squad wouldn't be waiting at their gigs waiting to close them down.)
A couple of stories from the band:
From Grizzly:
"One night we staged an all-nude food fight at the Users Club, using lard we stole from the kitchen's fat bins."
Another memorable (albeit more expensive) show in Adelaide featured Girzzly stunt-riding a motorbike he'd found in one of the classrooms.
"I rode it up the stairs and through the audience, then I found out it didn't have any brakes. I smashed into the stage and through the drum kit."
Grizzly's night ended in "a punch up with the rest of the band, crew and some of the audience. We were docked a thousand dollars for the damage to the motorbike, and were banned from that venue."
The original line up:
Scotty "Stix" Simpson - Lead Vocals, Drums, Uncontrollable Drinking
Fred Negro - Lead Drums, Vocals, Sex Appeal, Chicken Fucking
Jason 'The Love Machine' Banner - Lead Guitar, String Breaking, Intellect
Mark 'Sausage' Carson - Bass, Tattoos, Stealing, Pissing on Crowds, etc.
John - Lead Harmonicas, Backing Vocals, Slideshows
The Grizlettes - Backing Singers
Their original mini album release had to be delayed as it had a song on it about the Reverend Fred Nile that he objected to (it had to be removed before pressing) and as soon as it was released all copies were ceased by the police on the grounds that the fanzine that came with it (drawn by Fred Negro) was an obscene publication. The case against the band was eventually thrown out and all copies of the album sold out.
Even though the band is no longer together Fred still plays some of their songs occasionally with other bands as he doesn't believe good songs should die when a band breaks up.
St Kilda's STILL Alright
A
re-release of their original mini album with tracks recorded in 1984 and at a special
reunion concert in 2001. The booklet that comes with the CD includes a plethora of information about the band in the form of cartoons by
Fred Negro,
newspaper clippings, photos,
obscene promotional
handbills (my favourite is the "
Fuck the World Tour 1984" and parts of the original liner notes.
Tracks:
1. Thursday Crawl
2. Let's Go Buy a Pizza
3. Catholic Song
4. Chainsaw Shuffle
5. The Goink
6. Alright Peter
7. Violent Fluff
8. Done to Death
9. What's Happening to the youth of St Kilda?
10. Harassment
11. Piranha
12. I Spit on Your Gravy
Explanations of the songs (with the help of the liner notes):
1. Thursday Crawl
Starts with the classic 1950's
radio preacher '
Sex on the Streets' rant about the evils of rock and roll (with additions by the band). About going on a
pub crawl on Thursday night and picking up.
2. Let's Go Buy a Pizza
This song is about getting addicted to pizza and shooting up on anchovies. Also dedicated to the famous pizza places in St Kilda that always attract a large crowd after the pubs close.
3. Catholic Song
A rant of a song (with choir) about the joys sexually molesting nuns. Enough said.
The Swing style musical interlude ("Turn the record over") is excellent however.
4. Chainsaw Shuffle
"A happy time fun song" about a dance that involves cutting up people with chainsaws. Has samples from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
5. The Goink
A pro drug song with a drawn out ending.
The beginning of the track has Scotty doing a Professor Julius Sumner Miller impression:
"A Primary School.
Children in it.
I inject them with Heroin.
The atmospheric pressure has done it's job.
Their energy is spent.
So too, you should go out and deal Smack to Primary School children.
Thank You.."
6. Alright Peter
Dedicated to one the friends of the band.
7. Violent Fluff
A collection of short and sharp punk songs "Stinkfist", "The One Second Song" and Violent Fluff the shorter songs about basically the same thing - "one, two, three, four.."
8. Done to Death
A slow beat song about things the band think have been overdone.
9. What's Happening to the youth of St Kilda?
Dedicated to the people you come to their gigs and others who hang around the pubs in St Kilda.
10. Harassment
"Don't spit on the ground - Hyuck-Too! Hyuck-Too!"
"Get Fucked All Coppers are Cunts!"
This song originates from the time when the police banned members of the band from travelling together in a group and seven police arrested Fred and another member for spitting on the footpath.
11. Piranha
"HEY! Get your hands out of my daughter!"
The band had a piranha obsession at one stage and this was the best way to express it.
12. I Spit on Your Gravy
Based on the Sex Pistols song "Anarchy in the UK" with a Gravies spin. It reminded me of the last song the Fuck Fucks sang together - "Hey Hey We're the Fuck Fucks!"
Reference : St Kilda's STILL Alright liner notes