The Johnnys are preparing a retrospective release built around previously unheard Mushroom Records era recordings while also developing new material, according to founding member Graham Hood.
by Paul Cashmere
More than four decades after first emerging from Sydney’s pub rock scene, The Johnnys are continuing to build on their legacy. Speaking to Noise11, bassist and vocalist Graham Hood says the band is currently working on a retrospective collection of archival recordings and is also discussing the possibility of new music, with the current three-piece line-up carrying forward the group’s distinctive blend of country, punk and Australian pub rock.
For a band often described as one of the pioneers of Australia’s cowpunk movement, the latest developments underline a remarkable longevity. While The Johnnys are frequently associated with their explosive mid-1980s recordings and the late Spencer P. Jones, Hood says the group never truly disappeared, even during long periods of inactivity.
“We never really split completely,” Hood told Noise11.
The comment challenges the commonly accepted narrative that the band ended in 1989. While line-up changes and lengthy breaks interrupted momentum, Hood explains that The Johnnys repeatedly reunited whenever opportunities arose.
After Hood stepped away from the group in the late 1980s, former Paul Kelly Band member Michael Armiger briefly took over bass duties. The band later reunited for a 1990 French tour before members again pursued separate projects. Jones focused on Beasts Of Bourbon, while Hood relocated to London for a decade.
When Hood returned to Australia around 2000, renewed interest in the band led to further performances.
“We got offers and reformed to do a few shows which were pretty successful,” he said. “Over the years we did more when it suited us.”
A significant turning point came during the final years of Spencer P. Jones’ life. As Jones’ health declined, The Johnnys were invited to perform benefit concerts in Melbourne and Sydney. Guest vocalists initially assisted the group, but Hood gradually assumed a greater role as frontman.
“We were asked to do his benefit shows in Melbourne and Sydney,” Hood recalled. “We got ring-in singers and I filled the gaps. I was always part singer from The Johnnys’ conception and we just kept going with me singing more.”
Today, The Johnnys operate as a three-piece featuring Hood on bass and lead vocals, Billy Pommer Jr on drums and vocals, and Slim Doherty on guitar and vocals.
“Now we are me, lead vox bass, Billy drums and vox, Slim guitar and vox, so no ring-ins,” Hood said.
The current activity follows renewed attention on the legacy of Jones, who died in 2018. Earlier this year the City of Port Phillip officially named Jonesy Lane in St Kilda in honour of the influential guitarist and songwriter. The dedication recognised Jones’ work with The Johnnys, Beasts Of Bourbon, Paul Kelly And The Coloured Girls and his solo career, reinforcing his importance within Australian rock history.
That connection remains central to the next Johnnys project. Hood confirmed that the band is assembling a retrospective collection built around previously unreleased material from the Mushroom Records era.
“We are working on a retrospective and B-sides album, all outtakes from the Mushroom sessions,” he said.
According to Hood, producer Phil Punch has been enlisted to mix the recordings while Rick O’Neill is handling mastering duties. Negotiations are currently underway to secure a release.
“We have got Phil Punch to mix and Rick O’Neill to master, in negotiations to get it out this year hopefully,” Hood said. “SPJ all the way is on all tracks.”
The archive project offers fans a rare opportunity to hear material from a period that produced the band’s best-known releases, including Highlights Of A Dangerous Life in 1986 and Grown Up Wrong in 1988. Those albums yielded singles such as Injun Joe, (There’s Gonna Be A) Showdown, Bleeding Heart, Motorbikin’ and Anything Could Happen.
Despite strong support on the pub rock circuit, The Johnnys never achieved the commercial breakthrough enjoyed by some of their contemporaries. Yet their influence on subsequent generations of Australian rock and alternative country artists remains widely acknowledged.
The forthcoming archival release may also help reframe the band’s place in Australian music history. As interest grows in preserving and re-examining significant recordings from the nation’s independent music culture, projects like this provide valuable documentation of a formative period in Australian rock.
There is also the prospect of entirely new music.
“Yup, but we’re working on it,” Hood said when asked about future recordings.
The challenge, he explains, is finding a common creative direction after years of members pursuing separate musical interests.
“We have all drifted in other directions so need to find a common ground with what we all have written lately. Slim and Billy have songs, I have recorded with other bands and have punky stuff that may need to be tamed or honed into The Johnnys sound.”
For now, the immediate focus is on bringing the archival project to market. Beyond that, The Johnnys appear determined to continue evolving while maintaining the spirit that first defined them in Sydney in 1982.
“But I reckon it’s coming,” Hood said of the prospect of new material.
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