Australian post-punk is one of the richest veins in the country’s musical history, and yet it’s massively underrepresented in most collections I see. People come into the shop knowing The Saints and maybe Nick Cave, but the depth beyond those names is extraordinary. Let me take you through the records that I think every collection benefits from.

The Foundations (Late 1970s - Early 1980s)

The Saints — (I’m) Stranded (1977)

This is ground zero. Released the same year as the first Ramones album, (I’m) Stranded proved that Australia could produce punk as vital as anything from New York or London. The original Sire pressing is expensive, but the recent reissues sound excellent.

The Birthday Party — Prayers on Fire (1981)

Before Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, there was The Birthday Party, and they were terrifying. Prayers on Fire is barely controlled chaos. Rowland S. Howard’s guitar work is like nothing else. The 4AD pressing is the one to get.

Radio Birdman — Radios Appear (1977)

The Trafalgar pressing versus the Sire pressing debate will outlive us all. Both are great. This album is Detroit garage filtered through Sydney heat, and it invented a template that Australian rock bands have been riffing on ever since.

The Go-Betweens — Send Me a Lullaby (1982)

Robert Forster and Grant McLennan made post-punk that could break your heart. This debut is rawer than their later work, and better for it. The recent reissue program on Domino has made the whole catalogue available on quality vinyl.

The Deep Cuts (1980s)

Laughing Clowns — Law of Nature (1984)

Ed Kuepper’s post-Saints band is criminally underrated. Jazz-influenced post-punk with real menace. Finding this on vinyl is a genuine crate-digging achievement, but Chapter Music’s archival work has made some of their material more accessible.

SPK — Information Overload Unit (1981)

Melbourne industrial pioneers. This record is genuinely confronting, even forty-plus years later. Not for casual listeners, but essential for understanding the extreme end of Australian post-punk.

Hunters & Collectors — Human Frailty (1986)

Before they became a pub rock institution, Hunters & Collectors were making angular, horn-driven post-punk that was unlike anything else in the country. Human Frailty sits at the transition point and is brilliant throughout.

The Triffids — Born Sandy Devotional (1986)

David McComb’s masterwork. Wide-screen Australian rock that sounds like the landscape it came from. The recent reissue on Domino sounds phenomenal and comes with detailed liner notes.

The Revival and Beyond (2000s - Present)

Eddy Current Suppression Ring — Primary Colours (2008)

This is where Australian post-punk came roaring back. Raw, repetitive, hypnotic, and delivered with a shrug that belied how carefully crafted it was. The Aarght! Records pressing is the original and still widely available secondhand.

Total Control — Typical System (2014)

The logical evolution from Eddy Current, with synths and a darker edge. Iron Lung Records pressing is excellent. This album rewards deep listening.

RVG — A Quality of Mercy (2017)

Romy Vager writes songs that channel the intensity of early post-punk while sounding entirely contemporary. This debut album was one of the best Australian records of the 2010s. Fire Records pressing.

Cable Ties — Far Enough (2020)

Jenny McKechnie’s voice could level buildings. Cable Ties are carrying the post-punk torch with conviction and fury. The Poison City pressing is, as always, solid.

Building This Collection

If you’re starting from scratch, get the Saints and the Birthday Party first. They’re the pillars. Then add the Go-Betweens and the Triffids for the melodic counterpoint. From there, branch into whatever pulls you.

The good news is that most of these titles are available as reissues at reasonable prices. The Australian reissue market has gotten much better about honouring this catalogue, and labels like Chapter Music are doing essential archival work.

For the rarer titles — SPK, Laughing Clowns, early Total Control — check Discogs and your local shop’s secondhand bins. Patience pays off in this corner of collecting.

Why This Music Matters

Australian post-punk matters because it’s the connective tissue between everything that came before and everything that came after in Australian rock. The through-line from The Saints to Radio Birdman to The Birthday Party to Eddy Current to Cable Ties is clear and unbroken. Understanding this lineage makes you a better listener and a smarter collector.

Also, it’s just incredible music. Put on Prayers on Fire at volume and tell me your hair doesn’t stand up. I’ll wait.