The Powder Monkeys

The Powder Monkeys were an Australian punk/indie rock band, based in Melbourne, Led by Tim Hemensley, they existed from 1991 to 2002, and were renowned as a live act.

Tim Hemensley and John Nolan were members of Bored! in the late 1980s. Both left Bored! following that band's 1990 tour of Europe. Nolan then played with Hoss for a time, and the first five-piece Powder Monkeys played in early 1992, with a lineup of Tim Hemensley (bass, vocals), John Nolan (lead guitar), Aidan Hibberd (rhythm guitar, vocals; ex-The Philisteins), Jed Sayers (harmonica) and Timmy Jack Ray (drums). Hibberd left around June 1992, though he did play on their first single, "Yin Yang", released February 1993 on Dog Meat Records. Aidan's guitar tracks were left on only a few songs on the band's first album, Smashed On A Knee, recorded in 1992, but one song he penned and sang, "Ugly", was included and the album finally came out on Dog Meat in March 1994.

The Powder Monkeys put considerable effort into live performance and touring during this period. After Jed Sayers left at the end of 1994, the band remained a three-piece. Their next release, in February 1995, was the five-track EP Straight Until Morning, which were recordings for a Triple J live broadcast.

The band released the single "The Supernova That Never Quits" in December 1995, with the second album Time Wounds All Heels following in February 1996. The second album is considered a much more coherent example of the band's sound.

Hemensley and Ray also played with the Peter Wells Band in 1996. There was some music industry interest in Time Wounds All Heels, but nothing resulted. The band reemerged in August 1997 with the 7" "Get The Girl Straight"/"Wasn't Born Yesterday" (400 copies, red vinyl) on the Death Valley label.

Most of 1998 was spent touring. A live album, recorded at an April 1998 Melbourne gig, Blood Sweat & Beers came out in early 1999 on Safety Pin Records (Spain) and on CD from Butcher's Hook Records (UK). They then went on a European tour, on which they recorded "Two Tub Man" and "Check This Action", both released as split 7" singles with the Hellacopters. They also recorded a new album with Hellacopters producer Fred 'Atlas' Estby titled 'Lost City Blues', which saw a release on the Hellacopters White Jazz label. The album has never seen an Australian release. A 6-track EP was also recorded, Talk Softly & Carry A Big Shtick, which was released on Punch records and is now a collector's item, featuring rarely heard songs 'Breakdown Coming' and 'Positively Crapple Street'.

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