Monkey Biz:

VOTED best rock act at the 1999 San Diego Music Awards SPRUNG MONKEY returns to Australia this month to launch TAYLOR STEELE'S new surf video LOOSE CHANGE as well as previewing material from their forthcoming fourth album. Playing on Wednesday, March 15, at Fanny's, Sprung Monkey had a huge hit in Australia in 1998 with the song GET 'EM OUTTA HERE from the FUNNY FACE CD. Last year the boys joined THE OFFSPRING on tours of Europe and America, and contributed a song COCONUT for the MUSIC FOR OUR MOTHER OCEAN 3 compilation alongside RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, BEN HARPER, BECK, THE BEASTIE BOYS and PEARL JAM. Joining Sprung Monkey on the bill next week will be Gold Coast rockers SUNK LOTO. QWAKE NEWS: QWAKE members have been writing and recording a debut album with PARRIS MCLOUD on the Central Coast. McCloud is the same bloke who recorded the band's songs ALL MY LIFE and THOUSAND WORDS which gained airplay on NX-FM last year. In the meantime fans can catch keyboard player and frontman SCOTT THOMAS and guitarist JASON PERCIVAL playing covers in a duo RUBBER SOUL, this Friday night at the Toronto Hotel. 'We do everything from the 1960s to the 1990s, plenty of BEATLES and CROWDED HOUSE, with an emphasis on two-part harmonies,' Thomas said.

WAY PUNK: 'PUNK rock hard core' band from the UK SHANK (without the apostrophe 'D' like Newie's own 'surf punk' version) is slipping into town this Friday night for a show at the Hunter On Hunter with local exponents WISEHIEMER, DRIZENRIEKEN and ELBOW DEEP for the princely sum of $5, surely a record price for an international act. Shank apparently is on a blitzkrieg tour of the east coast taking in Sydney, Gosford and Melbourne.

END IN SIGHT: THE LIVING END is in demo sessions with producer NICK LAUNAY (SILVERCHAIR and MIDNIGHT OIL) for album number two. Catch 'em at the OFFSHORE FESTIVAL over Easter near Bells Beach.