Aussie Rock ‘N’ Roll Soldiers Shandy Prepare for Worldwide Takeover

Shandy are an Australian Bovver Rock band that draws it’s inspiration equally from glam, oi!, punk and good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll, creating a beat guaranteed to make you clap your hands and stomp your feet. A direct antecedent to this sound and style can be found in the legendary late 60s, early 70s Melbourne-based youth subculture known as the “Sharpies,” possessors of unique fashion sense coupled with a passion for high energy guitar-based dance music. Like the flavorful beer and lemonade concoction they're named after, the tough puckers at Shandy mix a wealth of influences to create a lean, potent sound with a direct and warm analog vibe that runs vibrantly counter to today's musical landscape, regardless of genre. This music is meant to be experienced in a live setting with the drinks flowing aplenty. True to form, the Shandy gang is in the midst of European tour, but bassist Viktor Huml was gracious enough to answer some questions & preview "Rock N Roll Soldiers," off their brand new double A-side single and Tough Pucker LP, all on Contra Records/Longshot Music. Like they say down under: Don't be a dead dingo's donger. Get hip to this boss boogie beat straight out of Brisbane.

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NOISEY: What is the title of Tough Pucker slang for?
Viktor Huml: Tough Pucker was a term that we came up with to try and describe one of our tougher glam songs we were working on. We thought it was an interesting visual and a suggestive turn of phrase: "a tough pucker."

You guys are bringing back the early 70s Sharpies look and sound. For the uninitiated, what does that consist of?
The Sharpies were a unique youth cult in Australia mainly centered around Melbourne. Their fashion was influenced by hard mod and original skinhead styles but then morphed into something distinctly Australian. The Sharpies’ look was short hair and “tails” at the back (see the Rose Tattoo Scarred for Life LP cover). They also had a fashion taste for cardigans with each one individually designed and made for an individual or a gang. The Sharpies listened to glam, hard rock, rock 'n’ roll, and even some punk bands such as La Femme towards the end of the reign.

Is this style something you've always been conscious of while growing down under? Were there any old timers from the Sharpie days that influenced you?
Yeah we were always aware of the power of well-known rockers like AC/DC and Rose Tattoo. But it was only later that we appreciated the greatness of some of the other Australian music of the time. For example the Coloured Balls are an amazing band that we didn't really know when we were young and getting into punk, ska, oi!, etc.

Do you guys come from skinhead/punk backgrounds, and if so, what bands were you all in?
Yeah we all come from punk, oi!, and rock ‘n’ roll backgrounds. Jud [guitar] plays in the awesome punk band the Disables as well as doing his solo material. I play in MouthGuard and did a stint in Brisbane oi! band Plan of Attack. Kev [guitar] played in punk bands Psychotic Lemmings and Mystery of Sixes. JJ has played in many rock ‘n’ roll and punk bands including JJ Speedball and Scrumfeeder and even "The Australian GG Allin Show.” Adam, our drummer, has played in hundreds of bands including great rocking punk bands like the Dinky Flyers and Big Lummox.

Any current bands you feel kinship with as far as going for a similar sound as you guys?
We really like bands like the Suede Razors from the USA and Italy's Guida and Faz Waltz, who also have some similar influences. But I feel each band has its own flavor. Part of our influence is the Australian rock sounds of the 1970s (Rose Tattoo, AC/DC, the Angels, Radio Birdman, the Saints, Lobby Lloyd and the Coloured Balls, etc.), and we mix it together with some glam rock, sugar oi!, punk rock. I like the Angry Andersen quote "No one attacks a guitar like an Australian." I think that comes through on our recordings and live shows.

Any chance of a Shandy tutorial on how to do the Sharpies dance as demonstrated in your "Dance All Night" video?
Ha ha… Yeah… We could do that! We tried to get some of the original Sharpies to help us with the dance steps, but they couldn't make it, so we had to rely on studying old 70s videos. We learnt how to "mix the bowl,” "sweep,” "swagger," and so on. It was lots of fun for us and our friends. Check out the music video we cut for our other song "Dance." The music was from 2015, but the dance steps are courtesy of some amazing footage from 1975. It's awesome to watch.

Shandy is in the midst of an European tour at the moment. What are some of the best beers or shandies you've come across so far?
German Radlers are very refreshing. My favourite beer is Czech Budvar, and tonight the bar guy made us a Shandy using that beer. That was delicious! I am looking forward to the Kreik and Framboise beers of Belgium too.

Any plans on bringing the Shandy live experience to the States?
No plans as yet, but we would love to tour there. You have some great bands we'd love to play with like Duffy's Cut, Suede Razors, the Idle Gossip, 45 Adaptors, etc.

Australia has a long history of raucous rock ‘n’ roll bands. Can you recommend a couple of obscure favorites from the 60s and 70s, be it 45s or LPs?

I'd recommend the When Sharpies Ruled compilation that has just been released and the Italian unofficial LP Sharpies: 14 Aggro Aussie Anthems as both excellent introductions to that sound. You still easily pick up a 45 of William Shakespeare's "Alright" and Sherbet’s "Motor of Love," as they were B-sides of Australian hit songs, the B-sides being killer tracks. Supernaut "I Like It Both Ways" is still an easy find unlike the "Unemployed" and "Kids Are Out Tonight" seven-inches, which are great. I also recommend the La Femme "Chelsea Kids" 45 & Hush "Rough, Tough and Ready" 45. The Branded 45 "You Been Branded" / "Generation Breakout" and the Beaut 45 "Goodbye Judy" still elude me. Steve Wright’s Hard Road and Black Eyed Bruiser LPs are cool. For something bizarre and crazy, check of the Freshwater 45 "Satan" from 1970. Heavy psych with a very Charles Manson vibe… I can't believe this single even existed, let alone charted in Sydney!

The artwork on your shirts, flyers, and records is very distinctive, conveying your aesthetic to a T. Who's responsible for it?
We work with two talented artists. Robert Hargreaves, who is an original Sharpie, does these amazing paintings. Bright, vivid colours and Sharpie subject matter. He has kindly allowed us use his work as well as painted and drawn original artwork for us. It's Robert's artwork on our new single and debut album. You can see some of his work on his Instagram account.

Cam Mitchell is a mate who also plays in a street punk band the Rat Bastards. He does all our t-shirt designs and posters and did the artwork for our first single. You can see his artwork on his Instagram account. He is also doing the artwork for the new series of Vanilla Muffins seven-inch releases.

Thanks for answering, any last comments? Cheers on the LP, good on ya!
Thank you Freddy! Big thanks to Contra Records, Longshot Music and Bootboys Cove Records for releasing our music. Cheers to Cam Mitchell and Robert Hargreaves for the ace artwork. Let's dance all night!

Follow Freddy Alva on Twitter. Follow Shandy here and Contra Records here.