Jimmy And The Boys
About Jimmy And The Boys
Sydney-based band. 1976-1982
“Outrageous and often obscene shock/horror group led by Ignatious Jones, who pioneered the use of theatrical trappings for Australian bands.”
From the Who’s Who of Australian Rock
History
“Jimmy and the Boys were an Australian New Wave band, active from 1975 to 1982, best known for their incredibly violent stage shows. The act revolved around vocalist Ignatius Jones and keyboard player Joylene Hairmouth – a couple of friends from Cranbrook and Riverview, exclusive private schools. Since 1976 the duo had been surrounded by various combinations of backing musicians, the constant guts and gore probably accounting for at least some of the member turnover. Their performance, their visual image, their on and offstage behaviour were all carefully designed to elicit the maximum level of shocked outrage from a public long since bored with the standard media fare of moral decadence. Sadomasochism, transvestitism, self-mutilation, drug abuse, inebriation, simulated sex and mock rape all took starring roles in Jimmy And The Boys’ blisteringly paced tribute to cultural degeneracy. The band was known for often causing audience riots in the more homophobic venues they played.”
From Wikipedia
Members
- Ignatius Jones – Vocals
- William O’Riordan aka Joylene Thornbird Hairmouth – Keyboards
- Scott Johnson – Drums
- Michael Vidale – Bass
- Stephen Hall – Lead Guitar
- Rick Sutton – Guitar
- Joseph Attullah aka Joe P. Rick – Guitar
- Danny Damjanovic – Sax, Flute
- Barry Lytten – Drums
- Michael Parks – Bass, Guitar
Recordings
Albums
- Not Like Everybody Else – 1979
- Teddy Boys Picnic – 1981
- In Hell With Your Mother – 1982
- Out Of Phase – 1988
Known Gigs
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 20/07/79 | Manly | Flicks |
| 30/07/79 | Wollongong | Mt Pleasant Sports Club |
| 06/10/79 | Sydney | Capitol Theatre |
| 03/12/79 | Rydalmere | Family Inn |
| + The Lonely Hearts | ||
| 16/12/79 | Granville (NSW) | Granville Showground |
| 23/04/80 | Blacktown | Comb And Cutter Hotel |
| 06/06/80 | Manly Vale | Manly Vale Hotel |
| + INXS, The Lonely Hearts | ||
| 05/08/80 | Wollongong | Fraternity Club |
| + The Clones | ||
| 24/10/80 | Rydalmere | Family Inn |
| + The Lonely Hearts | ||
| 25/10/80 | Manly Vale | Manly Vale Hotel |
| + The Lonely Hearts | ||
| 21/11/80 | Bexley North | Bexley North Hotel |
| + Moving Parts | ||
| 28/03/81 | Sylvania | Sylvania Hotel |
Truly one of the greatest Australian bands EVER! These guys are still one of my all-time favourite bands. Only Mark, I must insist you refer to Joylene by her full name, Joylene Thornbird Hairmouth! (sorry, couldn’t resist!). Did you know that Joylene actually ran for the NSW Senate? For real!
Ahhh, Thornbird… you are quite right JR, it has been corrected.
I remember the Senate run too.
i ‘appreciate’ them enough to want ‘babies on fire’ played @ my funeral!!
You’re Jimmy and the boys history is a little sketchy…as are some of the above “facts”…Members of this one time great band not listed above were the people who actually formed Jimmy and the Boys before the inclusion of Iggy and Bill and include… Tom Falkingham, Pat Sheil, Mike Sheil, Scott Johnston, Hamish Stuart, John Huie, Jason Morphett and perhaps a few I cant remember…later Paul Radcliffe and Andrew De Telliga also played guitar for the band. Before Ignatious and Bill were the stars of the show, Jimmy and the boys (there was no Jimmy) were a jazz rock band comprised of students from the Cranbrook school in Sydneys eastern suburbs…they played a combination of origional songs and covers mainly influnced by the likes of Frank Zappa…Jeff Beck…Chik Cohera…and many other American bands of that genre. This was the first band I ever worked for and one day I might even share some of the incredible behind the scenes stories that in the shadow of time, seem quite unbeliveable to me…and I was there.
