Johnny Dole & The Scabs
Encyclopedia
Johnny Dole & The Scabs were one of the first punk rock bands in Australia
; they played live and recorded in Sydney
, during 1977–78.
The band mutated out of The Strays, a typical cover band
, and were looking for a new drummer
to complete the line-up. After finding the right one the band consisted of: Terry Walsh (lead vocals), Peter Mullany (guitar), Mark Wongsee (guitar), Dave Berry (bass - vocals), and Greg Morris (drums - vocals).
s The Strays played their first gig
on Thursday, 24 February 1977 at the Stagecoach Tavern in Sydney. After more rehearsals the band realised that the style of music was different to what they expected it to be, faster and dirtier. With punk rock
bursting onto the scene this is exactly what The Strays had become, a punk rock band. This didn't sit well with guitarist
Mark Wongsee and he decided to leave the band. The four remaining members chose a new name and Johnny Dole & The Scabs was born.
It was obvious that this new style of music was not going to suit the 'normal' venue
s of the time so venues that supported Punk Rock were approached. George Kringus was the manager of Radio Birdman
and booked the bands at the legendary Oxford Funhouse at Taylor Square, giving the band their first 'real' gig on Friday, 15 April 1977.
, The Daily Telegraph
and The Sydney Morning Herald
to name just a few. A recording session with Sydney radio station 2JJ's producer Keith Walker led to a number of interviews and songs regularly played on 2JJ. An interview on Channel 9
's A Current Affair program with Mike Carlton
which aired in January 1978 and supporting The Saints
at the Refectory
at Sydney University were just some of the highlights of Ray's achievements.
, Sydney was the only one that would listen and publican Fred agreed for the band to use the back room, which wasn't being used, to put bands on. On Friday, 16 September 1977 Johnny Dole & The Scabs opened the doors to the Grand Hotel which would go on to be known as ‘the’ place to play in Sydney.
Many bands played at the Grand Hotel and some of these included Rocks, Tommy & The Dipsticks, Blackrunner (with Danny Rumour who would go on to Sekret Sekret and then The Cruel Sea
), Shock Treatment, Society Blitz, Subversion, Psychosurgeons, The Press, Mental As Anything
, The Mangrove Boogie Kings, World War IV and many more.
. Not long after this Greg Morris was asked to leave and Dave Berry followed not long after that. The band didn't last much longer but did do a few gigs with new personnel. Johnny Dole and Peter Mullany later joined forces with Tommy & The Dipsticks to form The Crooked Hearts. Dave Berry disappeared back to the mountains from where he came and is now playing in blues band Blue Roots. Greg Morris joined Rocks (band) and soon after recorded the EP 'You'r So Boring' which has gone onto to be a much-sought-after collector’s item he is now playing in Sydney
cover band Mad Cow.
Peter Mullany - Guitar
Dave Berry - Bass/Vocals
Greg Morris - Drums/Vocals
Label: ABERRANT RECORDS - Release Date: 1985 - Compilation album including: Living Like An Animal, Psycho Analyst & Stuff Your Rules.
SCAB ANIMAL 1977
Label: Buckwheat Headlock Productions BHP 03 - Release Date: 1997
WHERE BIRDMEN FLEW Revisited Vol. 1: A History Of Australian Punk 1977 – 1982
Label: Unknown BIRD 771 - Release Date: 1999 - Compilation album including: Little Lord Punk, Lucky Country & All That's Going On.
Label: Brain Salad Surgery BSS05 - Release Date: 1996
GO AND DO IT The Aberrant Compilations
Label: SMALL AXE SA-03 - Release Date: 1996 - Compilation album including: Living Like An Animal, Psycho Analyst & Stuff Your Rules.
DO THE POP! REDUX PART ONE
Label: Shock DTO-RE1 - Release Date: 2007 - Compilation album including: Living Like An Animal.
(* Recorded at ABC Studio 201 produced and engineered by Keith Walker - Released on both SCAB ANIMAL 1977 LP & CD)
Punk rock in Australia
Australian musicians played and recorded some of the earliest Punk Rock. Perhaps the most notable example were The Saints, who released their first single in 1976. Bands playing sub-genres or offshoots of punk music, such as local hardcore acts, still have a strong cult following throughout...
