They may dress in white bandages but the Mummies are not actual mummies. They are the kings of Budget Rock, a concept that rejects professionalism and careerism in favor of stupid fun and a simplified DIY approach to music that includes home-made costumes and equipment, anonymity and a commitment to crazed live shows.Forming in San Mateo, California in 1988, the four-piece, became a key part of San Francisco's burgeoning garage punk scene of the early 90s. Taking surf, 50s and 60s garage and punk they became one of loudest, stupidest most deranged bands on the planet and ended up influencing an insane amount of bands.On the eve of their first Australian and New Zealand tour we look at five acts that were influenced by the bandaged weirdos.The Gories
Though Mick Collins wore a sharp suit rather than bandages, he and the Gories owed a lot of their simple and raw sound to the Mummies busted up rock. As well as incorporating obvious blues influences, the Detroit three-piece presented a live show that could get very wild, very quickly. Both the Gories and the Mummies headlined the 2015 Burger Boogaloo that was hosted by John Waters. Fun times!King Khan and BBQ
As far back as their early days in Montreal, Mark Sultan and Arish Ahmand have had a soft spot for the Mummies. Their early bands such as Spaceshits, Les Sexareenos, took the wild and unhinged abandonment of the Mummies and just made it a little punkier.The Oblivions
Speaking in Eric Davidson’s excellent book, We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001, the Oblivions' Greg Cartwright tells of how band mate Eric Friedl helped him discover the Mummies, “He turned me on to the Mummies and all that stuff, as he was doing Wipeout Zine and writing for other zines. He knew all about these new bands.” Of course the Memphis sons were influenced by a stack of other music including the Ramones, country and 70s rock, but bandaged badasses also left an obvious impression on tracks like “Viet Nam War Blues” and “Blew My Cool”.Straight Arrows
The Sydney four-piece formed sometime around 2007 and their early records had a strong Mummies vibe going on. Leaning towards experimental 60s punk with speed, layers of distortion and melodies, they’ve been known to play while wearing roller skates. Like the Mummies it seems they prefer fun to technical execution.The Coachwhips
Known for their stripped-down, unpolished garage rock and unintelligible lyrics, San Francisco’s The Coachwhips had more than a bit of Mummies going on. The band, which included John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees) played with a telephone through a guitar amp, half a drum kit, a shitty Casio organ, and primal speed-trash riffs. Sound familiar?
March 8 – Melbourne at the LuWow
March 9 – Melbourne at Max Watts
March 10 – Sydney at Hermann’s Bar
March 11 - Plympton SA at The Highway
March 12 – Auckland at The Whammy Bar
March 13 – Wellington at Bodega
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Though Mick Collins wore a sharp suit rather than bandages, he and the Gories owed a lot of their simple and raw sound to the Mummies busted up rock. As well as incorporating obvious blues influences, the Detroit three-piece presented a live show that could get very wild, very quickly. Both the Gories and the Mummies headlined the 2015 Burger Boogaloo that was hosted by John Waters. Fun times!King Khan and BBQ
As far back as their early days in Montreal, Mark Sultan and Arish Ahmand have had a soft spot for the Mummies. Their early bands such as Spaceshits, Les Sexareenos, took the wild and unhinged abandonment of the Mummies and just made it a little punkier.The Oblivions
Speaking in Eric Davidson’s excellent book, We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001, the Oblivions' Greg Cartwright tells of how band mate Eric Friedl helped him discover the Mummies, “He turned me on to the Mummies and all that stuff, as he was doing Wipeout Zine and writing for other zines. He knew all about these new bands.” Of course the Memphis sons were influenced by a stack of other music including the Ramones, country and 70s rock, but bandaged badasses also left an obvious impression on tracks like “Viet Nam War Blues” and “Blew My Cool”.Straight Arrows
The Sydney four-piece formed sometime around 2007 and their early records had a strong Mummies vibe going on. Leaning towards experimental 60s punk with speed, layers of distortion and melodies, they’ve been known to play while wearing roller skates. Like the Mummies it seems they prefer fun to technical execution.The Coachwhips
Known for their stripped-down, unpolished garage rock and unintelligible lyrics, San Francisco’s The Coachwhips had more than a bit of Mummies going on. The band, which included John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees) played with a telephone through a guitar amp, half a drum kit, a shitty Casio organ, and primal speed-trash riffs. Sound familiar?
The Mummies Australian/NZ Tour 2016:
March 8 – Melbourne at the LuWow
March 9 – Melbourne at Max Watts
March 10 – Sydney at Hermann’s Bar
March 11 - Plympton SA at The Highway
March 12 – Auckland at The Whammy Bar
March 13 – Wellington at Bodega