Dee Minor and The Dischords

Dee Minor and The Dischords

About

Dee Minor and the Dischords has delivered Raw Energy to the stage of Australian Pubs and Clubs since 1978. Heavy touring around the country in the early 80’s with Midnight Oil, Radiators, Cold Chisel, The Angels, MiSex, Swanee, Choirboys, Divinyls, INXS, Matt Finish, Mental As Anything, IceHouse, Rose Tattoo and others. They brought a unique brand of entertainment to the pub scene.

Based in Sydney, and headlining their own shows from 1981 to 1987, Dee Minor and The Dischords ripped up stages with their wild brand of rock and live on stage energy! After returning to the stage from a ten year absence they fired back in “The Boys Are Back In Town” shows from 1997 – 1999.
from deeminorandthedischords.com

Members

  • Dee Minor(John Stuart) – Vocals
  • Neal MacDonald – Sax and Vocals
  • Craig Wachholtz – Guitar
  • Spole – Bass
  • Ray – Drums
  • Brenton Dehn – Guitar
  • Greg Dawes
  • Scott Leese
  • Paul Arnott

Recordings

  • Single – “Money” – 1982
  • Album – “Dee Minor and The Dischords” – 1982

Images

Videos

Smash It Up. Live at the Local Inn, West Ryde in 1985

Money & Pope. Live at the Local inn West Ryde 1985

Psycho Ward. Live at the Metro in Sydney 13/03/10

Known Gigs

Date City Venue
01/02/80 Circular Quay Metropole Tavern
06/06/80 Circular Quay Metropole Tavern
supporting INXS
13/06/80 Narrabeen Royal Antler Hotel
+ La Femme
05/07/80 Sydney Chequers
with The Radiators & Lonely Hearts
08/07/80 Sydney Chequers
+ The Models
15/11/80 Bexley North Bexley North Hotel
+ O-Zone
07/12/80 Sydney Brighton Hotel
Midnight Oil + The Hitmen + Dee Minor and the Dischords
01/02/81 Sydney Graphic Arts Club
+ Chris Phantom Band
23/08/81 Sydney Brighton Hotel
Hitmen + Dee Minor and the Dischords + Choirboys
08/11/81 Sydney Brighton Hotel
Billy Thorpe + Dave Warner + Dee Minor and The Dischords
12/12/81 Circular Quay Sydney Cove Tavern
+ The Lonely Hearts
26/12/81 Rydalmere Family Inn
+ The Lonely Hearts
11/08/82 Mona Vale Mona Vale Hotel
+ The Lonely Hearts
11/08/82 Manly Vale Manly Vale Hotel
+ Lonely Hearts
27/01/83 Parramatta War and Peace
+ The Lonely Hearts & Two Bob Watch
08/06/83 Rydalmere Family Inn
+ Cocky Laura
14/10/83 Greenfield Park Greenfield Tavern
+ Birds Of Prey
13/06/99 Blacktown, NSW Blacktown RSL Club
The Boys Are Back In Town show.
Choirboys + Matt Finish + Spy Vs Spy + Dee Minor & The Dischords + Outline + The Radiators + Swanee + Zarsoff Bros + Mandrake + Lie Detectors
14/06/07 Sydney Mandarin Club

Other Resources

35 Comments

  1. […] 80’s band, Dee Minor and The Dischords are […]

  2. chookybaby on April 30, 2010 at 10:35 pm

    this guy was great….i remeber at Caringbah In one night he appeared with what looked like half a plastic milk crate around his neck…lots of make up …heaps of fun

    • wacca on June 6, 2013 at 9:16 am

      check them out they aback & doing better than ever!! 2013!!

  3. glenn on May 11, 2010 at 9:08 pm

    Ahh memories of the sydney cove tavern
    Id go there after my gig. probably drink too much!!!!

  4. tim ward on August 6, 2010 at 4:50 pm

    oh to be that young again,
    caves beach hotel(mawson hotel)
    rumour has it that the angels were supposed to play but could not make it,so we had to settle for deeminorandthedischords.
    how dissapointed we were—hehehehehehe.

  5. andyt on September 1, 2010 at 10:09 am

    they seem to have forgotten to mention brenton dehn original guitarist and founding memeber anfd fellow ex epping boy hes still around doing a thing called the happy hippies elton jack and numerous other things

    • Kim Kovacs on December 30, 2010 at 9:51 pm

      The original members of Dee Minor & the Discords were: John Stuart, Brenton Dehn, Greg Dawes, Scott Leese & Paul Arnott

      • Mark Gibson on December 31, 2010 at 11:18 am

        Thanks Kim

  6. Rick Scutts on January 1, 2011 at 3:02 am

    I remember talking to the lead singer of this band in the late 70’s and I think it was when I was working for the Hitmen…They were probably on the same line up that night…I remember him telling me how influenced he was by legendry Sydney underground performer “Rrats Bander” who was a good friend of mine…After I saw their set the influence was obvious…I’d love to read of any other reference to the incredible Rrats…

    • Kim Kovacs on January 4, 2011 at 8:58 pm

      Yes, Rrats Bander were Dee Minor’s biggest influence in the beginning. Rrats were such an amazing band – music, make-up, lyrics, theatrics – unfortunately short-lived, probably a little too outrageous for their time. I remember one night at Stage Door when the singer of Rrats crawled across the ceiling (Stage Door was in the basement of a multi-story buiilding and the ceiling was covered in pipes). Great memories.

