with Special Guests

It’s kind of hard to believe, but another milestone has ticked over for Brisbane indie legends Screamfeeder – it’s now 25 years since their landmark album Rocks On The Soul was released. And to celebrate, they’re releasing it on double vinyl, and of course, going on tour. Because, well, that’s what they do.

It’s been a long and strange journey from those humble beginnings in Brisbane in 1991, to the revered status that Screamfeeder now enjoys. The scrappy little three-piece has become an iconic symbol of the time in which Australian music came of age, became the soundtrack of a generation, and came to symbolize an unprecedented golden era.

Recently Screamfeeder has been celebrated with a full-length documentary, a book about their seminal 1996 album Kitten Licks, and an ongoing reassessment of their massive significance to the Brisbane music scene. None of which has changed anything for the band, who continue to chart their own course, navigating by some invisible stars.

Rocks On The Soul represents both a high-water mark and an outlier for Screamfeeder – a sonic departure from their previous work, a resounding a,irmation of the band’s independent ethos, and a deliberate choice to create new sounds and songs to keep things interesting for themselves and their fans. The album arrived after a long four-year break, the regrettable result of a contractual wrangle with their US record label. With their freedom newly reinstated came an experimental sound (courtesy of producers The Pound System) and indelible songs like Above The Dove and Stopless, songs which defined Screamfeeder for a new generation of fans.

“Whether you want the depravity of the post-punk noise, the sweetness of a soothing pop song, or something in between, on Rocks on the Soul they deliver. I’ll give this an A-“ (In Music We Trust)

As Tim Steward notes, “Hearing the record now, it’s aged far less than some of our others from the ‘90s. There aren’t too many cringe moments, and almost all the songs make us go “We should play this one again!”. We’re really happy to have it out in a double vinyl format, giving all the songs space to breathe, and including the bonus CD that came with the original release, with the Hi Cs and Triple Hook singles and B-sides included.”

“...At the time, it sounded like it was too good for a band from Brisbane, which is never true — of anywhere — but that’s how Screamfeeder made me feel. I was excited by it. It was probably the last time I felt truly shocked by what a Brisbane band was capable of. Now everyone knows.” (Ian Rogers)

You can see them play, just like they have for three decades, later in the year...

Friday 17 October: LA LA LA’S, WOLLONGONG, NSW

Saturday 18 October: WAYWARDS BALLROOM, NEWTOWN, NSW

Friday 24 October: GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL, BYRON BAY, NSW

Saturday 25 October: 4ZZZ 50TH, ROMA STREET PARKLANDS, BRISBANE, QLD

Saturday 1 November: NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB, MELBOURNE, VIC

Screamfeeder don’t really play by anyone else’s rules. They exist, they persevere, they triumph. The fans know though, and they joyously celebrate this most idiosyncratic band that, however improbably, seem to get better with age. 

Old school? Shit yeah, and proud of it. Since 1991...