The Old Stomping Ground   

It was three decades ago that inner-Brisbane punk and rock music fans first started talking about The Screaming Tribesmen.

During the ‘80s their garage rock hits tore up the indie charts and defined the Australian underground sound of the time.
From ‘81 through to ’93 Tribesmen fans witnessed several line-up changes, but all the while the sound kept expanding, their name reached new territories, and the hits soared higher and louder.

Founding member, guitarist and vocalist Mick Medew, saw the band’s history through from start to scratch and explains what it all means 30 years on from the fact.
“I liked the Tribesmen and all the memories that come along with it, it’s something I can be proud of. I think it means a lot to my generation and we’re obviously an older band, but there are younger people that appreciate it. It’s something that our fans can hand down to their children.”

The underground rock and roll scene was ablaze with Radio Birdman spin-off bands when the Tribesmen first emerged, and as such it didn’t take long for people to notice the unique and somewhat commercially viable 1960s-inspired, blues-rock sound that the band was creating. The original line-up featured members of former Brisbane bands The 31st and The Fun Things, and before that particular line-up dissolved, they’d released an independent EP and two singles.
“I think the way we did the singing was different to a lot of other bands. We had the three-part harmonies worked out really well. There weren’t a lot of other bands that were doing that at the time.
“I liked the melody in rock and roll. I love blues and you can somehow hear the blues still in the Tribesmen. A lot of the new bands that are coming through, you can’t really hear the blues in it.”

The exploding Australian underground scene of the early '80s revolved around Sydney and Melbourne, so it wasn’t long before Mick packed up the early workings of the band and moved from Brisbane to Sydney.
By ’83 the fully-fledged line-up of Mick, guitarist Chris ‘Klondike’ Masuak (Radio Birdman, Hitmen), bassist Bob Wackley and drummer Warwick Fraser was formed. They lasted seven years and firmly established themselves with the ‘Date With A Vampyre’ and ‘Top Of The Town’ EPs before signing to American label Ryko and releasing the ‘Bones And Flowers’ album.
“This line-up of the Tribesman is the definitive line-up, the one everyone knows I suppose. We haven’t played together since 1989. I carried on without them … playing in Europe and kicked on till ‘93.
“We played together from 1984 to 1989 and got to tour the US and Canada, which was a big thing in those days. All our peers went to Europe, no one really went to the US.”

After a 14-year hiatus, the definitive line-up is reforming to play shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney this September.
“I’m really keen to get back together again. I’ve got the confidence and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, especially for us. Because we’ll be enjoying it so much I think everyone else will be too.”

The idea of reforming for a couple of shows was inspired earlier this year when Mick and Chris were both in Sydney, each playing solo shows and then spontaneously performing a mini set together.
During the mid to late ‘80s when the band was relentlessly touring, Mick and Chris were constantly working  on new material for the Tribesman.
“I was a fan of Chris’ before he started playing in the Tribesmen. We wrote some good songs together and he ended up writing a lot of good songs for the band himself just on his own as well. I’m looking forward to doing some more in the future. We’ll no doubt write again.”

While Mick and Warwick live in Australia, Chris and Bob reside overseas, with both making the trip back to Australia for the shows.
“Most of the songs I know and remember. What really surprised me this time around was when I put on ‘Top Of The Town’ EP, which is probably the lightest of them all … I put it on today and thought ‘wow it sounds so good’. I haven’t heard it in such a long time really. It was fun to re-learn all of the jangly guitar stuff.”

THE SCREAMING TRIBESMEN REUNITE TO HEADLINE THE GATHERING FESTIVAL AT THE OLD MUSEUM ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17.

WIN A DOUBLE PASS TO THE GATHERING FESTIVAL at facebook/scene.streetpress