Yes Rick that is exactly my recollection of those fun times and a lot of those names sound familiar!! I remember many a week spent at the Windsor Castle
I have a cassette of Jimmy and The Boys live @ Selinas (Sydney), not sure what year, but it’s the original Band in their hey day… anybody want it.?. I’ll send it to you. JEFF CRIPPS
if you still have that Jimmy & The Boys cassette tape, then I would certainly appreciate it. I was their sound engineer for some time. Please reply through my email address.
Many thanks,
Grahame.
Also…Rick Sutton and Joe P Rick (Joseph Attullah) are not the same person…although they both played guitar.
a great band.we need more of their songs on limewire & utube though
The music was wild ,the shows were even wilder.I’d never been in an offal fight before
Any one know where i cab get hold of any of the Jimmey and the boys albums especially Not Like Everybody Else but interested in all there work. been hitting the 2nd hand record stores in sydney wiith no sucess
greg
Greg,
I have there thre Lps’ on CD. There was abest of whichwas the first 2 LP’s and then the ‘Live’ Lp. It took me 30 years to find a copyof that one for the collection. Contact me at (dawson181@dodo.com) and we can arrange a burn for you. No problems at all.
I have a signed vomit coloured (Limited Edition) Not Like Everybody Else Album
I have a cassette of Jimmy and The Boys live @ Selinas (Sydney), not sure what year, but it’s the original Band in their hey day… anybody want it.?. I’ll send it to you. JEFF CRIPPS
Hehe.
what happened with danny damjanovic?
Yes I wonder the same thing. He was HOT.
I’ve been trying to get a copy of ” I’m not like everybody else ” for about 20 years since my first copy got stolen in house break in. So if someone could help it would be appreciated.
Pedrod
Saw them heaps of times back in the old days.I use to have one of the dolls from “baby’s on fire” but my stupid mother tossed it out. I still have a copy of “I’m not like everybody else” & “Teddy Boys Picinic” but not sure if I want to get rid of them. Heaps of memories. Nell
Could never part with my “I’m not like everybody else” album – it’s personally autographed, including a poem by Iggy and some very amusing comments by other band members – just been trying to decipher the fading writing tonight! Very underrated, excellent fun in a savagely dark way and actually a really nice bunch of guys, leaving aside the saga of Iggy and Joylene’s fruit platter sculptures at the St Kilda Car-o-tel!!
Ah Jimmy & the Boys!!!! I remember being front row at a gig at the ANU in Canberra when Ignatious tried to stick his mic up my nose. Fun days indeed.
you sure it was your nose luffy
Geez POB, long time no hear but it was definaitely my nose as I wasn’t bending over at the time.
what on earth were you proposing that he do ?
What about Pygmy Twilight? I remember wild days at the Windsor Hotel in Paddo…seeing Ignatius hanging off the ceiling doing his contortion thingy. Great days indeed. Rick Scutts memory is spot on…I remember all those guys he suggests.
What about “Free Beer” before Jimmy and the Boys?? I recall it pretty well all started with Free Beer band?
Hi Richard!
Actually Free Beer was formed out or former members of Jimmy and the Boys after the management at the time wanted to take the band in a more commercial direction. (not to mention the obvious personality differences that usually occour in these situations) This exodous left Iggy and Bill do what they wanted to do and most of the guys who left splintered into several other bands including “Free Beer”.
As I remember Free Beer was formed by the Sheil brothers in about 1979.
On further reflection it was probably Tom Falkingham who started Free Beer…
I played bass in the band from ’78/’79… Played on the first albumn.
