A Photographic Tour Down Memory Lane With The Meanies

Australian punk rock stalwarts The Meanies have this year approached a rare milestone in the world of music, celebrating 25 years of existence in which time they have weathered many a storm to still be not only around but hungrier now than ever before. To prove it, they’ve hit the road again, but not before they take a trip with you, dear readers, down old memory lane.

As the legend goes, Link and Ringo kicked it all off with fellow Meanies, DD and VB in 1989, taking Melbourne pubs by storm with their brash brand of punk rock and pretty soon the town was awash with talk about this maniacal front man backed by a bunch of hairy rogues. Six months in and VB decided to follow another path and so dear Wally, who originally went by the moniker Kinky, stepped up to the plate on bass duties.

The Meanies were and still are one of the most influential acts in the country’s punk scene. They toured extensively through Australia in the ’90s as well as internationally in Japan, the US and Europe alongside acts including Nirvana, The Lemonheads, Pop Will Eat Itself, Fugazi, Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam, Radio Birdman, Mudhoney, You Am I, The Muffs and Bad Brains.

Thankfully, the band chronicled much of those years through photographs which they’ve dug up and are sharing exclusively right here on Music Feeds. “We’re pleased to present to you some photos from the family archives, snap shots that members of The Meanies had taken over years of touring and lovingly stored in photo albums by our amazing drummer Ringo ‘The Wig’ Meanie,” says Wally.

“We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed reminiscing whilst compiling them. Twenty-five is a bloody long time! These photos are mainly from the nineties but we’ll keep lookin’, maybe we’ll find some more recent ones for you for another article down the track.”

Through the sometimes turbulent years, there have been a few changes to the lineup, with the band taking a brief hiatus between 1995 and 1998. Both DD and subsequent guitarist Tas died in 2008 and so the band have instilled a new guitarist, Jaws, who completes the current lineup.

As an added celebration of their Silver Jubile anniversary, Tym records is releasing a remastered re-issue, on limited edition wax, of The Meanies’ 1991 Never / Steve Sex God / Sorry ‘Bout The Violence 7″ on glorious coloured vinyl with the original artwork and insert. That will be out this coming November exclusively through Tym records.

See The Meanies’ anniversary tour dates below, but not before catching up on their storied history as homegrown punk rock icons, as told through words and pictures in the gallery below.

Gallery: The Meanies Family Archives – click right corner to enlarge

Watch: The Meanies – 10% Weird

The Meanies Silver Jubilee 2014 Tour Dates

Friday, 3rd October

Rosemount Hotel, Perth WA

w/ Hideous Sun Demon + Aborted Tortoise

Tickets: Oztix

Saturday, 4th October

Jive, Adelaide SA

w/ ProTools + The Profiteers

Tickets: Moshtix

Friday, 10th October

The Roller Den, Sydney NSW

w/ Batpiss + Clowns + Firearms

Tickets: Oztix

Friday, 17th October

Brisbane Hotel, Hobart TAS

w/ Clowns + Powernap

Tickets: Oztix

Saturday, 18th October

Prince of Wales Hotel, Brisbane QLD

w/ Batpiss + Fat + Union Radio

Tickets: Oztix

Friday, 24th October

The Hi Fi, Melbourne VIC

w/ Batpiss + Clowns + Flour

Tickets: Oztix