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Spazzys

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The Spazzys were an Australian pop punk band, formed in 2000 by twins Katerina (guitar, lead vocals) and Lucy (bass, backing vocals) Ljubicic (AKA Kat and Lucy Spazzy), with their schoolmate Alice McNamara (Ally Spazzy) on drums and vocals. Their cover version of "My Boyfriend's Back" (February 2005) peaked at number 24 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

The Spazzys
Performing at the Australian Open, (L to R): Kat, Ally and Lucy Spazzy, January 2006
Performing at the Australian Open,
(L to R): Kat, Ally and Lucy Spazzy, January 2006
Background information
OriginMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
GenresPop punk
Years active2000–2018
LabelsShock
MembersKat Spazzy
Lucy Spazzy
Past membersAlly Spazzy
WebsiteOfficial website

History

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Kat Spazzy[1] and Lucy Spazzy[1] are twin sisters. For Years Nine and Ten they attended Melbourne Girls' College alongside Ally Spazzy (a.k.a. Alice McNamara).[1][2] The Spazzys formed in Melbourne in 2000, after Ally's 18th birthday with Kat on guitar and lead vocals; Lucy on bass guitar and vocals; and Ally on drums and vocals.[2] One of their influences were The Ramones,[3] and in homage they each adopted the band's name as their performance surname.[4]

Kat recalled that initially "we couldn't play, so we just did it. I was told I was the one who would be playing guitar – I didn't know if it was serious and I didn't want to spend any money, so I borrowed a guitar, and after six months I realized that maybe we could do this."[2] The group played their first show as a support for fellow punk band, Mach Pelican.[2]

Their first three singles, "Paco Doesn't Love Me" (April 2004), "Hey Hey Baby" (July) and "My Boyfriend's Back" (February 2005), all charted, with the latter reaching No. 24 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[2][5] At a gig at the Gaelic Club they played in May 2004 with Marky Ramone on his Australian visit, Ally made way for Ramone on the drums.[4][6][7] Ramone also appears in their video clip for "Hey Hey Baby".[8][9] By July that year the trio had supported gigs in Melbourne by visiting artists: The Buzzcocks, The Datsuns, The D4, Gerling and Blondie.[5]

Their debut album, Aloha! Go Bananas (20 September 2004), entered the AIR independent chart at No. 1[10] and reached the top 60 of the ARIA Albums Chart.[11] They received significant radio airplay – including on national youth radio station, Triple J.[12] Their track, "Paco Doesn't Love Me", written about the drummer of an Italian punk band, Retarded,[13] was listed at No. 75 in the 2004 Triple J Hottest 100.[14] In 2005, Ally guest starred on the game show Spicks and Specks, and Kat appeared on RocKwiz.[9][15]

By late 2006 the Spazzys had recorded their second album, Dumb Is Forever.[9] However its release was "severely delayed by some pretty serious legal issues."[16] Kat later told Steve Bell of The Music that the dispute with their label and management began when they were asked to record it in Los Angeles. She reflected "we didn't want to go to LA, we were tricked into going to LA – I think our managers thought it would be a cool thing to do... and I think they wanted us to record there, which is the daggiest most '80s thing in the fucking world to do."[17]

In 2007 Ally founded a children's music workshop, Kiddy Rock, where "she goes around to kindergartens and does music classes for all the little kids... get them all fired up, and then the teachers have to come along and give them their milk and settle them down."[9] The Spazzys have played several major music festivals: the Big Day Out in January 2007,[18] Falls Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Pyramid Rock Festival. They toured in support of Australian groups: You Am I, Grinspoon, Butterfingers and Hard-Ons. They also supported international acts such The Distillers, The Hives,[19] The 5.6.7.8's,[20] and Marilyn Manson.[21]

During their support of Manson for the Australasian leg of his Rape of the World Tour in October 2007, they were poorly received by some crowd members.[21] Kat recalled "All those little Goths in the crowd were so funny! I thought they were going to raid the stage! A lot of them really, really hated us, but we came out in capes and stuff, and hopefully a few of them liked us by the end."[9] Their biggest response was by asking the crowd for a "fuck you".[21] The band frequently mocked the audience by announcing song titles such as: "My Parents Don't Understand Me So I'm Going to My Room to Cut Myself".[21] Kat declared that Manson "loved us, and he was the one who asked us to do the tour."[9]

In 2011 Kat was employed as a criminal lawyer after obtaining her Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from Victoria University and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at Australian National University.