I am currently writing a book loosely based on my time in the band…some of the stories regarding getting out of gigs alive are hard to believe. Like the time we played at Hells Angels Broadford rock festival. We went on stage at 2.00am after a very low key set from Russell Morris and the Rubes. We had already done a gig at Banannas in St Kilda and were fairly out of it. The band was asked to tone it down a tad as the crowd were sleepy. This was like the proverbial red rag to a bull..the bull being Iganatius. We played the first song and got little reaction from the pissed,stoned,tired bikers and assembled misfits. Ignats let fly with something like “Hey are you suppose to be the Hells Angels?…..well my grandmother can do better than you motherfuckers…..”
A barrage of full beer cans started flying at us from a distance of about 20 meters (this was back in the days when the cans were made out of STEEL!!!!)
Michael – so cool to see that you are writing a book about your time with the Boys. Would love to hear what you have been up to over the years. We met a few times back in the early 80’s when you were with The Riffs. What ever happened to Mick, Glenn and Barry? I was playing bass with a couple of Perth original bands at the time – god bless the Apollo Room, Captain Stirling and the Albion. Good luck with the book mate!
Hi Michael,
I was wondering if whether Jimmy and the Boys were at all connected to the East Sydney art scene during the period 77 – 84. There were a couple of groups around that time that seem to have similar performance stylings to “The Boys” such as “Cabaret Conspiracy”. Did any of the participants of the band go to art school? Did you also ever play at Side F/X? I’m really curious about info in this area.
cheers,
Mark
Hi I became a fan by accident, just stumbled into Kingston rock st Kilda and you guys were playing . Any way loved the band and I introduced my friends to your music and saw the band several times . I still play my vinyl not like everybody else , and it still makes me smile . Would love to know all the lyrics especially to “other side “ my favourite trak. Maybe one day you might find the time to put the lyrics up . Or even better reform the band . Thanks for reading this , and what happened to the book . Sincerely Clinton
G’day Michael Parks.
G’day Rick,
I’ve been in Perth for the past 30 odd years.
Do you have any idea what became of Rick sutton, Danny damjanovic, steve hall?…..
I know Danny his alive and well in Sydney Michael. Still playing sax but only for the occasional jam with mates.
Hey Michael – long time no see – Perth 1981
Hope you’re still playing!
Geoff Rosenberg
Hi Michael
I am a mate of Steve’s , he’s living in Lithgow, was in various cover bands over the past twenty years, fall from Grace being one, married now and doing well, I’ll never forget a gig I did with him,a guitarist wanted a drummer and bass player for the night, Steve jumped on the bass and I on the kit,no set list, no idea what was coming next, playing stuff like under the boardwalk, put another log on the fire, crazy night, even had some girl get Up and do some yodeling, then On the drive home nearly ran over some pissed dickhead lying on the road .
Steve still gigs and tinkers with music and spends a lot of time at his wife’s gallery in Lithgow
I can give you his details if you like
I’ve still got Ignatius’s vinyl pants we ripped from him at east leagues club in Brissy. They still smell!!!
I still recon they where the best pub live rock show ever!What a show every night.Burning babys on babys on fire That cop outfit on Cops are coming! I wraped a chain around his chin His head fell off!Where else would you hear and see such an outrageous band. Butchy boys-Electric dildos cheeks apart!I can still remember hanging off the cealing at the local inn at west ryde above ignatius with my brother holding back the bouncers who wanted to grab me and throw me out!Sensational stuff what a contorshonist! I treasure my Not like everybody else Album.So many great memories.
for Michael Parks…
write to me at rick_scutts@hotmail.com
Sun, Dec 16th 1979 Jimmy And The Boys in Granville (NSW) Granville Showground – I was at this gig, the band broke up a big watermelon and threw it at the audience, some of whom saved it and threw it back at the next band on, which I think might have been Mi-Sex.
A great all day concert- effin hot summer’s day, dust, hot beer, naked women cooling off under the water spout (photographer Bob King has some photos of this- I bought a copy at the Parra record fair a few years ago )
Does anybody else remember this?
One of the greatest live bands from the 70’s-80’s Oz Pub Rock era, Punk/Jazz/Funk you name it they could play it- they used to do a killer version of John Cales interpretation of Heartbreak hotel too
Hi Allan, thanks for your comment. I actually got the date of the gig from a Bob King book I have in which he dates most of the photo’s.
