Radio Birdman Inducted into Australian Music Hall of Fame

After virtually forming the Sydney underground scene on their own and influencing bands for the next thirty years, garage rockers Radio Birdman are finally getting their due. This Wednesday, July 18, the previously under-appreciated Aussie punk outfit will be inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Hall of Fame.

Not surprisingly, when Radio Birdman formed in 1974, hardly any venues in Sydney and the surrounding area would even book the band because its sound was so unlike anything heard in the Australian music scene at that time. And, if Radio Birdman was fortunate enough to land a gig, the shows were often canceled due to low ticket-sales.

Instead of disbanding or changing their sound, the band decided to open up their own venue, called The Oxford Funhouse, and book themselves. This defiant, do-it-yourself attitude would be echoed by underground bands in Australia and elsewhere for years to come.

Radio Birdman broke up in 1978 after only four years together when their label, Sire Records, ended their contract with the band due to financial difficulties. The band members continued making music with a number of other bands, as well as pursuing other interests with the same intensity that characterized their music careers.

Along with other bands of that era that were decidedly ahead of their time (Mission of Burma, anyone?), Radio Birdman experienced a resurgence of popularity in the late 1990s. After coming together to perform for a music festival, the group decided to reunite and their first studio album in thirty years, Zeno Beach, reviewed in August of 2006 by ALARM, was just what the doctor ordered.

Shortly after, Radio Birdman launched their first-ever tour in the United States, and are back again this summer for more.

Radio Birdman U.S. Tour Dates for Summer of 2007:

July 2 – Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY
July 3 – Tralf Music Hall, Buffalo, NY
July 7 – Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
July 8 – Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI
July 9 – Double Door, Chicago, IL
July 11 – High Noon Saloon, Madison, WI
July 12 – Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN
July 13 – Recordbar, Kansas City, MO
July 14 – Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO

The induction ceremony will take place July 18, four days after their tour ends, in the Plaza Ballroom at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre, and VH-1 Australia will broadcast the event Sunday, July 22.

Photo credit: Tony Mott