Ross Knight, John ‘Onya’ McKeering and Dean Muller have been busy of late. In the last 12 months the legendary larrikins of Australian punk rock have released their long-awaited ninth studio album, Cum the Raw Prawn; toured the country with generation X’s answer to the Psychos, the Dune Rats; starred in a Wolf Creek-inspired video clip for their cracking single ‘Better, Not Bitter’; and to top it all off, Geelong’s beloved Barwon Club named a burger after them.
With a beef patty, beer battered potato cake, beetroot, cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato and lots of sauce, the Cosmic Psychos burger is quintessentially Australian and bound to leave you feeling satisfied (albeit a bit messy) just like the Psychos themselves – and Knight can’t wait to give it a go when they play the Barwon on Friday, September 11. “So far I’ve only heard about it! But I’m looking forward to giving it a whirl! I’m sure it’s going to put a good lining on the tummy for a big night.”
Their Check Your Bum for Grubs Tour kicked off last weekend and will see the Psychos wreak their unique brand of havoc down the East Coast with some good friends in tow. While Knight chose to maintain an air of mystery when asked what bands are locked in to play the regional Victorian shows, Melbourne rockers The Peep Tempel, WOD and High Tension have all confirmed they’ll be playing support slots at upcoming shows.
“We love High Tension. They’re a great band – they play some cracking shows and they’re good people too,” Knight smiles. “They seem to be going great guns at the moment. Their bass player [Matt Weston] is a buddy of ours.”
Weston directed the Cosmic Psychos’ 2013 documentary Blokes You Can Trust and the ‘Better, Not Bitter’ videoclip. “Anything that Weso’s got his hand in works – he certainly knows how to steer something in the right direction, that’s for sure. If he can steer us when we’ve got no wheels or tyres and a blown up engine – and he’s managed to help us still chug along – he’s a top bloke.”
Although he was trying not to give too much away, Knight hinted that the now defunct all-girl trio Killerbirds may be reuniting and joining the Psychos on the road.
“I think the Killerbirds may re-form to play a few shows with us, which is great because they’re a band I love watching. I helped produce their first record [a self-titled EP], which was a bit of fun. I probably made it sound like mud but what can you do?” he laughs.
With over 30 years experience in the music industry and countless fans worldwide, including Eddie Vedder, Buzz Osbourne and Butch Vig, the Psychos must be doing something right. I wondered if they offered the Dune Rats any advice while on tour with them recently.
“The only thing we can teach people is to basically act like twits! We’re just little kids trapped in old men’s bodies. But we took to the Dunies straight away – they’re good blokes. It was an incredible month we had with them. We missed them when the tour ended – there was a fair bit of man love going on there,” he jokes.
“I did see a lot of us in them. I’m not saying now though – they’re all good looking roosters and we’re a bunch of cranky old bastards!”
Written by Natalie Rogers
When & Where: Barwon Club, Geelong – September 11, Karova Lounge, Ballarat – September 12, Golden Vine, Bendigo – September 13 & 170 Russell, Melbourne – September 18