The Angels

Alongside Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil and Rose Tattoo, The Angels had a profound effect on the Australian live music scene of the late 70s/early 80s. The Angels helped redefine the Australian pub rock tradition with their no-frills rock which attracted punters to pubs in unprecedented numbers.

The Angels originally formed in 1970 as The Moonshine Jug and String Band, playing coffee houses around Adelaide. In 1974 the band turned electric and began playing 1950s Rock & Roll on the pub circuit as The Keystone Angels. By 1976 the band had beefed up their sound to a unique brand of rock, and Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again? was released on the Alberts label.

In 1978 the band released the singles Comin' Down and Take A Long Line (which provided them with their first real chart success). They also released their killer second album, Face To Face, which reached Number 16 in November and stayed on the charts for 79 weeks. It achieved platinum status four times over!

By this stage, The Angels were Australia's highest paid band and attracted record crowds wherever they played. 

On New Years Eve 1979, the band played in front of almost 100,000 people on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. The night ended in a riot and rock music was subsequently banned from future New Years Eve celebrations in Sydney. Both Doc Neeson and Chris Bailey needed stitches after being struck in the head by bottles.

For their American tour the band changed their name to Angel City (to avoid confusion with a US glam metal band called Angel). At one stage they were thrown off a Kinks tour for "being too good".

Despite several line-up changes, The Angels released many strong albums during the late 70s and eighties and charted with a number of singles including After The Rain, Shadow Boxer, Out  Of The Blue, Mr Damage, No Secrets, Poor Baby, Face The Day and We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.

At the end of 1995, The Angels announced their impending split. The Farewell Tour went so well that the band decided to stay together (!) and continued touring throughout 1996. Finding themselves without a record deal, they issued their next CD Single independently. In July 1997 they set off on the Lounge Lizards Tour playing acoustic instruments.

 

The Band
Doc (Bernard) Neeson  Vocals, bass Chris Bailey  Bass Jim Hilburn  Bass	James Morley Bass John Brewster  Guitar Bob Spencer  Guitar	Rick Brewster  Guitar Charlie King  Drums Buzz Bidstrup  Drums Brent Eccles  Drums