YOUNG HOME BUYERS SUFFER r is in g INTEREST
“Hopefully there’s a market out there in the suburbs” says Nigel Lawrence, wistfully. There’s probably not much cause for concern. The Young Homebuyers, Lawrence, fellow songwriter Greg Williams, ex-Fabulaires Greg Champion and Mick Teakle, exDot drummer Tony Thornton and bassist Paul Zeising (all ex-Adelaide in one way or another) have great songs, a fetch-
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ingly sloppy stage act (good fun) and have absolutely no charisma at all. They’re gonna be huge. March sees the release of their first single, ‘Take One Step’ backed with ‘Polish Reggae Party’ and ‘Laughing Clown’ on ex-LRB David Briggs’ Rough Diamond label. Law rence and Williams, sitting in the Roadrunner office cracking bad jokes and putting on funny voices, said they saw the single as an introduction to the band. ‘It’s a very straightforward, AM oriented pop song’ said Lawrence, without a hint of a blush. ‘If it’s a hit it’ll be a bonus.’ The Young Homebuyers tale is slightly unusual, in that Lawrence and Williams actually signed to Rough Diamond before they had a band. ‘David Briggs was the only person we met who was prepared to sign us on the strength of the songs’ said Williams. ‘We had a lot of interest from other pub lishers, but all the record companies wanted to see a band” . That was last June. The line up stabilised about six months ago and has been quietly building its audience in Melbourne ever since. ‘We got a lot of the Fabulaires audience initially’, says Nigel, ‘because of Greg and Mick and the fact that the Fabs used to do three of our songs and we do a couple that they used to do. But I’d say we’ve got our own audience now.’ Up till now Lawrence says, the Young Homebuyers have concentrated on being a ‘credible pub rock band,’ and have avoided the comedy/parody style with which the first Young Homebuyers made their mark on Adelaide radio audiences at the beginning of last year. Their demo tape of that time, which included a hilarious Redgum pisstake, ‘Wanking’, reached the top ten on non commercial FM station 5MMM. ‘We don’t want to be part of the Melbourne com edy/cabaret scene’ said Lawrence firmly. ‘We wanna be a band.’ Although they are the first to admit that they’re ‘serving their apprenticeship’ as performers, there’s no doubt that Lawrence and Williams are gifted songwriters, covering a wide spectrum of styles and topics, from catchy pop to reggae to rockabilly and ‘no funk’. With David Briggs, ‘a man as big as his reputation’ according to Lawrence, behind them, and an increasingly polished live act, there’s every chance Young Homebuyers could be the next Mental as Anything.
Donald Robertson.
According to lead singer, Angry Anderson, Rose Tattoo will be doing some Australian shows before heading back to the U.K. at the end of April. Although tour plans were not TOUR DATES — 1982 finalised when I talked to him, he said they’d probably be doing a couple of JOAN ARMATRADING shows in each state. Perth (Entertainment Centre) March
Richard Clapton, almost a forgotten figure in Australian rock over the past few years, is set to bounce back in a big way. With a powerful new album,
‘The Great Escape’, new record company WEA, new agency Dirty Pool, new manager Jon Blanchfield and new band, it’s all change and full steam ahead for Australia’s most significant singer songwriter of the mid seventies. Clapton hasn’t exactly been idle over the past twelve months though. After touring with INXS early last year, he produced their single ‘The Loved One’, opened negotiations with WEA, did three months work on ‘The Great Escape’, broke off to produce the INXS album, ‘Underneath The Colours’ and then finished off his own album just after Xmas. Clapton’s involvement with INXS goes back almost two years and he put in a lot of groundwork to achieve the desired result with ‘Underneath The Colours’. ‘In order to represent the band fairly I felt I had to get into all their heads.’ he said, over the phone from Sydney. ‘I see the role of a producer as interpreting what the artist wants, no more. I knew how to make a record because I’ve had the flying time, and I felt it was important for INXS to be untainted by outside influences. Because
ultimately the artist has to wear the consequences of an album.’ Doing ‘Underneath the Colours’ resulted in what Clapton terms ‘a lot of cross-pollination of musical influences and ideas’ between himself and the members of INXS. ‘In order to do an album with them I felt I had to fully explore their musical influences’, he said. ‘And their influences are really diverse. Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farris’ tastes are very left of centre and I got into some pretty obscure stuff that I hadn’t really gotten into before.’ However if the INXS influence is anywhere to be seen on ‘The Great Escape’ it’s more in terms of attitude and approach, rather than in any direct musical sense. Although INXS skinsman John Farris features on three tracks and bassplayer Garry Gary is on one, it’s still very much a Richard Clapton album. ‘It’s not necessarily a rock’n’roll album’ he says. ‘It’s more a feels album. I think over the past couple of years I’ve just become more interested in the foundations of my music.’ Thankfully the new foundations are not so extreme as to interfere with Clapton’s lyrics. Because, as one would hope, Clapton’s ability to evoke images and situations is .still as potent as ever. ‘I Am An Island’ is a great lost-love song, ‘Best Years Of Our Lives’ is a tender slice of nostalgia, down to the
‘Goodbye Tiger’ musical style, and ‘Flow In Motion’ is descriptive ode to the joy of movement. The Bobby Fuller Four’s 7 Fought The Law’, (recently revived by the Clash, although Clapton says he was unaware of that until after the song had been recorded), is perhaps the most surprising inclusion, although Clapton and the band, do it full justice. ‘Mark Opitz (producer) asked me why I’d never done a cover version, and, well, it had just never come up.’ Clapton said. ‘I was in this record store in Sydney that only sells records from before 1970 and got into this rave with the owner who was like a \yalking rock encyclopedia. And I just got really excited, bought the single, rushed back to the studio and we recorded it virtually straight away.’ With his new band, Harvey James (gtr), Graham Thompson (bass — ex-Big Combo), Mark Meyer (drums), Cos Russo (keyboards) and Mary Bradfield (backing vocals), Clapton is nearly at the end of a six week pub tour, and after a break will be doing a series of concerts. He says he’s going to be playing a lot this year and is hoping that this current band will stick together and do the next album. ‘This album is one of transition’, Clapton admits. ‘I really did feel I was getting in a bit of a rut. But I’m excited about everything again now.’ He has every reason.