Thanks again
Iggy had the watermelon hat!
The whole show looked even more gruesome in the cold light of day…
Yep, I was there that day. Ignatious wore half the watermelon on his head with all the juice ran down his face.
He did a stand up 69 with Joylene, planted his face on her crotch and came up with blood all over his face (presuming it was a fake capsule).
I went out and bought the album the next day.
It was stinking hot that day, but about 9 hours of great bands.
Oh Shucks! The band could play pretty much anything we put our minds too.All the theatrics aside there where some great musicians played in the band. The watermelon was a shocker but pinging Ignatius in the back of the head with drumsticks to que him was fun.
Nice you read all the comments – I spent many a weekend sitting on the Boys laps playing games at about the age of 8-10 while they got their hair done and Joy got her wigs made up. My Dad “Norman McRae” was their hairdresser
Its a great part of my childhood memories hanging with them as normal guys and then watching them on stage do their show …..
Same I lost touch with you all xx
KJ
please please please anyone know where I can download “not like anybody else” all my vinyl’s been stolen – Mountzakopane@bigpond.com
I remember seeing them in Cremorne, cant remember the venue, Ignatius, must have had a cold because the snot was running out of his nose and he blew his nose and a great gob of it came out and he was holding it out over the audience who were reaching up to grab it, another time Joylene announced she was pregnant to Ignatius, who, dressed as a Nun later mock raped Joylene, who then had a miscarriage ( she lifted her skirt to show a clear plastic bag in which there was a dolls head and a string of raw sausages which she pulled out of the bag and flung into the audience)
there is certainly no one like them now.
I remember seeing Jimmy and the Boys at Bryants Manly Vale and the crowd went wild when Jimmy threw tripe/offal at the audience. Also saw them at Avalon RSL where our group loved them,but the majority of the audience left the venue in disgust; they were AWESOME!!!!!!
Carry…there was no Jimmy, the singers name was Iggy.
I hope someone can help me besides the Windsor Castle Paddo I saw Jimmy and Co. at a venue near railway square. Long time ago 77,78 maybe. Can anyone remember the name of said venue. Iggy used to hang off the piping on the roof and spit on people and throw blood. Capsules? Thanks in advance
Stagedoor Tavern.
Just remembered the answer to my own question Stage Door Tavern. They were good times I think.
we’ve just discovered this link and think its great. My husband Barry was the drummer during the 78/79 period of the band.
Follow these links to YouTube and enjoy a dose of Jimmy and The Boys!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2VqDy4hAIA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGDakKx4_FY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S36ZqI6ZNGQ
A handy on line site to find Oz music several Jimmy and the Boys singles up for sale at the mo.
http://www.ozmusiconline.com.au/
http://www.redeye.com.au/answer.asp?reion=USA&atype=both&artist=jimmy+and+the+boys&code=&search=search
would love to find best of jimmy and the boys on lp cassette or preferably cd titles out of phaze
I remember going going to the “downer” (Sundowner) at Punchbowl as a young AJ in 1980 or 81 and seeing the show. I live and work in China now with a group of people of the same age and who also remember. None of unfortunately have a copy of any music.
We would greatly appreciate an Mp3 or similar of Jimmy and the boys or the Radiators etc. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Jimmy and the Boys played at the Vines Frankston in the 80’s. I was based at Cerberus at the time. I well remember that night as one of the local bouncers broke my nose!! Thanks mate; I wasn’t even involved in the f*%# fight……..
Cringing… wanted to get a fix of Jimmy and the Boys 🙁 I had all of their albums on vinyl and ended up giving then away to Vinnies about 10 years ago! Can’t remember how many times I saw them live but sometimes it was more than once a week in their hey-day. My sister went to school with Monica who was quite wild in her younger years!
fuck, it’s been so long since having seen every single concert they did in Sydney in 1979 and haven’t heard a word from them since late 80ies and now living in Berlin – they would fill the houses here if they still existed, so much experimental and radical stuff going on here. Does anyone know whatever happened to Ignatius?
