Cosmic Psychos
Gritty, fuzzed-out Australian punk with a heavy wah-wah obsession. Raw, humorous, and loud music for backyard sheds and sticky-carpet dive bars.
Gritty, fuzzed-out Australian punk with a heavy wah-wah obsession. Raw, humorous, and loud music for backyard sheds and sticky-carpet dive bars.
Imagine the sound of a rusty tractor engine being fed through a distortion pedal and you are halfway to the Cosmic Psychos. This is music that smells like diesel, stale beer, and sun-baked red dirt. It is unapologetically loud, built on a foundation of repetitive, droning bass lines and guitar solos that scream through a wah-wah pedal until they practically bleed. It is the sonic equivalent of a firm, calloused handshake.
What truly sets them apart is their 'yob rock' identity. While their peers in the US were getting introspective and moody, the Psychos were singing about dead kangaroos, pub etiquette, and the mundane realities of rural life with a deadpan, satirical wit. They possess a unique ability to be simultaneously aggressive and hilarious, delivering crushing noise rock with a wink and a nod that only someone who has spent too much time in a country pub could truly master.
Start with 'Blokes You Can Trust' for the definitive Butch Vig-produced punch, or 'Go The Hack' to hear the raw, hypnotic power that influenced the Seattle grunge explosion. It is essential listening for anyone who likes their punk rock without the pretension but with plenty of fuzz.
Cosmic Psychos are an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1982 as Spring Plains. The band's first stabilised lineup included Ross Knight on bass guitar and vocals, Peter Jones on guitar, and Bill Walsh on drums. With Morrow's departure in late 1984 the group were renamed as Cosmic Psychos. They issued their debut album, Down on the Farm, in December 1985. Several albums have followed and were backed by national tours and international tours to Europe and North America including festivals with Mudhoney, Nirvana, L7, Helmet and Motörhead. In 1990 Jones was replaced by Robbie Watts on guitar. By 2005 Walsh was replaced by Dean Muller (Hoss, Chris Russell's Chicken Walk) on drums. On 1 July 2006 Watts died of a drug overdose, aged 47, and the band continued with John McKeering (ex-The Onyas) joining.
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