Donald Robertson.
There has been much speculation about the Tatt’s hurried return to Austraiia iate last year which saw them biow out the finai leg of a successful British tour. All Anderson would say about it was, ‘I can’t teil you’. He eiaborated: ‘It goes into the sort of area that I decided a iong time ago was not going to be touched by what I do. It’s a small area, but a private one.’ He was however more than happy to talk about Rose Tattoo’s overseas suc cess — somewhat surprising in view of their iess than huge Australian popuiarity. ‘I don’t know, but it seems that to become successful here there are certain things you have to do that minimize your chances overseas. I think you have to become too bland. Because all of the bands that are huge here have very little vibe overseas.’ Angry’s expianation for the Tatt’s im pact is simple. ‘We delivered,’ he said. ‘We are twice the band over there that we ever were here. We’re a lot more outta control now. All the things I used to get hassied for, spitting on the stage, swear ing, acting iike a drunken fool — they’re O.K. there, as long as you deliver. I mean you could get up and shit on the stage as iong as you did it with style. European audiences have been a major factor in the transformation of the band. ‘We’ve aiways had our own internai source of energy’, says Angry. ‘But over there we didn’t have to use it. There audiences suppiied more than we couid handie. I mean they give you so much, you can’t heip but give them anything they want.’ Angry isn’t letting the aduiation go to his head however. ‘We’re trying to take it as caimly as possibie. So that heads don’t get outta shape. There’s no room for that in the band — which is why we’ve had iine up changes in the past. To us it’s a very heartfeit thing being a Tatt. It’s a brother hood thing.’ , And he feels the Tatts have only half realised their potential. ‘If the States later this year goes the way everyone is predicting . . . it’s going to be right over the top.’ Somehow I think here’s more than a grain of truth in that assertion.
Donald Robertson.
15; Adelaide (Thebarton Town Hall) March 18; Auckland (Town Hall) March 20; Wellington (Town Hall) March 21; Christchurch (Town Hall) March 23; Dunedin (Town Hall) March 24; Brisbane (Festival Hall) March 26; Sydney (Capitol Theatre) March 29, 30; Melbourne (Festival Hall) April 5.
PRETENDERS Wellington (Opera House) March 13; Auckland (Logan Campbell Centre) March 14; Melbourne (Palais Theatre) March 16; Brisbane (Cloudland Ballroom) March 20; Sydney (Capitol Theatre) March 22, 23; Canberra (Canberra Theatre) March 26; Adelaide (Festival Theatre) March 28; Perth (Entertainment Centre) March 30.
SHAKIN’ STEVENS Brisbane (Festival Hall) March 13; Sydney (Capitol Theatre) March 17; Melbourne (Palais Theatre) March 19; Newcastle (Civic Theatre) March 22; Canberra (Canberra Theatre) March 25; Adelaide (Thebarton Town Hall) April 2; Perth (Entertainment Centre) April 5.
LEO KOTTKE/ LEON REDBONE Perth (Concert Hall) March 19; Adelaide (Festival Theatre) March 22; Melbourne (Dallas Brooks Hall) March 24; Sydney (Capitol Theatre) March 26; Brisbane (Her Majesty’s) March 31.
ELTON JOHN Wellington (Athletic Park) March 10; Auckland (Western Springs) March 13; Sydney (Hordern Pavilion) March 16, 17, 18; Brisbane (Festival Hall) March 23, 24; Melbourne (Festival Hall) March 29, 30; Adelaide (Memorial Drive) April 3; Perth (Entertainment Centre) April 7
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Perth (Entertainment Centre) March 20; Adelaide (Thebarton Town Hall) March 23; Melbourne (Ritchies Council Club Hotel) (Ritchies Hotel/Preston) March 26, (The Venue/St. Kilda) March 27, (The Pier Hotel/Frankston) March 28, (Mystery Gig) March 29; Sydney (Selinas, Coogee Bay) March 31, (Manly Vale Hotel) April 1, (Family Hotel) April 2; Brisbane (To be advised) April 4.
THE TEARDROP EXPLODES Gold Coast (Bombay Rock) March 18; Brisbane (4zzz Cloudland) March 19; Mooloolaba (Thompsons Hotel) March 20; Sydney (Paddington Town Hall) March 21; Sydney (Sundowner) March 22; Sydney (Family Inn) March 23; Melbourne (Jump Club) March 25; Melbourne (Chevron Hotel) March 26; Melbourne (The Ballroom, St. Kilda) March 27; Melbourne (Prospect Hill Hotel/Kew ‘‘The Warehouse” ) March 28; N.S.W. (Doyalson R.S.L.) March 30; Sydney (Tivoli) June 1; Sydney (The Vicar Of Wakefield) June 2; Sydney (The Manly Vale Hotel) June 3; Sydney (Bondi Regis/Astra) June 4; Sydney (The Bayview Tavern) June 5. ROAORUNNER
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