The Powder Monkeys — Smashed On A Knee — Quintessential Aussie Rock ‘n Roll
I said Charlie, man, we’re in hell! He said yeah ain’t it groovy?
The Powder Monkeys were a phenomenal rock ‘n roll band. And I mean rock ’n’ roll in its most quintessential, Australian form.
Their debut studio LP, Smashed On A Knee, released in 1994, was their creative pinnacle. Granted, they wrote some exceptional songs beyond this record, but as far as a collection of songs, presented sonically and sequentially to best advance the band’s intention, this was it.
The leading quote in this piece was an anecdote from one of Charles Manson’s acolytes. He recalls a scene where Manson’s face took on the form of the devil. Utilised by the Powder Monkeys prior to the opening track Another Nite In Hell it’s a convincing enough inclusion. While the Powder Monkeys may not have quite achieved the kool-aid levels of fidelity that Manson’s evangelists afforded him, it’d be selling the Melbourne trio short to suggest they weren’t short of devotees.
They weren’t unique in that their incendiary live shows outshone their studio output. Their performances were, however, a little unpredictable. But if you can handle staring into the abyss; if the thrill of potential catastrophe is what elevates, the payoff, should it eventuate, will exceed every last one of…
