Peculiar Clerk has been a popular band since it was added about a year ago. I remember seeing them at the Chester Hill Hotel around 1980 and they left a great impression. It was a small suburban pub with an ad-hoc stage but stood upon that stage was a bunch of guys who just rocked!

The Peculiar Clerk article also lead to Rob Manego who sent over the brilliant post on Mirrored Image. That’s how it tends to work sometimes!

Anyway, this week I received a great bunch of Peculiar Clerk memorabillia from Peter Marples who played guitar in the band from 1979 -1982. I’ve added them to the original listing as well as some live video, but his comments and photo’s were so good they needed a post of their own.

Over to Peter…

Hi Mark,
Terrific job you are doing with the site, congratulations indeed. Fantastic to hear about inclusion in Pandora (thanks to Ray Suckling – from 60s band Exiles for passing that on). I am passing this site onto as many band members as I can remember from yonks ago knowing the listing on the list is growing very quickly.

I was the lead guitarist in Peculiar Clerk from 1979-1982 and have included a few pics that I thought you may like to include under the band.

The main pic has the line up late around late 1980 with (L/R) Drums, Steve Askins, Guitar, Brian Gully, Vocals, Peter Keen, Bass, Rob Manego and my self (Peter Marples) Guitar

When I left Sydney in 1982 I was replaced by Ian Blakey and then Steve Lees who worked with Rob Manego in Mirrored Image. We did have John Holly on Keyboards for a short period. You may like to add them to the list of musos who hopefully had as much fun as I did.

There is also a clipping from NUCLEUS Headliners Australia, quite rare I would think showing many, many terrific bands from the early 80s. Use them as you wish.

It was indeed a fabulous time to be playing in the pubs and clubs that presented live music most nights, what a sad loss that is.

I did some 480 gigs with PC mainly in Sydney and surrounds, from Selinas, The Royal Antler, Dee Why Hotel, War and Peace, Sutherland Hotel, Sefton Hotel, Blacktown RSL, Doyalson RSL, Wyong Leagues etc, etc. you name it we were there at some stage ( I actually still have my gig diary). Work was plenty. I well remember supporting bands like Flowers in 1979 at the Earlwood Hotel with perhaps only 20 or so punters, they still turned on a great performance, there is something about seeing the future before your eyes! We later supported Flowers at the Sylvania Hotel not long after their first album came out with who knows a 1000 plus in the crowd. We worked with many great bands including The Mentals, The Oils, Misex, Ted Mulry, Hello Sailor, The Reels, Laughing Clowns, The Elks, Lime Spiders, The Riptides, D-Minor and the Dischords, Swanee, Moving Pictures, Richard Clapton, Dynamic Hepnotics, Russell Morris, Lonely Hearts, Old 55, boy the list just goes on. Even had the honour of having the Divinyls support us in April 1981 at the Sylvania Hotel, just before they had huge success with their first single. PC managed an independent single through Phoenix Records (Another Guy/Miss You) but that’s about it.

I think we were a fun band that hopefully gave some enjoyment to the people who came to see us, for which I say thanks for the memories.

We had some great guys working in our crew including Richard Kershaw, Gordon White, Ken Roberts, Little John, Mirko and Terry (you know who you are) and wherever they are now I hope they are living good long lives.

Our sound guy Richard Kershaw did move on to be the sound engineer for The Eurythmics on their world tour after he left PC.

I met many wonderful people and will never forget that incredible time. I think perhaps we contributed in some small way to the pub rock scene of the day.

Images

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About

March 10 1979 to March 09 1984
(Thanks to Martin Odgers for putting me onto this info) Peter Keen and Rob Manego went to the same High School in an Outer Western Suburb of Sydney. With a couple of schoolmates, they set about forming a band. A number of members came and went before a chance meeting on a train between Rob and a slightly younger Drummer, Steve Wold, led to the almost complete formation of LATIS. An add in the local paper for a Lead Guitarist was answered by Peter (Freddie) Marples. The audition went well and Latis had their fourth member.

