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Nunbait were an Australian punk rock band formed in 1989. They joined the thriving inner-city music scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s that featured artists such as The Cosmic Psychos,
Frenzal Rhomb Frenzal Rhomb are an Australian punk rock band that formed in 1992 in Sydney. Three of the group's albums have entered the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart: '' A Man's Not a Camel'' (1999), '' Hi-Vis High Tea'' (2017) and ''Smoko at the P ...
, and Kiss My Poodles Donkey, as well as
Tumbleweed A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumble ...
, The Meanies and
Nitocris Nitocris ( el, Νίτωκρις) possibly was the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt's Sixth Dynasty. Her name is found in Herodotus' ''Histories'' (430BC) and in writings by the 3rd-century BC Manetho, but her historicity has been questioned. If she ...
. Nunbait were leaders in the second wave of punk inspired bands that followed the Black Eye Records groups, such as Thug,
Lubricated Goat Lubricated Goat are an Australian noise rock band which originally formed in 1986 by multi-instrumentalist Stu Spasm. They achieved brief notoriety in November 1988 for appearing nude on the ABC TV program '' Blah Blah Blah'', wearing only thei ...
and Box the Jesuit.


History

Nunbait were formed in Sydney in 1989 with Shaun Butcher on guitar, Jay Doherty on drums, Ian Fraser on vocals and Mark Guthrie on bass guitar and vocals. Butcher and Guthrie had been in bands in
Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
; Guthrie then joined Fraser's
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
proto-grunge 1960s garage punk-inspired combo Dementia 13 (1984–1988). In the late-1980s, Butcher, Fraser and Guthrie had each migrated separately from Queensland to the Sydney suburb of Newtown, where they formed the band with Doherty, a native of
Mudgee Mudgee is a town in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is in the broad fertile Cudgegong River valley north-west of Sydney and is the largest town in the Mid-Western Regional Council local government area as well as being th ...
, who took up drums despite limited experience. Doherty named them as Numbait as a pun on
jailbait Jailbait is slang for a person who is younger than the legal age of consent for sexual activity and usually appears older, with the implication that a person above the age of consent might find them sexually attractive. The term ''jailbait'' ...
. Their music was referred to as "
noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
". Doherty died in 1990 and was replaced by Mathew Fante on drums. The band's first release was 500-copy run of a self-pressed single, "Track Trauma" (June 1990) on Masterbait Music Inc. After winning a battle of the bands at Sydney's Lansdowne Hotel, Nunbait secured a contract with local underground label,
Waterfront Records Waterfront Records was an independent record label based in Sydney that released recordings by Australian bands during the 1980s and 1990s. History Waterfront records was started in 1982 by Steven Stavrakis who at the time was an employee of ...
, and released an extended play, ''The Hub'' (named after a Newtown porn theatre), in the same year, which was produced by Stu Spasm. It has six original tracks, albeit one, "The Melting Hour", had its origins in Dementia 13 days. Jack Marx of ''Drum Media'' described the EP as "a blisteringly nasty little piece of rock and roll work." Nunbait supported gigs by
Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been ...
(Burland Hall Newtown, 1991),
Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988, following the demise of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Orig ...
(Phoenician Club Sydney, 1990),
Einstürzende Neubauten (, 'Collapsing New Buildings') is a German experimental music group, formed in West Berlin in 1980. The group is currently composed of founding members Blixa Bargeld (lead vocals; guitar; keyboard) and N.U. Unruh ( custom-made instruments; p ...
and
The Beasts of Bourbon Beasts of Bourbon were an Australian blues rock band formed in August 1983, with James Baker on drums (ex- Hoodoo Gurus, The Scientists), Spencer P. Jones on guitar ( The Johnnys), Tex Perkins on vocals (Dum Dums), Kim Salmon on guitar and Bo ...
(Phoenician Club Sydney 1991),
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
(Selinas, Sydney, February 1992),
Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
(1991),
Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...
(1991) as well as performing shows with
Superchunk Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the ...
and fellow local underground acts
Tumbleweed A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumble ...
,
Cosmic Psychos Cosmic Psychos are an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1982 as Spring Plains. Founding members included Ross Knight on bass guitar and vocals; Robbie Addington on guitar and vocals; and Steve Morrow on vocals. Australian rock music hi ...
, and the
Celibate Rifles The Celibate Rifles were an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1979 with a line-up that included mainstays Dave Morris on rhythm guitar and Kent Steedman on lead guitar, within a year they were joined by Damien Lovelock on lead vocals. T ...
. Shane Danielson of ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' described their style as "not for the faint-hearted. Loud, intense and confrontational, theirs is a wild, lurching noise that hurls itself against you." A follow-up single, "Nowhere Fast", mixed by
Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...
's
Jack Endino Jack Endino (born Michael M. Giacondino; 1964) is an American producer and musician based in Seattle, Washington. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands including Mudhon ...
and Mudhoney’s
Mark Arm Mark Arm (born Mark Thomas McLaughlin; February 21, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. His former group, Green River, was one of the first grunge bands, along with Malfunkshun, So ...
, was released on Waterfront in 1991, charting at #3 in the independent street music charts. Local label Survival issued a four-track EP, ''Spinout'', in June 1992. The band's final release, on tiny
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
label Hippy Knight, was a hastily mixed album, ''Busted'', the production of which left the members extremely dissatisfied. They disbanded soon after. The band reformed for a short tour (with
The Hard Ons The Hard-Ons are an Australian punk rock band, which formed in 1982 in Punchbowl, New South Wales. Its founding members were Keish de Silva on lead vocals and drums, Peter "Blackie" Black on guitar and backing vocals, and Ray Ahn on bass guit ...
) in 2010.