; they played live and recorded in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, during 1977–78.
The band mutated out of The Strays, a typical cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
, and were looking for a new drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
to complete the line-up. After finding the right one the band consisted of: Terry Walsh (lead vocals), Peter Mullany (guitar), Mark Wongsee (guitar), Dave Berry (bass - vocals), and Greg Morris (drums - vocals).
The First "Real" Gig
After a few rehearsalRehearsal
For other uses, see Rehearsal or Dress rehearsal A rehearsal is a preparatory event in music and theatre that is performed before the official public performance, as a form of practice, and to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared and coordinated for professional...
s The Strays played their first gig
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
on Thursday, 24 February 1977 at the Stagecoach Tavern in Sydney. After more rehearsals the band realised that the style of music was different to what they expected it to be, faster and dirtier. With punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bursting onto the scene this is exactly what The Strays had become, a punk rock band. This didn't sit well with guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Mark Wongsee and he decided to leave the band. The four remaining members chose a new name and Johnny Dole & The Scabs was born.
It was obvious that this new style of music was not going to suit the 'normal' venue
Music venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Typically, different types of venues host different genres of music...
s of the time so venues that supported Punk Rock were approached. George Kringus was the manager of Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
and booked the bands at the legendary Oxford Funhouse at Taylor Square, giving the band their first 'real' gig on Friday, 15 April 1977.
Management
Ray Walsh, Johnny Dole's brother, agreed to manage the band. He had gathered many contacts during his time as a professional wrestler and was able to secure many interviews with all the major newspapers of the time, The Daily MirrorThe Daily Mirror (Australia)
The Daily Mirror was an afternoon paper established by Ezra Norton in Sydney, Australia in 1941, gaining a licence from the Minister for Trade and Customs, Eric Harrison, despite wartime paper rationing. In October 1958, Norton and his partners sold his newspapers to the Fairfax group, which...
, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
and The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
to name just a few. A recording session with Sydney radio station 2JJ's producer Keith Walker led to a number of interviews and songs regularly played on 2JJ. An interview on Channel 9
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's A Current Affair program with Mike Carlton
Mike Carlton
Mike Carlton is an Australian media commentator and broadcaster. He formerly co-hosted the daily breakfast program on Sydney radio station 2UE with Peter FitzSimons and later Sandy Aloisi. He is a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald, having been sacked from the position on 29 August 2008, for...
which aired in January 1978 and supporting The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
at the Refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
at Sydney University were just some of the highlights of Ray's achievements.
Film Clip
Peita Letchford, a student at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS), had approached the band with the proposal of making a film clip (video) for one of the band’s songs as part of her studies. “Aggro” (Dole/Mullany) was chosen and the shoot was at Woolloomooloo in some old factories that were being demolished. This film clip was never shown publicly. Letchford died of cancer in the late 1990s, but the clip was located 30 years after it was made, in the AFTRS archives. See below for You Tube link.The Grand Hotel
With the closure of the Oxford Funhouse this left a hole for any punk band to get gigs as there weren’t that many venues at the time. Johnny Dole & The Scabs approached the publicans at many pubs around Sydney hoping to find one that would be prepared to put on this new style of music. The Grand Hotel - BroadwayGrand Hotel - Broadway
The Grand Hotel was located at Broadway, Railway Square , Sydney, Australia was established in 1849 and demolished in 1983. It was replaced by a $3.6 million motel development complex which included retail shops...
, Sydney was the only one that would listen and publican Fred agreed for the band to use the back room, which wasn't being used, to put bands on. On Friday, 16 September 1977 Johnny Dole & The Scabs opened the doors to the Grand Hotel which would go on to be known as ‘the’ place to play in Sydney.
Many bands played at the Grand Hotel and some of these included Rocks, Tommy & The Dipsticks, Blackrunner (with Danny Rumour who would go on to Sekret Sekret and then The Cruel Sea
The Cruel Sea (band)
The Cruel Sea are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney formed in late 1987. Originally an instrumental-only band, they became more popular when fronted by vocalist Tex Perkins in addition to Jim Elliott on drums, Ken Gormly on bass guitar, Dan Rumour on guitar and James Cruickshank on guitar...
