The Screaming Tribesmen - Move A Little Closer 12”EP

Following the reasonably successful ‘Date With A Vampyre’ post last month I thought we should go back and discover the Tribesmen’s earlier singles before we get into the nooks and cranny’s of their debut album. Throughout the 1980s, the now legendary Screaming Tribesmen were at the forefront of the Australian alternative garage rock movement. Led by the tenacious Mick Medew, and ably assisted by guitarist/producer and ex-Birdman member Chris Masuak, the Tribesmen established a reputation for explosive live performances, backed by a repertoire of dynamic and catchy, gritty rock'n'roll tunes like "Igloo", "A Stand Alone", "Date with a Vampyre" and "My True Love's Blood". Released for the UK market as a 12” EP in ’85 ‘Move A Little Closer’ is a compilation of the band’s first two Australian singles (“Igloo” and “A Stand Alone”) and would easily mix and match with a stack of mod-revival albums, while the squealier and grungier guitar chords of ‘Date With A Vampyre’ (also four songs) nudged their sound closer to garage territory. From their tentative beginnings as a post-Ramones punky ensemble (as noted on their first four-track EP), they’ve gone through an assortment of members and sonic textures but all of their releases have been exercises in good old pop-rock. Strangely though there’s nothing tribal about the sound of these Aussies, and they don’t scream either. Their music is full of pop-song harmonies, including “oohh” and “ahh” background singing, jangle chords and repeated refrains.

 Ripped to MP3 @ 320kbps