Personnel

* Ian (Ivan) Fraser - Vocals (1989–1993) * Shaun Butcher - Guitar (1989–1993) * Mark Guthrie - Bass, Vocals (1989–1993) * Jay Doherty - Drums (1989–1990) * Mathew Fante - Drums (1990–1993)


Discography

45s * Track Trauma / Blow Me Away (1990), (Masterbait Records), recorded at Sound Barrier, June 1990, produced by Nunbait with help from Amr Zaid ( of “
Ratcat Ratcat are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney who formed in 1985. The band is fronted by mainstay vocalist and guitarist, Simon Day. Their combination of indie pop song writing and energetic punk-style guitar rock won them fans from bo ...
”) * 'Nowhere Fast / Head In The Jam (1991), (Waterfront Records, Damp163), recorded at Electric Ave. Nov 1990, with Adam Chapman (Mixed bat Reciprocal Studios Seattle by Mark Arm of Mudhoney and Jack Endino of Sub Pop) Mini LP * The Hub (1990), (Waterfront, Damp142), recorded at Tracking Station, Sept 1990, produced by
Stu Spasm Stuart Gray (born 1961), better known by his moniker Stu Spasm, is an Australian musician and composer best recognized as the frontman for the experimental noise rock outfit Lubricated Goat. Biography Spasm (Gray) commenced his musical journe ...
(of Lubricated Goat). Tracks: The Melting Hour, Rattler, Erotic Auto Accident, Super Charged, Creepy Crawl, The Hub. Mini CD * Spinout (1992), (Survival), Tracks: Bladder Mouth, Crack in Her Eye, Kill Kylie, Spinout. CD * Busted (1993) (Hippy Knight), Tracks: 7.30PM, Busted, Cease to Squirm, Cut it Out, Metal Gibber, Monoblaster, Point of no Return, Poor Henry, Track Trauma, Young Bloke Blues Compilations * Fresh from the Womb (1992), (Magnet), (10" mini LP). One track: Crack in Her Eye * Various - Self Mutilation Volume Three (1993), (Hippy Knight Records, Creep 012) (USA), (7", EP, Sampler). One track: "Shit for Brains" (recorded late 1992 at Troy Studios, originally recorded by The Bastards).


References

{{reflist


Bibliography

* Spencer, Chris, Nowarra, Zbig & McHenry, Paul: "The Who's Who of Australian Rock", The Five Mile Press, 5th Ed, 2002.


External links


My Space profile
New South Wales musical groups