The Spazzys finally released Dumb Is Forever in 2011, which Graham Blackley of Beat Magazine opined "has been worth the lengthy wait."[22] He described how the group "have clearly maintained their tight and sprightly musicianship. There are plenty of '60s tinged bubble-gum melodies and ferocious wall-shaking firepower and they still manage to diversify their sound."[22] Dylan Stewart of The Music felt "fun and frivolous, and represents a flashback to another time... [with] a slight shift towards a poppier delivery compared to the brash punk sensibility they were then known for."[16]

Madison Thomas, reviewing for Tone Deaf, praised the band's performance at the Tote in November 2012, saying "their set packs a punch."[23]

In August 2021, The Age reported that McNamara had been posting Neo-Nazi and anti-lockdown propaganda using an online alias.[24][25]

Members

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All three members contributed lead and backing vocals, although Kat was the lead singer for most of their songs.

Discography

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Albums

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List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
[11]
Aloha! Go Bananas
  • Released: 20 September 2004
 54
Dumb Is Forever
  • Released: 2011
 —

Extended plays

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  • I Met Her at the 7-11
  • The Sunshine Drive

Singles

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List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[5]
"Paco Doesn't Love Me" 2004 65 Aloha! Go Bananas
"Hey Hey Baby" 53
"My Boyfriend's Back" 2005 24
"Divorce" 2006 — Non-album single
"Creep" / "Best Waves Ever" 2010 — Dumb Is Forever

References

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  1. ^ a b c "'Action City' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 1 October 2015. Note: User may have to click 'Search again' and provide details at 'Enter a title:' e.g Action City; or at 'Performer:' Spazzys
  2. ^ a b c d e Murfett, Andrew (17 September 2004). "Rock the Spaz bar". The Age. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  3. ^ Herald Sun, 16 September 2004, "spazzys' pass marky" by Shane O'Donohue
  4. ^ a b The Barman (2 May 2004). "Marky Ramone + the Spazzys: The Gaelic Club". I-94 Bar. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Peaks of singles in Australia:
  6. ^ The Age, 10 May 2004, "Brain Surgery not a Part of this Brief" by Michael Dwyer
  7. ^ Dwyer, Michael (10 May 2004). "Music Reviews: Marky Ramone". The Age. Retrieved 2 October 2004.
  8. ^ Geelong Advertiser, 4 September 2004, "Fun-time Spazzys"
  9. ^ a b c d e f Dann (12 September 2009). "The Spazzys…". Buzz Magazine. LiveNudeDann. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Tearing up venues". The Mercury. 12 April 2007.
  11. ^ a b "The ARIA Report" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 20 September 2004. pp. 2, 5, 10, 12, 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Spazzys, The: The story so far..." The Harbour Agency. Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  13. ^ Collins, Simon (9 September 2004). "Three chords, two minutes, one passion: the Ramones". The West Australian.
  14. ^ "Hottest 100 2004". Triple J (Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)). Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  15. ^ The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 December 2005, TV previews by Tony Davis
  16. ^ a b Stewart, Dylan (16 January 2013). "Spazzys Dumb Is Forever". The Music. Street Press Australia. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  17. ^ Bell, Steve (19 December 2012). "The Spazzys Kat Spazzy". The Music. Street Press Australia. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  18. ^ Collins, Simon (25 January 2007). "Spazzys back, more diverse". The West Australian.
  19. ^ RocKwiz Series 2: Episode 15
  20. ^ FasterLouder "5.6.7.8s Bomb The Rocks Australian Tour!"
  21. ^ a b c d "Marilyn Manson / Spazzys". Rave magazine. 16 October 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  22. ^ a b Blackley, Graham. "Spazzys: Dumb Is Forever". Beat Magazine. Furst Media. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  23. ^ Thomas, Madison (7 November 2012). "Cosmic Psychos". Tone Deaf. Nicholas Jones. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  24. ^ Tozer, Nick; McKenzie, Joel (16 August 2021). "Political ambitions and anti-lockdown protests: How neo-Nazis seek to spread influence". The Age. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Ally Spazzy's Greatest Hits". The White Rose Society. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
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