Funny you should ask, was watching the news the morning and who should be on but the one anad only Iggy Jones who is co-ordinating the magical Vivid in Sydney,
Such a fantastic band and soooooooooooooooooo many great memories of their live shows, they were one of a kind and just brilliant, love being a 70’s girl
Looking for the year (28 Dec) Jimmy & The Boys played ‘Summer Madness’ at Fowlers Lane Bangalow. Other bands on the bill were Mi Sex, Rose Tattoo, Dutch Tilders & others
I’d like to know that too. I was just a little girl and COMPLETELY star struck by Ignatius. singing I’m not like everybody else with his legs around his neck.
Billy O’Riordan (Joylene) is one of my best friends and we perform together often! He still performs as Joylene Hairmouth and is as outrageous as ever. We ‘re taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year. The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show. Can I promote our preview shows on this blog??
Thanks, Brent
Hi Brent, that’s great news. Your best bet is to mention it on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AustralianMusicHistory
Cheers, Mark
Tell Bill Marceena says hi
I used to see J&TB a lot in my youth. I still have good condition vinyl copies of 3 albums “Teddy Boys Picnic” / “In Hell With Your Mother” and “I’m Not Like Everybody Else”
Happy to give them away to someone who wants them, I’m in inner city Melb, so reply to this and I should get an email notification and we can work out how you can collect them.
Don’t want to sell them, they’re free to a good home – but you’ll have to arrange pick up.
Gday PJ, mate, ya still got em?….7 years on????
There were various JATB gigs at the Stagedoor Tavern at the corner of Castlereagh & Campbell Sts, Sydney in 1979 & 1980.
References to the dates can be found at http://www.australianmusicdatabase.com/venues/stagedoor-tavern-sydney-nsw?page=2 & http://www.australianmusicdatabase.com/venues/stagedoor-tavern-sydney-nsw?page=4
Links to other gigs not mentioned above can also be found at http://www.australianmusicdatabase.com/bands/jimmy-and-the-boys
I thought they played Selina’s Cooggee Bay Hotel as well around that time, but I can’t find any record of that. Some of the band members may confirm.
Did my training at 1RTB. Gotta say ‘Wagga’ got me through. Thanks Jimmy and the Boys for the gigs at the Belair at Kotara.
Hi. Was Ignatius Jones also the lead singer in Rats Bander ,at the same time az Jimmy and the Boys were together.?? Dont know many peolpe that saw this band. Thanks Wayne
Rratz Bander I think pre dated jatb, who took a lot of ‘inspiration’ from Rratz. RB were very real in their outrageousness, not a shock cabaret act. I remember the band was very tough.
Yeah mate, yer not wrong!…seen em a few times at the Stagedoor Tavern in Sydney, my favourite rock haunt for sure!….anything goes.
I thought there may have been a connection and bored and rained in Im doing some research….
Those were the days!…what bits I remember!
Wayne, I was thinking along those lines too, seen RRATS BANDER in Heat at the Stagedoor and without going into specifics can attest the the lead singer was also a contortionist.
I seen both bands as many others back in those days.
I was just watching the video on YouTube, that was recorded at “Selinas” in 1981. The quality is pretty bad though. My question is, does anyone have the video of this show in better quality. It’s obviously been professionally shot, so I guess it must exist somewhere. I’m actually amazed it hasn’t been transfered to DVD by now. Can’t find it on Ebay or Gumtree or anywhere else for that matter. I’ve been trying to show my daughter some footage of the band after telling her about them over the years. I saw them live several times back in the 80’s. A couple of times in Newcastle and another night at “The Planto” in Coffs Harbour. As anyone that saw them will tell you, they were a f__king awesome band live. Anyhow, if anyone can point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it. Cheers.
