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Underground > Radio & Music >

Rose Tattoo - 4eva

Baobab Branches and Plastic

17:59 / 12.03.06

Under appreciated or overated!

I am loving this hardcore blues band from Australia! Blazing guitars awesome vocal delivery what more can you ask for. If namby pamby electro folk is your thing look and listen no more. Whether your into backwards retro rock or just something that ballsout rock THIS IS IT!

Has anyone else heard of them?

19:11 / 12.03.06

Ah, thereby hangs a tale..

In the distant past my 6th form band used to scrabble for slots at our school's measly practise room with the only other bunch or reprobates inspired enough to pick up instruments and howl.We were a very hellacopters/ punk rock sort of deal, whereas they played the sort of whinging nu-metal befitting only white middle-class males of a certain age.

One week we played long over our alotted time just to piss their singer off because they dearly needed the equipment to play some shitty school gig. We ended our 'set' with a grubby cover of "Nice boys (don't paly rock n' roll)" that ended with our guitarist molesting a piano and my causing the sole serving bass amp in college to buzz horribly and emit a cloud of putrid gas.

Bursting in to the hail of white noise that followed, and arriving just as cleared the last of the smoke, our naval-gazing foes switched off all the power and hurried us from the room, their bitchy drummer taking up his stool and uttering the immortal words "fuck rose tattoo!".

How I laughed later that night when their performance was swiftly terminated by the sudden death of the poor old bass amp and they left the stage to a chorus of boos.

Thank you, rose tattoo.

12:42 / 13.03.06

Surely all their cool was blown when Angry Anderson recorded the soft rock ballad "Suddenly" - the theme to Scott n Charlene's wedding- also his only real chart success in the uk...

...just to remind you the video featured this attractive young couple...

Baobab Branches and Plastic

14:10 / 13.03.06

Ahh... indeed. That would have to be considered a rather low point of their career. However that was Angry's solo stuff rather than an actual Rose Tattoo song per se. I'm sure that rest of the band would never actually allow such a thing to happen under the Rose Tattoo moniker... most members of the rock pantheon have slipped at some point or another... so in some perverse way this could actually be testament to how cool they really are.

or its just really really dodgey.

04:56 / 17.03.06

peter wells, the lead guitarist (and musician generally, i suspect) has had a great solo career, with a wonderful singer lucy de soto with him for most / all of it. he rocks!

the tatts, as we fondly know them down under, are an iconic band, but were never one of my favourites. saw them a couple of times, and have seen wells solo a few times - much better gigs.

acca dacca [ac/dc] are a much much better band than the tatts, from the same sort of genesis, but angry anderson has done some really great things with his reputation post-music, including his (i believe continuing) close association with a kids cancer foundation and other civic minded things. he turns up at these things otherwise peopled by suits and proper dress in his ugly singlet and tatts look, looking like he has stumbled in from a seedy bar, and rocks! he's great at pr and has a sweet nature belied by his looks. respect, angry!

but i still don't really dig the music...

08:39 / 17.03.06

he turns up at these things otherwise peopled by suits and proper dress in his ugly singlet and tatts look, looking like he has stumbled in from a seedy bar, and rocks! he's great at pr and has a sweet nature belied by his looks. respect, angry!

"Suddenly I'm seeing you, Just the way you are..."

lord nuneaton savage

09:38 / 17.03.06

I thought Nice Boys didn't play rock'n'roll?

10:22 / 17.03.06

hence the move into ballad writing....

02:51 / 28.03.06

just as i sing his praises, peter wells dies on me.

The Return Of Rothkoid

00:38 / 29.03.06

Yes, a very sad story. There'd been much rallying behind Wells's illness by bands such as The Beasts Of Bourbon, who owe quite a lot to the Tatts, musically - but I guess all the support in the world can't beat nature in some respects. A loss, certainly.

I saw the band (with Pete) play last year. He'd taken a break from treatment to play the show, and it was fucking amazing. One of the loudest things I've heard. THey still had it, though I'd be disappointed if they continued now - I'm pretty sure they won't. After all, the ole story goes that Wells only "tolerated" Anderson initially...

Baobab Branches and Plastic

07:10 / 29.03.06

Damn... I really wanted to see them play as well.

The Return Of Rothkoid

23:55 / 29.03.06

They're playing soon - as treatment progressed, they DID play with other guitarists when Pete couldn't do it. I think at the Bridge Hotel? Should be a big, emotional gig.

Baobab Branches and Plastic

10:05 / 30.03.06

Sadly, I'm in London so no gig for me...