The Vacant Lot

The Vacant Lot are a first wave punk band from Canberra, started in 1978, that released just one EP in 1981. They played a few gigs and broke up shortly after but not without having a full set list of free-thinking, anti-establishment, Wire/Magazine/Buzzcocks inspired tunes to call from. And call they have! 'Creatures of the Night' is a collection of songs mostly written in '78/'79 but never recorded. Now with a fresh line-up (including Alien Nosejob's Jake Robertson!) they finally see the light.

We asked singer George Howson about where the impetus comes from and he shot back with: "Writing songs is something I have to do. I wanted bring life some of our earliest songs which were never recorded, and to pair them with lyrics that did justice to their energy and power. A lot of my working life outside the band takes place in that edge territory where bush intersects with farmland, which provides much of the setting for the lyrics, inspiring the images and sensibility. My interest is in exploring internal and outer landscapes, and to try to make sense of the complex interplay between the two. This EP is also a tribute to Bruce Hart (now deceased), with whom I co-wrote most of our early music; finishing off unfinished business, layering new sensibilities on old, and honouring that original creative partnership."

The Vacant Lot combine high energy garage music with potent lyrics, telling impressionistic stories as truthfully as they can through the juxtaposition of stark images transcribed directly from the world around them. Organic song-writing, collaboration, allowing accidents to find their way into the finished form. Keeping a thread of connection intact from their rough beginnings while allowing new modes of expression to evolve both musically and lyrically.

Great material lasts forever and The Vacant Lot have a wealth of it backed with the talent to deliver it in style with a boatload of energy and "heaps of fun".

350 copies on black and 150 on sky blue 70gr vinyl housed in a 12pt glue pocket sleeve with lyric insert included. Recorded by Billy Gardner. Mixed/mastered by Mikey Young and Jake Robertson. Art by Nabeel Khan.

FFO: Wire, Magazine, Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, Thought Criminals