      • GeeTee on January 5, 2011 at 2:54 pm

        Have a look at a couple of the posters here: http://picasaweb.google.com/bruce147/Posters#

      • DODGER on October 18, 2013 at 9:48 am

        Think I was at that gig at the iconic Stage Door or one of many like it, b4 his time. I remember on night at SDT that Rrats opened for Jimmy & the Boys. Oh what a night!!!

      • Craig on December 30, 2019 at 8:29 am

        You mentioned the band U-turn. Do you have any further detail on them?

      • Chris Fortescue on September 19, 2020 at 10:43 am

        kim, i was at that rrats gig! but then again i was a regular at rrat’s thursday nite stagedoor gigs. i recall one where people were fucking onstage. i’d like to know what happened to him. i know he cleaned up the act and went more into cabaret style music…

  7. […] Dee-Minor and the Dischords […]

  8. Rick Scutts on January 9, 2011 at 12:52 am

    Hi Kim

    Yes I do remember the song…and I have an associated story that at this stage I really dont want to recall due to its gross nature…I will however let you know it involved a new years eve show at the stage door that rrats was headlining, a famous Sydney stripper (Elizabeth Burton as I recall), a Shure sm57 microphone and a percussive instrument seldom used in live music…(the instrument was actually a part of Ms Burton’s anatomy)…

    Fuck!… what I’ve done for rock and roll…LOL…

    Thanks for bringing back a memory that I’ll put in my book…LOL…

  9. Rick Scutts on January 9, 2011 at 1:01 am

    As for those posters…Mark Gibson you may be interested in this trivia…There was a married couple who in the late seventies had the Sydney Rock scene’s poster market cornered. They were Sue and Brian Todd if my memory serves me corretly. If these guys kept records there might be a plethora of archival information for your site. They were friends of Pat Jay who owned the Stagedoor,so if you could track him down you might be able to find them.

    • Mark Gibson on January 9, 2011 at 10:52 am

      Thanks for the tip Rick, much appreciated

  10. Ross Beckley on April 7, 2011 at 7:15 pm

    Absolute crankin gig at the April 6th Gig at Manly Boatshed.
    Check out the Facebook page on Dee Minor and The Dischords.

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dee-Minor-The-Dischords/237347003276

  11. Recko on April 9, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    Used to love Dee minor not only for the show but if I had a chance i’d go and watch the set up as well. The stage was always well set and neat, very professional, good sound & lights and a crazy show. I think the stage guy was called Digger from memory but i’ve damaged a lot of brain cells. Can someone fill me in on the crew list?

  12. geof on April 13, 2011 at 2:48 pm

    great show at manly last week. good sound, and the boys lived up to their reputation. thanks heaps

  13. […] no matter who was on, but it was usually good. I saw bands like Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, Flowers, Dee Minor, Hoi Polloi, Cockroaches, Daytime Actors, Dave Warner’s From The Suburbs, Ol ’55, The […]

  14. Ross Beckley on September 13, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    Dee Minor and The Dischords have a brand new website. http://www.deeminor.com

    • Steve S on April 10, 2012 at 11:26 pm

      check out their face book page too. Interaction with the guys from the band. Special times, Big gig at the Sandringham Hotel Newtown this Saturday night 14th April 2012.

  15. Mo on October 2, 2012 at 1:24 am

    Supported these guys a few times. Loved the energy but the make up was enough to scare the bejesus out of you. Smashing It Up like someone out of a Psycho Ward !

  16. daryl on February 7, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    I was 13yo, working at the Illinois Hotel, Five Dock as a glassie ( my Stepdad and Mum managed the joint) an the first band i ever saw was Dee minor and the discords….never forgot them, bought the album, loved Pope. Lost the album years ago and looked for it ever since. Glad I stubbled onto them again….great Aussie rock . I think ive had trouble tracking em down cause i swore it was spelt D-Minor not Dee Minor??? but there y go….it was 35 yrs ago

  17. Red on December 4, 2015 at 10:19 am

    Midnight oils last gig at the stage door, don’t remember much just that the music was awesome. When it was over the place was destroyed wanted to go for a piss but someone had taken the throne. Walked outside and there were riot coppers coppers on horseback normal coppers all lined up across the street facing off at everyone coming out, there were guys who had nothing to throw at the coppers so they were throwing coins at them.
    Probably their fare home. Being too pissed to just to maintain standing up I stumbled off into the night. I woke up in my mates driveway the next morning.

  18. Blind Ambition - Australian Music History on April 21, 2016 at 2:48 pm

    […] band was playing much the same circuit as the aforementioned primates, The Zarsoff Bros, Snake, Dee Minor and the Rupert B Funkified Filth Band. Back then it was almost a family affair with everybody […]

  19. […] 80’s band, Dee Minor and The Dischords are […]

  20. […] no matter who was on, but it was usually good. I saw bands like Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, Flowers, Dee Minor, Hoi Polloi, Cockroaches, Daytime Actors, Dave Warner’s From The Suburbs, Ol ’55, The […]

  21. […] Dee-Minor and the Dischords […]

  22. […] Misex, Ted Mulry, Hello Sailor, The Reels, Laughing Clowns, The Elks, Lime Spiders, The Riptides, D-Minor and the Dischords, Swanee, Moving Pictures, Richard Clapton, Dynamic Hepnotics, Russell Morris, Lonely Hearts, Old […]

  23. Paul H on September 17, 2021 at 6:43 pm

    Sefton Hotel gigs were great
    Sure there was an INXS show with DM
    Milk crates were optional

  24. Dog on January 25, 2023 at 5:41 pm

    My first band supported them at The Playroom on the Goldy in ’83, they tore it up!!

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