Latis played a number of gigs around the suburbs (mainly out west) when Booking Agency NUCLEUS was approached by the band and a deal was struck between Band and Agency. The Agency wasn’t overly impressed with the name “Latis” and a search began in earnest for a new name. Over a few bottles of wine, Freddie came up with………….Peculiar Clerk (pronounced PECULIAR CLARK).

Peculiar Clerk had five years (almost to the day) playing gigs mainly around the suburbs but also played regular gigs around Newcastle, Wollongong and as far west as Lithgow. There were many support gigs with some of Australia’s best known bands of the time and we shared the stage with many great characters.

Members

• Peter Keen – Vocals, Guitar
• Rob Manego – Bass, Vocals
• Steve Wold – Drums, Vocals
• Peter Marples – Lead Guitar
• Martin Odgers – Drums
• Steve Askins – Drums
• Brian Gully – Guitar
• Ian Blakey – Guitar
• Steve Lees – Guitar
• John Holly – Keyboards

Images

Video

Eleanor Rigby

Another Guy

Teenage Kicks

Other Resources

http://users.tpg.com.au/adsluisy/PCBio.htm

Known Gigs

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About

Ex-Mondo Rock member Paul Christie formed Party Boys in 1982 as an occasional “supergroup” consisting of some of Australia’s finest musicians. The concept was that Christie would employ players (all of whom had other commitments) when the need arose, and that the set they played would consist entirely of cover versions.

By 1987, the band had released four live albums (and a Best Of collection), with Live At Several 21sts (1983) making the national Top 10. The band finally entered the recording studio in 1987 to put down a cover version of John Kongas’ 1971 hit He’s Gonna Step On You Again, which reached Number One.
From Nostalgia Central

History

Lead vocalists for the Party Boys have included some of Australia’s best known performers; Australian Crawl’s James Reyne (1982 – 1983), Richard Clapton (1983), Shirley Strachan (1983 – 1984), Marc Hunter (1984 – 1985), Angry Anderson (1986) and John ‘Swanee’ Swan (1987).
From Nostalgia Central

Members

• Paul Christie – Bass, Drums
• James Reyne – Vocals – 1983
• Kevin Borich – Guitar – 1983-92
• Harvey James Guitar, Vocals – 1983
• Graham “Buzz” Bidstrup – Drums – 1983-84
• Richard Clapton – Guitar and Vocals – 1983
• Rob Riley – Guitar – 1984
• Shirley Strachan – Vocals – 1984
• Joe Walsh(US) – Guitar – 1984, 89
• Richard Harvey – Drums 1984-88
• Angry Anderson – Vocals – 1986
• John Brewster – Guitar – 1986, 87, 92
• Alan Lancaster – Bass – 1986, 87, 92
• John Swan – Vocals – 1987, 92
• Graham Bonnett – Vocals
• Calvin Welch – Drums – 1989
• Hamish Angus – Guitar – 1989
• Fergus Richardson – Key, Vocals -1989
• Eric Burdon(UK) – Vocals – 1989
• Malcolm Eastick – Guitar – 1989
• Mal Logan -Keys – 1989
• Warren McLean – Drums -1989
• Ross Wilson – Vocals
• Don Raffaele – Sax – 1983
• Stuart Fraser – Guitar
• Dorian West – Bass – 1990
• Mark Evans – Bass -1990
• Marc Hunter – Vocals – 1984
• Brad Carr – Guitar – 1988, 90
• Vince Contarino – Vocals – 1990
• Das Hanuman – Drums – 1990
• Sam McNally – Keys, Bass – 1989
• Barton Price – Drums 1988
• Steve Williams – Guitar- 1990
• John Zak – Drums – 1990

Recordings

Singles

• Bitch – 1983
• I fought the law – 1983
• Kashmir – 1984
• He’s gonna step on you again – 1987
• Hold your head up – 1987
• Is this the way to say goodbye – 1987
• Gloria – 1988
• Follow your heart 1989
• Do Wah Diddy – 1990
• Thats the way God planned it – 1992

Albums

• Live at several 21st’s – 1983
• Greatest hits of other people – 1983
• No song too sacred – 1984
• You need professional help 1985
• The Party Boys – 1987
• Greatest hits, rarites – 1992

Other Resources

• Nostalgia Central
• Eric Burdon Albums

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