A Jimmy and the Boys show at the Stagedoor Tavern in the late 70s or early 80s . During the solo in I’m the Slime, Iggy smashed a watermelon over his head. All the fruit oozed down his head and a huge boogey hung off his nose – perfect for the tune!
I saw them again soon afterwards at the Civic and someone yelled out, “What about the watermelon, Ig!” and he replied (with feeling) “I couldn’t go through that again” 🙂
I was wondering if anyone has ever seen a green vinyl copy of Not Like Everyone Else? I have one but can’t see it mentioned anywhere which makes it difficult to value. Any ideas
https://www.discogs.com/artist/885615-Jimmy-And-The-Boys compare your copy. You can always add it
I saw these in Whyalla and I guess we are one of the homophobe towns reffered to because we threw glasses at them and drove them off stage after Jimmy 69’d Joylene and came up with a face full of mock blood… too much for us!! What a night to remember though. Great tunes
Hey music lovers,
I recently emailed Spotify and expressed my sadness that Jimmy & The Boys were not available on their streaming site and told them a little bit about the band, they have since added Not Like Everybody Else entire album and one song Product Of Your Mind.
Enjoy!
How fantastic to come across this thread on Jimmy and the Boys! I was promoter of the Civic Hotel’s room from 78-80 and JatB were one of early bands we presented. Started on Wed nights and became one of our regulars. They, and bands like the Mentals , X, Hitmen Oils and Misex were what put the place on the map. All of them $300 bands at the time! Some crazy nights both on and off-stage with JatBoys…whew – (some of the fights between Iggy and Bill in the dressing room pre gig would leave me wondering if they’d even go on…) I’m currently writing a book that will encompass those days.
I remember those days fondly Bob, especially at the Civic. I remember seeing misex , I think it was their first gig in Sydney where the guitarist was operating their Lightshow by foot with switches they were Porter flood lamps coloured. The whittle family were one of my favourites
Saw these guys a few times in Melbourne , great shows. Have 2 albums and still listen to them ,especially not like everybody else. First time i saw them was by accident , walking along Fitzroy St St Kilda looking for somewhere to go.A woman came out of Kingston rock and was bleeding from what must have been an assault. My mate and i went inside to see what was going on .There was Iggy on stage waving a burning doll, and ranting something about Mothers day. We got some drinks and watched the remaining show ,just a great night .
I was about 17 or 18 and I saw Jimmy and the Boys play at SGT Peppers in Kings Cross. The band and most of the crowd was totally wild! I didn’t really know what I was watching and listening too, but I knew I liked it.
Loved seeing this band , very entertaining and wild theatrics . Would like to hear from anyone who knows the lyrics to Other Side . Great song just can’t quite make out a few lines . The lisp doesn’t help
I have a cassette of Jimmy and The Boys live @ Selinas (Sydney), not sure what year, but it’s the original Band in their hey day… anybody want it.?. I’ll send it to you. JEFF CRIPPS
Exchange Hotel,Brisbane ,hosted them a couple of times in 78 and 79.I think they supported The Angels once there.At that time The Leftovers were going strong and they made Jimmy and the Boys look prissy.Most of The Leftovers are dead now,but as far as I know Ed Wreckage is still with us.
Hey Peter, In the late 70’s our Brisbane band, The Agents, supported Jimmy & the Boys at Cleveland Sands Hotel. A night to remember for sure. Apparently, a top-line Shure microphone disappeared from the load in/out point. I remember reading a small Ad in the Courier Mail newspaper a few weeks later that Jimmy had received a broken leg. Ahh, the stories!
We used to see them at The Windsor Hotel in abput 1976 in Paddo religiously. They were so good.
Searching for a rather “out there”band that played Sydney’s Stagedoor Tavern back in the late ’70s early 80’s.
a band called “Rats Bander in Heat”
I got to thinking that the similarities in the ‘performances’, no other word, could’ve suggested a link to the two bands.
It seems to be too far back for the internet even.
Anyone remember them?
[…] out more about Jimmy and the Boys and their legacy here, or read about them in our guide to Australia’s most obscure hit singles […]