Gavin, now the practical as well as ideological heart of News, had been frantically settling details for a stay of around ten days in Sydney, as well as planning another single to be waxed upon their return. The Pulp flexi was not out yet. A few days into April, News drove to Sydney, bristling for action. And they got it! The first date was the 5th, at the Paris Theatre; scene of the Babeez one night stand less than a year ago. News were part of a large roster that night and 2JJ were putting them live to air. Equipment being down to a shoddy minimum, the guitar went through the P.A. again and the sound was disastrous. The Sydney punks certainly thought so and began to throw cans. Nor were they impressed by the lighthearted aspects of News' set, including the bubblegum covers and the anti-pretentious stage presence. As John told a Spurt interviewer: "Most groups are totally boring on stage, they've got no projection. They put on a face. When something goes wrong, they can't handle it. But if something goes wrong for us, we can handle it and laugh it off" (4.5.78).
The crowd at the Paris Theatre that night were mostly followers
of X, who were headlining the night. They had inherited much of
Radio Birdman's following. "They were all mid-twenties University
students who had to punk it up, 'cos the Sydney scene at the time
was heavy and violent. Uni student types trying to be tough"
(John Murphy). Despite copping much abuse from this lot, the Paris
was not a total flop. Gavin told Spurt "40% to 50% of the
audience were willing to listen" (4.5.78).
The bitter end of this night was that while News were on stage,
their truck was looted. Some clothes and cash went. Fortunately,
Sydney improved for News starting with next nights' show at Blondies
Along with the Paris, Blondies was a crucial scene in Sydney's
punk beginnings. An appreciative crowd that night saw News turn
in a good support to Crime & the City Solution, who impressed
News, especially John. A complete contrast was offered at their
next gig, a Legalise Pot Benefit at Paddington Town Hall. The
organisers were happy to slot News into the roster, but the rest
of the programme were hippy bands! "We played alright - the
crowd thought it was alright - just alright" (John Murphy).
The day after the Marijuana benefit saw an unscheduled afternoon
show at the Governor Burke Hotel, supporting the appropriately
named Johnny Dole & the Scabs. Dole and his Scabs were a bizarre
product of the place and time that belonged in context with other
bands stalking Sydney then, such as Filth & the Psycho Surgeons.
These bands rare shows usually became bloodbaths, egged on gleefully
by the musicians. Both Filth and Psycho Surgeons were banned from
Blondies and other venues. To be fair, Dole & the Scabs were
marginally more civilised.
However hastily assembled, News' slot on the day did impress one
Jessica Williams, writing for an unknown Sydney punk rag: "News
aren't a plastic studio band. They are the real thing and it's
only when you see them live that you realise just how fucking
good they are. Any News is good News" (5,78). They weren't
pulling big numbers, but News were making their presence felt,
this being the first objective of the tour. "We didn't have
big crowds - we didn't expect to though; we'd only been there
once before, but a few people knew about us" [Gavin]. Interest
was there Spurt had interviewed them, followed by another fanzine
run by a Paris Theatre acolyte.
On the basis of front, Gavin dropped in a demo to Wizard Records,
a Sydney based EMI subsidiary issuing local and imported New Wave
music. The last stand in Sydney was back at Blondies, supporting
the Thought Criminals. Again, this band impressed News. Like News,
their approach was individualistic and intelligent. This was evident
in the Crims' music: "They had great ideas. They got better,
but even back then they were fantastic" [Gavin]. Thought
Criminals also held independent values close, starting the underground
'Agency' and label Doublethink. They were one of the few bands
anywhere in the world, along with News, that held their peers
to account and maintained a critical view of the world they functioned
in. Few other bands compare closely to News at all. That night,
News went down very well, with the exception of a punch drunk
boxer that hung around Blondies. He belted Jarryl as News were
packing up: Jarryl returned the favour with a mike stand.
Financially, News actually went a little over break-even on this
tour. Above all, Sydney had been a change, and a positive one.
"That was a really good tour, we really enjoyed it - except
for The Paris gig. Playing up there was in some ways more exhilarating
than down here, you had a lot more places to play. No Mushroom/Suicide
hangups, it was a far more independent scene than Melbourne was.
It seemed a lot healthier. The Melbourne scene was a bit pathetic
at that stage" [John].
