August 03, 2023

DAVE WARNER: Iconic Australian Musician who invented 'Suburban Rock'

52 minutes

Dave Warner is an iconic Australian musician, songwriter, and author. He gained popularity in the late 1970s with his band, Dave Warner from the Suburbs, and became known for his unique blend of punk and pub rock.

Hailing from Perth in Western Australia, Dave formed Australia’s first punk band PUS back in the early 1970s. By the time The Sex Pistols had formed, Dave had already moved on to a new phase of music and social commentary which he dubbed Suburban Rock.

His band Dave Warner’s From The Suburbs was a major Australian pub band playing with the likes of Men At Work, Midnight Oil, INXS, Dragon and Skyhooks. His albums were highly original and successful, tapping into the psyche of the ordinary Aussie boy and girl.

Dave formed The Suburbs in 1977. The group developed a huge underground following, which led to Dave signing with Australia’s Mushroom Records in 1978. His first album, Mugs Game, went gold within a month of release. Dave’s second album, Free Kicks, was

released in 1979.

Several albums later, Dave Warner retired from writing and performing music full-time, turning instead to writing plays, novels and screenplays.

Once nominated by Bob Dylan as his favourite Australian

artist, Dave Warner continues to inspire.

He is the author of twelve novels, including the winner of the 1996 West Australian Premier’s Award for Fiction CITY OF LIGHT, and the 2016 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction 'BEFORE IT BREAKS', and six other non-fiction titles.

Dave has written for feature film, stage, television, radio and newspapers. His first feature movie starred Kylie Minogue and Molly Ringwald was sold

worldwide.

Dave’s television credits include the INXS telemovie plus regular episodes of mainstream Australian primetime dramas.

This week on A Breath of Fresh Air, Dave Warner discusses his music career and the challenges of being pigeonholed into a specific genre. He shares his desire to create truly original music and his inspiration taken from figures like rocker, Lou Reed and American author, Thomas Pynchon.

If you'd like to learn more about Dave Warner check out his website: https://davewarner.com.au/

You can also head to my website for more information about Dave.

Don't forget if you'd like to request a future guest for A Breath of Fresh Air, just drop me a line through my website https://abreathoffreshair.com.au/

I hope you enjoy this episode.

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By Sandy Kaye

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