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
and 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 To 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 #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.
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