morris@Shasta.ARPA (07/28/85)
UB40 and Midnight Oil will be playing at the Greek Theater in Berkeley on August 10. UB40 should need no introduction -- they're an English reggae band who've around for some time. I must admit to not being a great UB40 fan -- although I like most of the stuff I've heard by them, I haven't bought any of their albums. So I'll talk about Midnight Oil instead. They started about 7 years ago, playing the northern beaches area of Sydney. The roots of the sound are in the Sydney surf culture and the pub scene, but their more recent work has incorporated much broader influences (such as rockabilly and traditional australian aboriginal instruments, with some synthesiser thrown in). Peter Garrett, the lead singer, was one of the people who started the nuclear disarmament party in australia, and the music reflects the band's politics. For me, it epitomises what Australia's about. (Unlike `Men at Work', `Air Supply', LRB, etc). They're loud, incisive, political. *great* live! There's a review of their latest album (their 5th), 'Red Sails in the Sunset' in the August issue of `Spin', and an interview with the band. If anyone hears about anywhere else they'll be playing (particularly in the bay area) please let me know. Kathy Morris (decvax!decwrl!Glacier!diablo!morris, morris@diablo.ARPA)