), Shock Treatment, Society Blitz, Subversion, Psychosurgeons, The Press, Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything
Mental As Anything are an Australian New Wave–rock music band formed at an art school in Sydney in 1976. Their most popular line-up was Martin Plaza on vocals and guitar; Reg Mombassa on lead guitar and vocals; his brother Peter "Yoga Dog" O'Doherty on bass guitar and vocals; Wayne "Bird"...
, The Mangrove Boogie Kings, World War IV and many more.
The End
Johnny Dole & The Scabs' last gig with this line-up was at the Bondi Lifesaver, in Bondi Junction on Thursday, 9 February 1978 supporting Cold ChiselCold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
. Not long after this Greg Morris was asked to leave and Dave Berry followed not long after that. The band didn't last much longer but did do a few gigs with new personnel. Johnny Dole and Peter Mullany later joined forces with Tommy & The Dipsticks to form The Crooked Hearts. Dave Berry disappeared back to the mountains from where he came and is now playing in blues band Blue Roots. Greg Morris joined Rocks (band) and soon after recorded the EP 'You'r So Boring' which has gone onto to be a much-sought-after collector’s item he is now playing in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
cover band Mad Cow.
Line Up
Terry Walsh (Johnny Dole) - Lead VocalsPeter Mullany - Guitar
Dave Berry - Bass/Vocals
Greg Morris - Drums/Vocals
LP's
WHY MARCH WHEN YOU CAN RIOT?! An Aberrant CollectionLabel: ABERRANT RECORDS - Release Date: 1985 - Compilation album including: Living Like An Animal, Psycho Analyst & Stuff Your Rules.
SCAB ANIMAL 1977
Label: Buckwheat Headlock Productions BHP 03 - Release Date: 1997
WHERE BIRDMEN FLEW Revisited Vol. 1: A History Of Australian Punk 1977 – 1982
Label: Unknown BIRD 771 - Release Date: 1999 - Compilation album including: Little Lord Punk, Lucky Country & All That's Going On.
CD's
SCAB ANIMAL 1977Label: Brain Salad Surgery BSS05 - Release Date: 1996
GO AND DO IT The Aberrant Compilations
Label: SMALL AXE SA-03 - Release Date: 1996 - Compilation album including: Living Like An Animal, Psycho Analyst & Stuff Your Rules.
DO THE POP! REDUX PART ONE
Label: Shock DTO-RE1 - Release Date: 2007 - Compilation album including: Living Like An Animal.
Original songs
- Aggro* (Dole/Mullany)
- All That's Going On* (Dole/Mullany)
- Blow My Nose* (Berry)
- Halfwit Rock 'N' Roll (Dole/Mullany)
- Hurts My Brain (Dole/Mullany)
- I Don't Wanna Work (Dole/Mullany/Berry/Morris)
- Little Lord Punk* (Dole/Mullany)
- Living Like An Animal* (Dole/Mullany)
- Lucky Country* (Dole/Mullany)
- Psycho Analyst* (Dole/Mullany)
- Stuff Your Rules* (Dole/Mullany)
(* Recorded at ABC Studio 201 produced and engineered by Keith Walker - Released on both SCAB ANIMAL 1977 LP & CD)
Venues
- Bondi Lifesaver - Bondi Junction - 1 gig supporting Cold Chisel
- Chequers Night Club – Town Hall – 1 gig as Johnny Dole & The Strays, asked to leave after the 1 set!!
- Journey's End Wine Bar – Woolloomooloo – 1 gig
- Manly Vale Hotel - Manly Vale – 1 gig
- Refectory - Sydney University – 1 gig supporting The Saints
- Stage Door Tavern – Central – 1 gig
- Stagecoach Tavern – Sydney – 3 gigs as The Strays
- The Grand Hotel – Broadway – 18 gigs
- The Oxford Funhouse – Taylor Square – 4 gigs
- The Paris Theatre – Museum – 5 gigs